---
name: "hex2bdf"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "unifont-bin"
version: "1:15.1.01-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/hex2bdf"
---

# hex2bdf(1)

Convert a GNU Unifont .hex file into a BDF font

## NAME

hex2bdf - Convert a GNU Unifont .hex file into a BDF font

## SYNOPSIS

**hex2bdf** \[*options*\] \< *input-font.hex* \> *output-font.bdf*

## DESCRIPTION

**hex2bdf** reads a sorted GNU Unifont .hex file (sorted with the Unix **sort** utility) from STDIN and writes a BDF version of the font to STDOUT.

## OPTIONS

- **-f** "font-name"

  Specify the target font name.  If omitted, the default font name "Unifont" is assigned.

- **-v** "font-version"

  Specify the target font version.  If omitted, the default version "1.0" is assigned.

- **-c** "font-copyright"

  Specify the target font copyright information.  The default is the null string.

- **-r** *pixel-rows*

  Specify how many pixel rows tall a glyph is.  The default is the traditional Unifont 16 rows of pixels.  This is an addition to support **[unihex2png(1)](/unihex2png/1.md)** and **[unipng2hex(1)](/unipng2hex/1.md),** which allow designing glyphs that are 16, 24, or 32 pixel rows tall.

## EXAMPLE

Sample usage:

hex2bdf -f "Unifont" -c "(C) 2013..." unifont.hex \> unifont.bdf

## FILES

\*.hex GNU Unifont font files

## SEE ALSO

[**bdfimplode**(1)](/bdfimplode/1.md), **hex2otf**(1), [**hex2sfd**(1)](/hex2sfd/1.md), [**hexbraille**(1)](/hexbraille/1.md), [**hexdraw**(1)](/hexdraw/1.md), [**hexkinya**(1)](/hexkinya/1.md), [**hexmerge**(1)](/hexmerge/1.md), **johab2syllables**(1), [**johab2ucs2**(1)](/johab2ucs2/1.md), [**unibdf2hex**(1)](/unibdf2hex/1.md), [**unibmp2hex**(1)](/unibmp2hex/1.md), [**unibmpbump**(1)](/unibmpbump/1.md), [**unicoverage**(1)](/unicoverage/1.md), [**unidup**(1)](/unidup/1.md), [**unifont**(5)](/unifont/5.md), **unifont-johab631**(5), [**unifont-viewer**(1)](/unifont-viewer/1.md), [**unifont1per**(1)](/unifont1per/1.md), [**unifontchojung**(1)](/unifontchojung/1.md), [**unifontksx**(1)](/unifontksx/1.md), [**unifontpic**(1)](/unifontpic/1.md), **unigen-hangul**(1), [**unigencircles**(1)](/unigencircles/1.md), [**unigenwidth**(1)](/unigenwidth/1.md), [**unihex2bmp**(1)](/unihex2bmp/1.md), [**unihex2png**(1)](/unihex2png/1.md), [**unihexfill**(1)](/unihexfill/1.md), [**unihexgen**(1)](/unihexgen/1.md), **unihexpose**(1), [**unihexrotate**(1)](/unihexrotate/1.md), **unijohab2html**(1), [**unipagecount**(1)](/unipagecount/1.md), [**unipng2hex**(1)](/unipng2hex/1.md)

## AUTHOR

**hex2bdf** was written by Roman Czyborra.

## LICENSE

**hex2bdf** is Copyright © 1998 Roman Czyborra.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

## BUGS

No known bugs exist.  Support for glyph heights other than 16 pixels is brand new and has not been extensively tested.