You'll need: FontCreator (Windows and macOS) and a variable font project with axes and at least two compatible masters.

Named instances are how a variable font presents itself to people: they're the named points in the design space — "Regular," "Bold," "Condensed Light" — that show up in a user's font menu. The same definitions also let FontCreator cut standalone static fonts from those exact locations. This guide covers defining named instances and exporting static fonts from a variable font in the font editor, on Windows and macOS, with the right weight class, width class, and naming.

Named instances are design-space locations

A non-variable font requires one named instance; a variable font most likely ends up with several. Each instance pins a specific position in the variation space — a combination of axis values — and gives it a name. That's what an application lists when a user picks a style.

Open the Instances tab in Font Properties to manage them. Each instance has a Style Name and an Axis Location.

Style Name and Axis Location

• Style Name. When a font's name is exposed in a user interface, it's usually a combination of the Family Name (from the Font tab, e.g. "My Font") and this Style Name (e.g. "Extra Bold"). The Style Name is the per-instance half of what the user sees.
• Axis Location. Each master sits at a particular position in the variation space; an instance's Axis Location is its position too. These values are design-scale coordinates. If an axis has mappings, the user-scale coordinates a person actually sees can differ from the design coordinates you enter here.

Note: Design coordinates and user coordinates are not the same thing when axis mappings exist. It's common to use stem width as the design value for Weight (say, 60 units for Regular) while the user value is 400. Enter Axis Locations in design coordinates; the mapping handles the translation.

The "Include on export" gate

Only instances with Include on export checked end up in the exported font. While designing, it's convenient to keep extra instances around to test interpolation at various points in the design space — those test instances can stay unshipped simply by leaving the box unchecked.

Tip: Add throwaway instances at awkward midpoints (e.g. halfway up the weight axis) to eyeball interpolation, and leave "Include on export" off so they never reach users.

Weight Class and Width Class — why menus care

Two identification fields on each instance feed how applications sort and group your styles.

• Weight Class indicates the visual weight (thickness of strokes). Minimum 1, maximum 1000.
• Width Class indicates a relative change from the normal width-to-height aspect ratio. A normal-width style is class "Medium (normal)".

These classes are what older application font menus read to decide where a style belongs, so getting them right keeps your family ordered correctly in host apps.

Watch out: Some older versions of Windows and Word automatically add fake bold to any font with weight set lower than 250 (e.g. Thin or Extra-light / Ultra-light), so it's better to avoid those weight values when you can.

If your variable font has a Weight axis, the Weight Class value and the axis value (in user coordinates) should be equal. If it has a Width axis, the Width Class should match the axis value as follows:

Keeping instances in sync with Axis Values (STAT)

Axis Values, defined on the Axes tab, give applications structured information about each style attribute on each axis, and they back the STAT table that platforms use to present rich families to both modern and legacy apps. In a variable font it's strongly recommended that axis values be included for every element of the typographic subfamily names of all named instances.

The practical rule: the whole set of included instances should be in sync with the Axis Values. FontCreator gives you generators in both directions:

• On the Instances tab, if you've provided all axis values, the lightning toolbar icon generates all corresponding named instances.
• On the Axes tab, Generate from Instances generates the axis values from the Style Names and Axis Locations of all your instances.

Note: Use one generator as your source of truth and let it populate the other, rather than hand-editing both lists and risking drift.

PostScript names on instances

Each instance can carry naming fields, including a PostScript Name, used to invoke the corresponding font in a PostScript context. When translated to ASCII it must be no longer than 63 characters and restricted to printable ASCII (codes 33–126), excluding [ ] ( ) { } < > / %.

Tip: In general it's best to let FontCreator decide if and what naming values to use on export — only override the additional naming fields if you have a specific reason.

Exporting included instances as separate static fonts

When you export, the Export control (variable fonts only) lets you choose what comes out: the variable font itself, the individual font masters, named font instances, or the current location you're previewing.

To ship static styles cut from the design space:

1. Confirm each instance you want has Include on export checked on the Instances tab.
2. Open File → Export Font (or Export Font As to pick a location).
3. Set the Export control to font instances.
4. Choose your outline format and the rest of the export settings, then export.

FontCreator writes one standalone static font per included instance, each at its instance's axis location, with its Style Name, Weight Class, and Width Class applied.

Watch out: Instances with "Include on export" unchecked are skipped — if a style is missing from your output, check that box first.

Troubleshooting

When to ship variable, static, or both

• Ship the variable font when your users' targets support it (modern browsers, recent desktop OSes, design apps) and you want the full design space and a small footprint.
• Ship statics when you must support older software that can't read variable fonts, or when a customer just wants a handful of fixed styles. Statics are exactly your included instances, cut at their axis locations.
• Ship both for the widest reach: the variable font for capable software, plus static fallbacks for everything else.

Frequently asked questions

What is a named instance in a variable font? It's a named point in the design space — a specific combination of axis values with a Style Name. A non-variable font needs one; a variable font usually has several. Applications list these names in the font menu.

How do I export static fonts from a variable font in FontCreator? Tick Include on export for each instance you want, open File → Export Font, set the Export control to font instances, choose your settings, and export. FontCreator writes one static font per included instance at its axis location.

Are Axis Location values design coordinates or user coordinates? Axis Location values are design-scale coordinates. If an axis has mappings, the user-scale coordinates can differ. Weight Class and Width Class, by contrast, should match the user-coordinate axis values.

Why does a thin weight render as fake bold? Some older versions of Windows and Word add fake bold to any font with weight set below 250 (Thin, Extra-light). Avoid weight values under 250 where possible.

Should I keep my test instances? Keep them for previewing interpolation, but leave "Include on export" unchecked so they don't ship.

What to read next

• How to Make a Variable Font — define axes and masters, preview interpolation, and export named instances.
• Fix Variable Font Master Compatibility — clear the O/M/F/N/D/S/W/T/A indicators so your instances interpolate cleanly.
• Export a Font: TTF, OTF, WOFF & WOFF2 in FontCreator — outline format, color, hinting and the variable-font export settings.