Convert font.suit to usable format in Ventura or Tahoe

these ancient T1 are in the ~/Library/Fonts folder and multiple faces within these are still selectable from the Font menu

They are, as long as the user also has the matching outlines for each suitcase of bitmap screen fonts. A Type 1 suitcase on its own (matching outlines missing) is ignored by the OS or any font manager. I was going with the latter as it sounded to me like the OP couldn't use the fonts as they currently are. 🙂

Not true with Word 2024 v16.113.2 or LibreOffice Writer 28.8.0.

Lots of apps will no longer list old Mac legacy suitcase style TrueType fonts, or any T1 PS fonts.

@ carolyn r.fromraleigh

but I don't know how to preserve the resource fork

No need to be concerned with that. Only old Mac legacy TrueType and Type 1 PostScript fonts have their data in the resource fork. Once converted to a modern format, everything will be in the data fork.

I would strongly suggest converting your old fonts to OpenType. Any other format is either already obsolete, or headed that way. OpenType can be either PostScript or TrueType. I much prefer the PostScript flavor.

I looked around for quite a while, and I could no longer find any online font conversion sites that would recognize these old formats.

That mostly leaves paid converters. Such as TransType. This one you can at least do 10 fonts with for free to see if it will work. I tested it years ago and it worked then, but may be iffy now. The manual says it will recognize .pfb and .pfa files, but those are specifically Windows Type 1 PostScript files. No idea if it will see a Mac version.

I've converted many old fonts with the full version of FontLab, and that ain't cheap. But there is the free, open-source FontForge. Nothing to lose trying it other than some of your time.

If that font container (or suitcase) is one font with multiple faces, try just copying it into your /Users/yourname/Library/Fonts folder and see if the operating system figures it out and lists those fonts in Font Book or an application's font menu.

It depends on what type of suitcase it is.

1. Per VikingOSX, if it's an older legacy Mac TrueType suitcase, then the fonts the suitcase contains will appear in your font lists. Open the suitcase with Font Book, or whatever font manager you're using to see how many fonts it contains.
2. If it's a Type 1 PostScript suitcase, you can't do anything with it.

I used the "add fonts to current user" option in FontBook. .suit files failed to be added to my fonts. Actually, I am trying to transfer two .suit fonts from my iMac with Ventura (where they work fine) to my new laptop with Tahoe, and that's where they fail to be recognized. I used the "export" function in Ventura for several fonts that are not on my Tahoe system. Two fonts exported as .suit files, but now that I look more carefully, the "kind" is listed as TrueType font in my Finder.

I have not had time to try the other suggestions listed here, but I will.

Have you looked at Dfontsplitter - it's free in the App Store.

(Cough) 🙃

With macOS 27.0.1 and Pages v15.3.1, these ancient T1 are in the ~/Library/Fonts folder and multiple faces within these are still selectable from the Font menu. Not true with Word 2024 v16.113.2 or LibreOffice Writer 28.8.0.