# Måns AI Tools: kerning, spacing, anchors and variable fonts in Glyphs

Four plugins for Glyphs that kern, space, place anchors and build a variable font from a single style. Free on A–Z and a–z; one license unlocks the whole font.

By Måns Grebäck · Published 2026-11-07 · Updated 2026-11-09 · Source: https://mansgreback.com/journal/mans-ai-tools-kerning-spacing-anchors-and-variable-fonts-in-glyphs

Tags: Tools, Glyphs

## Key points

- Four plugins for Glyphs 3 and 4: AI Kerning, AI Spacing, AI Anchors and AI Variable Font.
- Free on A–Z and a–z, 10 runs a day. The full version is €29 + VAT, paid once, with 90 % off for students.
- The plugins send glyph data to a server and get the result back, so they need an internet connection.

Kerning and spacing are among the slowest parts of making a typeface. Måns AI Tools are four plugins for Glyphs that do a first pass for you, so the time goes to the decisions that need a designer's eye.

## The four plugins

### AI Kerning

Kerns your font. The free version kerns A–Z and a–z as plain pairs in the current master. The full version kerns the whole font or any selection, with kerning groups and exceptions, and lets you set tolerance and threshold.

### AI Spacing

Sets the sidebearings. Free: A–Z and a–z, automatically. Full: any glyphs, plus a lock mode in which reference glyphs of your choice keep your own spacing and the rest follow them.

### AI Anchors

Places the anchors that accents attach to. Free: top and bottom anchors on A–Z and a–z. Full: any Latin glyph, including accents and combining marks (*_top*, *_bottom*), ogonek, center, topright and topleft, with an editable rules table.

### AI Variable Font

Makes a variable font from a single-style font. It keeps every node, so the masters stay compatible. Free: weight and width masters for A–Z and a–z. Full: the whole font, the axes you choose, and composites kept as components.

![The word Variable set in six weights of Jumper, from Thin to Black](https://mansgreback.com/journal/media/weight-axis-jumper-1a2228ee-2000.webp "What a weight axis covers, shown with Jumper from Thin to Black.")

## How to start

1. Download the plugins from the [Måns AI Tools page](https://aringtypeface.com/mans-tools/) and install them in Glyphs.
2. Open a font and start a plugin from its menu item, for example **AI Kerning…**.
3. Run it on A–Z and a–z, free, up to 10 times a day.
4. For the whole font, buy a license, click **License key** in any of the plugins, paste the key and click **Activate**.

## What the full version adds

- Every glyph, not only A–Z and a–z
- No daily limit
- Commercial use
- The settings for each tool
- Glyphs 3 and 4, one payment, no subscription

## What it works best on

The plugins work best on clear upright sans, serif and display styles. The models are trained mainly on Latin, though much of what they learn carries over to other glyphs. Monospace fonts and connected scripts need spacing of their own and can be quicker to space by hand, and very flourished glyphs, or swashes that reach far beyond the sidebearings, can confuse the model.

> The plugins send glyph data to the server and receive the result. They need an internet connection and are not meant for confidential work.

The [manual](https://aringtypeface.com/mans-tools/manual) explains every option in all four plugins.

## Questions

**Does one license cover all four plugins?**
Yes. One key unlocks AI Kerning, AI Spacing, AI Anchors and AI Variable Font, including plugins added later.

**Who counts as a student?**
Anyone enrolled at a school or university, or anyone under 20. Choose the Student tab and the 90 % discount is applied at checkout.

**Can I move the license to a new computer?**
Yes. A license is used on one computer at a time. Paste the key in the plugin on the new computer and the old one is deactivated.

## Fonts in this article

- https://mansgreback.com/product/jumper