diff --git a/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/_s_b_i_x.py b/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/_s_b_i_x.py
index d24db023c..35c7e5022 100644
--- a/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/_s_b_i_x.py
+++ b/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/_s_b_i_x.py
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class table__s_b_i_x(DefaultTable.DefaultTable):
 			#print "Number of Bitmaps:", myBitmapSet.numBitmaps
 			if myBitmapSet.size in self.bitmapSets:
 				from fontTools import ttLib
-				raise(ttLib.TTLibError, "Pixel 'size' must be unique for each BitmapSet")
+				raise ttLib.TTLibError("Pixel 'size' must be unique for each BitmapSet")
 			self.bitmapSets[myBitmapSet.size] = myBitmapSet
 
 		# after the bitmaps have been extracted, we don't need the offsets anymore
@@ -121,18 +121,19 @@ class table__s_b_i_x(DefaultTable.DefaultTable):
 		for i in sorted(self.bitmapSets.keys()):
 			self.bitmapSets[i].toXML(xmlWriter, ttFont)
 
-	def fromXML(self, (name, attrs, content), ttFont):
+	def fromXML(self, name, attrs, content, ttFont):
 		if name in ["usVal1", "usVal2"]:
 			setattr(self, name, int(attrs["value"]))
 		elif name == "bitmapSet":
 			myBitmapSet = BitmapSet()
 			for element in content:
-				if type(element) == TupleType:
-					myBitmapSet.fromXML(element, ttFont)
+				if isinstance(element, tuple):
+					name, attrs, content = element
+					myBitmapSet.fromXML(name, attrs, content, ttFont)
 			self.bitmapSets[myBitmapSet.size] = myBitmapSet
 		else:
 			from fontTools import ttLib
-			raise ttLib.TTLibError, "can't handle '%s' element" % name
+			raise ttLib.TTLibError("can't handle '%s' element" % name)
 
 
 # Helper classes
diff --git a/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmap.py b/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmap.py
index 10bb2f216..991b54759 100644
--- a/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmap.py
+++ b/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmap.py
@@ -30,12 +30,12 @@ class Bitmap(object):
 		self.glyphName = ttFont.getGlyphName(self.gid)
 		if self.rawdata is None:
 			from fontTools import ttLib
-			raise(ttLib.TTLibError, "No table data to decompile.")
+			raise ttLib.TTLibError("No table data to decompile")
 		if len(self.rawdata) > 0:
 			if len(self.rawdata) < sbixBitmapHeaderFormatSize:
 				from fontTools import ttLib
 				#print "Bitmap %i header too short: Expected %x, got %x." % (self.gid, sbixBitmapHeaderFormatSize, len(self.rawdata))
-				raise(ttLib.TTLibError, "Bitmap header too short.")
+				raise ttLib.TTLibError("Bitmap header too short.")
 
 			sstruct.unpack(sbixBitmapHeaderFormat, self.rawdata[:sbixBitmapHeaderFormatSize], self)
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class Bitmap(object):
 	def compile(self, ttFont):
 		if self.glyphName is None:
 			from fontTools import ttLib
-			raise ttLib.TTLibError, "Can't compile bitmap without glyph name"
+			raise ttLib.TTLibError("Can't compile bitmap without glyph name")
 			# TODO: if ttFont has no maxp, cmap etc., ignore glyph names and compile by index?
 			# (needed if you just want to compile the sbix table on its own)
 		self.gid = struct.pack(">H", ttFont.getGlyphID(self.glyphName))
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class Bitmap(object):
 		xmlWriter.endtag("bitmap")
 		xmlWriter.newline()
 
-	def fromXML(self, (name, attrs, content), ttFont):
+	def fromXML(self, name, attrs, content, ttFont):
 		#if name in ["usReserved1", "usReserved2"]:
 		#	setattr(self, name, int(attrs["value"]))
 		#elif
@@ -101,4 +101,4 @@ class Bitmap(object):
 			self.imageData = readHex(content)
 		else:
 			from fontTools import ttLib
-			raise ttLib.TTLibError, "can't handle '%s' element" % name
+			raise ttLib.TTLibError("can't handle '%s' element" % name)
diff --git a/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmapSet.py b/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmapSet.py
index b27d86857..9798666d1 100644
--- a/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmapSet.py
+++ b/Lib/fontTools/ttLib/tables/sbixBitmapSet.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class BitmapSet(object):
 	def decompile(self, ttFont):
 		if self.data is None:
 			from fontTools import ttLib
-			raise(ttLib.TTLibError, "No table data to decompile.")
+			raise ttLib.TTLibError
 		if len(self.data) < sbixBitmapSetHeaderFormatSize:
 			from fontTools import ttLib
 			raise(ttLib.TTLibError, "BitmapSet header too short: Expected %x, got %x.") \
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class BitmapSet(object):
 		# calculate number of bitmaps
 		firstBitmapOffset, = struct.unpack(">L", \
 			self.data[sbixBitmapSetHeaderFormatSize : sbixBitmapSetHeaderFormatSize + sbixBitmapOffsetEntryFormatSize])
-		self.numBitmaps = (firstBitmapOffset - sbixBitmapSetHeaderFormatSize) / sbixBitmapOffsetEntryFormatSize - 1
+		self.numBitmaps = (firstBitmapOffset - sbixBitmapSetHeaderFormatSize) // sbixBitmapOffsetEntryFormatSize - 1
 		# ^ -1 because there's one more offset than bitmaps
 
 		# build offset list for single bitmap offsets
@@ -113,25 +113,26 @@ class BitmapSet(object):
 		xmlWriter.endtag("bitmapSet")
 		xmlWriter.newline()
 
-	def fromXML(self, (name, attrs, content), ttFont):
+	def fromXML(self, name, attrs, content, ttFont):
 		if name in ["size", "resolution"]:
 			setattr(self, name, int(attrs["value"]))
 		elif name == "bitmap":
-			if attrs.has_key("format"):
+			if "format" in attrs:
 				myFormat = attrs["format"]
 			else:
 				myFormat = None
-			if attrs.has_key("glyphname"):
+			if "glyphname" in attrs:
 				myGlyphName = attrs["glyphname"]
 			else:
 				from fontTools import ttLib
-				raise ttLib.TTLibError, "Bitmap must have a glyph name."
+				raise ttLib.TTLibError("Bitmap must have a glyph name.")
 			myBitmap = Bitmap(glyphName=myGlyphName, imageFormatTag=myFormat)
 			for element in content:
-				if type(element) == TupleType:
-					myBitmap.fromXML(element, ttFont)
+				if isinstance(element, tuple):
+					name, attrs, content = element
+					myBitmap.fromXML(name, attrs, content, ttFont)
 					myBitmap.compile(ttFont)
 			self.bitmaps[myBitmap.glyphName] = myBitmap
 		else:
 			from fontTools import ttLib
-			raise ttLib.TTLibError, "can't handle '%s' element" % name
+			raise ttLib.TTLibError("can't handle '%s' element" % name)