WARNING: Fonter may not operate properly on systems using the
SuperPrint font scaling program.
Fonter was designed to fill a gap in current Windows 3.0 programs.
Since Windows can use and display many fonts, especially with font
scaling software like ATM or FaceLift, it's easy to accumulate
enough fonts that you soon forget what you have. Even worse, many
companies' fonts use a different character set, especially in the
extended ASCII characters.
Also, creating a notebook containing samples of all your fonts is a
time consuming process if you use a word processor to do the job.
So here's Fonter, which does all that and more.
Fonter runs under Windows 3.0 and lets you view and print all the
fonts available for your printer and screen. You can use the
program in five ways:
1. As a font viewer, with full access to both a simple
sample of type for each font, plus an extended ASCII
character set display, with ASCII codes beside each
character. View your fonts in sizes from 6 to 36 points.
NOTE: Printer fonts which lack equivalent screen fonts
will not appear correctly on the screen, but will print
correctly. If a font size is not available for the font
you select, Fonter will show the closest available size.
You can also select bold, italic, or bold italic attrib-
utes for your font, whether you're looking at it on the
screen or printing.
You may even create customized text to appear in the
sample window and in sample printouts.
NOTE: In this mode, you can also type characters to see
what they look like. First, click inside the font sample
screen, then type your text. You can use any normal
editing controls. It's a good way to see samples of
characters not shown in the sample. Click the "Clear"
button first, if you want to work on a blank screen.
2. As a full-screen font viewer. This mode allows you to
see the complete character set of any font, then cut and
paste between Fonter and any other Windows application.
Two zoom levels allow you to see either an enlarged version
of the entire font chart or, by Zooming again after
highlighting a character with your mouse or keyboard, you can
see a single character enlarged greatly. This lets you
view the details of any character from any font.
3. As a font sample printer, which prints a sample of
every available font, formatted on 8.5" X 11" pages.
Again, you can select font sizes from 6 to 36 points.
NOTE: Fixed size printer fonts can only be printed
in their default size. Fonter ignores the size you
choose for these fonts.
Normally, Fonter prints a simple alphabetical sample
of each font. However, you may specify other text to
be included.
For symbol and other pictorial fonts, your printout will
print the font name in a basic font, or in one you
select.
4. As a character set printer. Fonter will print a
sheet containing either keyboard characters or the
complete ANSI character set. You'll see the ANSI
code for each character, its keyboard equivalent, plus
the character produced in the selected font. This is
especially valuable for symbol and dingbat fonts. Here
you're limited to sizes from 6 to 12 points, to conserve
paper. To insert a special character in another
application, either paste it in from Fonter, or hold
down the <ALT> key while you type 0 plus the ANSI code
for the character.
In its normal mode, Fonter prints a sample paragraph of
text in your chosen font, followed by the complete
keyboard character set. Below that is a chart of
extended ANSI characters, as described above. If you
click the "Include Text Sample" box, you can turn this
feature off, printing simple character charts.
5. As a font book printer. Fonter will print a complete
set of pages showing the character set for your fonts,
plus the sheet showing all fonts. This takes a long
time, but the finished product is worth it.
6. All three printing options allow you to either print
the complete set of fonts, or just those fonts you
select. This makes printing font books for customers a
breeze, since you can just print the fonts they use.
You can easily see the advantage of using Fonter. You can print up
a notebook of your fonts, with complete character sets, plus a
single sheet that shows all your fonts at once.
Even better, you can run Fonter, minimize it, then pop it up over
any Windows 3.0 application for quick reference to your fonts. You
can even cut and paste special, foreign language or symbolic
characters between Fonter and another application. Once you try it,
you'll wonder why Fonter wasn't around long ago.
LICENSE INFORMATION
Fonter is a shareware program. If you use it past a reasonable trial period (30 days), you must register your copy. Registration costs just $15, and is not optional. Your shareware version is not limited in any way, but this is not a free program. Please register today!
Limitations: You must purchase a separate copy of Fonter for
use on separate computers, with the following exception: You
may use the same copy of Fonter on both a laptop and desktop
computer, as long as you own both computers.
As a registered user, you'll be entitled to full support of Fonter. When you register, you'll receive the very latest version of the program, on disk.
George Campbell
1472 Sixth Street
Los Osos, CA 93402
OsoSoft BBS (805) 528-3753
MCIMail: GCAMPBELL
CompuServe ID: 71571,222
To download the latest shareware version of Fonter, or any of my other shareware and public domain programs, call the OsoSoft BBS!
INSTALLING FONTER
If you're using Windows, you've probably already installed a number
of programs. If so, you can skip this section. If not, read on.
Fonter was written in Microsoft Visual Basic. To run it, you must
have Microsoft's run-time module file, VBRUN100.DLL, installed in
your Windows directory. If you don't have a copy of this file,
you'll find it on CompuServe and GEnie and on most BBS systems. You
only need to download it once, since it works with all Visual Basic
.EXE files. If you're receiving a copy of Fonter on a distribution
disk, VBRUN100.DLL is included on that disk.
To install Fonter, either create a directory on your hard disk,
then copy FONTER.EXE into that directory, or copy the file into
your Windows directory.
Next, start Windows and bring up the Program Manager, if that's not
your default startup program. Click in the program group where you
want the Fonter icon, click on File in the Program Manager's menu,
then click on New and Then on OK.
In the next window, type FONTER, then press the <Tab> key and enter
the full file specification for FONTER.EXE to let Windows know
where the program is.
Click OK and the Fonter icon will appear in the program group that
was active at the time you installed it. You may have to scroll to
find it, but then you can move it wherever you like. Just remember
to check the "Save Changes" box when you quit Windows to preserve
the location of the icon.
NOTE: Fonter uses the Windows Print Manager to control the printer.
To avoid memory and disk space problems, you should have the "Use
Print Manager" box checked in the Print Manager Window. Check this
by loading the Print Manager program. Failure to do this may lead
to "Out of Memory," or "Out of Disk Space" errors in Windows.
MEMORY PROBLEMS
This information applies to all Windows applications:
Windows 3.0 uses disk space as virtual memory, swapping data in an
out of a file when needed. Being the disk hog that it is, Windows
can quickly create a 5 MB swap file, or even more. Because of this,
your Windows directory should be on a drive or partition with plenty
of disk space. A good minimum is about 10 MB.
If you can't do this, use the SWAPDISK program, as described in the
"Optimizing Windows" section of your manual, to move the swapfile to
another drive. Another option, and a good one, is to set up a
permanent swap file. You'll find information on this in the same
chapter.
Fonter itself doesn't use any disk space, but the Print Manager
creates temporary files, and these can be very large indeed,
especially with ATM and a PostScript printer. If you see unusual
errors when printing, this is probably your problem.
The same disk space problem affects all Windows programs.
USING FONTER
Fonter is very, very simple, and takes care of most chores without
any input from you, but there are several items to talk about.
First, start Fonter like any other Windows program. Just double
click on the icon. You'll see a message telling you that the program
is building a font list, then Fonter's window appears.
Fonter starts out in Screen Mode, as indicated in the Mode text box
at the upper right of the window. This mode allows you to view
fonts in the Font Sample box at the bottom right of the screen.
Next, look at the top line of the screen. You'll see the familiar
control bar, plus minimize and maximize buttons. You can minimize
Fonter at any time, then expand it by double clicking on its icon.
You can also size the Fonter window as you do any Windows window.
You will, however, only be able to see part of the screen.
MENU COMMANDS
[Options Menu] -- This menu branches to several other commands.
Here are the commands, from top to bottom, with descriptions of
their functions:
*Screen Display Only -- This command switches Fonter back from
any other mode to the screen mode, the same as when you first
ran the program. You can type text in the sample window, after
first clicking inside the window.
*Print Font List (All Fonts) -- This command sets up Fonter to
print a sheet or sheets containing samples of every available
printer font for your current printer. Normally, when you click
this command, you will see a brief description of the command's
function. Just click OK to activate this mode.
You'll see "Print Font List (All Fonts)" in the Mode box. While
in this mode, you can set the font size for printing, using the
drop down list under the word "SIZE." The "FONT" list box is
also active, but only affects the font sample display. The bold
and italic buttons also apply to this mode.
*Print Font List (Selected Fonts) -- This command works just
like the one above, but it prints only those fonts you've added
to the "Selected Fonts" list. To add a font, click on the Font
Selection arrow, click on a font, then click the "Add" button.
The font will appear in the "Selected Fonts" window, and the
Font Selection list box will drop down again. To remove a font
from the "Selected Fonts" box, click on it, then click the
"Remove" button.
*Print Character Set (Single Font) -- this command lets you
print a sheet containing samples of the character set for the
current font. Like the previous command, this one opens a box
which describes the command's function. Again, click OK to
activate the mode. The Mode box will reflect the current mode
at all times. In this mode, you can set FONT and SIZE, in their
respective drop-down list boxes.
In order to keep the entire character set on a single sheet,
you're limited to font\ sizes between 6 and 12 points. Notice
the "CHARACTER SET" buttons near the bottom of the Fonter
Window. Click either of these to tell Fonter whether to print
just the keyboard characters or the full ANSI character set.
The Bold and Italic buttons apply to this mode.
In this mode, the default is to print a sample paragraph in
your font, plus a chart showing the extended ANSI characters.
To disable this and print a simple chart, as described above,
click the "Include Text Sample" check box.
*Print Character Set (Selected Fonts) -- Works just like the
command above, but prints charts only for fonts in the
"Selected Fonts" window.
*Print Font Book (All Fonts) -- This command prints a complete
set of character set sheets for your printer, plus the Font
list sheet described above. The font size is locked at 12
points. NOTE: On my HP LaserJet II, with a 25-Mhz machine and
about 100 fonts, this process took over seven hours, so run
this one at night or sometime when you don't need your system.
If you need to [cancel] the operation, just click the EXIT
button. The program will abort at the end of the next font. If
you've checked bold or italic or both, that will be reflected
in your printouts.
NOTE: The choices you've made with the buttons on the main
screen will apply to the font book, so you can create
customized text for the font list sheets, and set all options
for the character charts.
*Print Font Book (Selected Fonts) -- Same as above, but prints
a book of just your selected fonts. In this mode, you may set
font sizes between 6 and 12 points.
*Display ANSI Number List -- This command in the Options menu
toggles the screen display of ANSI characters in the Font
Sample box. If it's checked, the entire character set will
appear in the Font Sample box for the current font. You can
scroll down to view the ANSI code for each character. If it's
not checked, you'll just see a brief sample of the font's
appearance, in either the default text, or your customized
text. Note that displaying the ANSI code list takes some time
each time you change fonts, so you may want to leave this
option unchecked most of the time. Also, the CHARACTER SET
buttons control how many ANSI characters are displayed.
*Make Current Font Default -- On some systems, the font at the
top of Fonter's list of fonts will not be appropriate as the
generic font for titles and labels on printouts. This is
especially true for users with dot matrix printers. For this
reason, you may use this command to make any font on the list
the [default labeling font]. If your printouts don't look
right, or the font used for labels looks odd, then select a
[generic font], such as Courier or Helvetica or another font,
then click on this command.
NOTE: Selecting a font in this way will not affect your font
choice on other options, so you can continue to use the program
as usual. Try printing a font list without choosing a default
font. If things look OK, then you can ignore this command.
*Full Screen Font Chart -- This command displays a full screen
showing your current font. You can also display this screen by
clicking the [Full Screen] button or by pressing <Alt>-F. While
in this screen, buttons at the bottom of the screen allow you
to control the character set for display, zoom the display, or
return to the Fonter main screen. If you press [Zoom] once,
then use your mouse to select a character or characters,
pressing Zoom again will display that character in a very large
size for inspection.
Click the [Un-Zoom] button to return to the normal Zoomed
display. You can use the Edit menu or any normal Windows
editing tools in this screen. Bold and italic attributes appear
in the full-screen display. Click the [Return] button to go
back to Fonter's normal display
*Run Control Panel - Printers -- This command runs the Windows
Control Panel, opening the Printer Setup window. Use it if you
need to change printers or alter the setup of your current
printer. When you're done, exit the Control Panel in the usual
way to return to Fonter. In some cases, you may have to exit
Fonter, however, before these changes go into effect.
*Colors -- These two options allow you to select the default
Fonter blue background or a simple white background. Use the
one you like.
*Exit -- Another way to quit Fonter.
[Edit Menu] -- This menu contains the usual Windows Edit commands.
*Cut -- Cuts selected text to the Clipboard. Use <Shift>-<Del>
as a shortcut.
*Copy -- Copies selected text to the Clipboard. Use
<Ctrl>-<Del> as a shortcut.
*Paste -- Pastes text from the Clipboard to the current text
box. Use this to test specific text from another application to
see how it looks in your selected font. Shortcut:
<Shift>-<Ins>.
*Custom Font List Text -- Use this command to enter text to
display in the Font Sample box. You'll enter text in a dialog
box.
[Tips Menu] -- This command lists several menu options which
give you handy tips about using various aspects of Fonter.
[About Menu] -- This command has two options.
[Help Menu] -- This command calls up this Help Screen. To use
the help system, simply click on any topic in the left box.
Click Return to Program to exit Help.
*About Fonter -- Information about Fonter 4.1
*Order Form and OsoSoft Program Info -- This command opens a
new window, containing an order form for other OsoSoft
products. You fill it in, just like any other Windows form,
using <TAB> and <Shift>-<TAB> to move between fields. [Info...]
buttons beside each product call a description of that product.
When you're finished, just click the [Print] button. Click
[Exit] to return to Fonter.
ON-SCREEN OPTIONS
You'll see several options in the Fonter main window. To choose
any of these, simply click on the one you want, or press <Alt>
while you type the underlined character. Here's what they do:
"Custom Font List Text" -- Click here to type in your own text to
appear in the Font Sample window and in your font lists. An
editing box will pop up. To revert to the normal mode, just click
this option again. The editing box will disappear, but the text
remains in the box. To re-activate the text, click this command
again. This command is equivalent to the "Custom Font List Text
Sample" command in the "Edit" menu.
Character Set Options -- These three buttons control the appearance
of character set charts. Choose either Keyboard ANSI (default) or
Extended ANSI. The Include Text Sample option determines whether a
sample paragraph is included in character charts. It overrides the
other two options.
Attributes Options -- You may choose Bold or Italic attributes or
both for displayed and printed fonts. These settings affect all
operations of the program.
"Clear" -- This button clears the font sample window. Use it when
you want to cut and paste your own text between applications, or
when you want to see just how your text looks in a particular font.
SELECTING A FONT
To select a font name in Fonter, just click the list box arrow
under the FONT box. You'll see a drop-down list. Click on any
displayed font name. You can scroll through the list with the mouse
and the scroll bar, or type the first letter of your font for
faster action. If several fonts begin with the same letter, just
continue pressing the letter until your desired font appears.
Similarly, you can choose a size for your font in the FONT SIZE box
to the right of the FONT box. You can supply a size not shown in
the list by typing that size in the box. Fonter ignores fractional
font sizes. As soon as you choose a font, it will appear in the
sample box. If you have checked the Display ANSI Number List
option, you'll have to wait a few seconds while Fonter composes the
list. REMEMBER: you can type your own characters in the Sample
window as well. Just click in the window, then type as you wish.
You can also check the Bold or Italic check boxes, or both, to view
or print your fonts with those attributes.
USING THE SELECTED FONTS OPTIONS
To move the currently selected font into the "Selected Fonts" box,
just click the "Add" button. To remove a font, click on any font in
the "Selected Fonts" box, then click the "Remove" button. To use
these fonts, choose options containing the words "Selected Fonts"
in parentheses. You may add as many fonts as you like to this box,
and may even include duplicate fonts if necessary.
PRINTING WITH FONTER
Fonter begins printing as soon as you click OK in the message box
displayed after each print command in the Options menu. You won't be
able to do anything else the operation is complete. However, if you
click the Exit button, Fonter will exit after printing the current
font.
POSTSCRIPT PRINTERS -- The Catch...
If you use Fonter with a Postscript printer, or a laser printer with
a PostScript cartridge, plus ATM from Adobe systems, there are a
couple of things to watch. First, ATM does not install fonts in a
downloadable format in WIN.INI. See your ATM documentation for an
explanation of how to make the necessary WIN.INI changes.
Second, when using ATM, you may see fonts in the font list which
will not print. In fact, you may receive an error from the printer
or have the printer actually lock up if you try to print with these
fonts. This problem is even more severe with some PostScript
cartridges, which cannot send error messages back to your PC.
Fortunately there's a simple solution. By using the "Selected
Fonts" feature in Fonter, you can simply add the fonts you know are
available in your printer, then print just those fonts in any of the
three formats.
SHAREWARE AND PUBLIC DOMAIN ATM FONTS
If you use ATM under Windows to scale fonts, you've made a good
choice. The program simplifies the entire font process to a point
where using fonts is child's play. These days, you can find
literally hundreds of shareware and public domain PostScript Type 1
fonts for use with ATM. But.....
Some of these fonts, especially those converted from Macintosh
fonts, have incomplete character sets. When Fonter and many other
programs attempt to display these fonts on the screen, nothing
happens. Indeed using such a font can cause others to disappear as
well.
To locate these fonts, print a complete font list with Fonter. If
you find lines showing just the font name, or nothing at all, you've
located a bad font. NOTE: Remember, one bad font can spoil the
whole barrel. Once you print the sample list, which may have
several holes in it, you need to remove the offending fonts.
Look at the list, then load the ATM Control Panel. Delete the font
which was the first that didn't print. DON'T DELETE THE OTHER BLANK
FONTS!!!. Now, use Fonter to print another sample list and repeat
the deletion process, if necessary.
While you may hate to lose a font, I guarantee that a font that
gives Fonter a bad time will certainly be a pain in the neck in
other programs as well.
BE PATIENT!
Printing either the character chart or the font sample sheets takes
some time. This is especially true if you're using ATM or have tons
and tons of fonts. The font sample sheets take an especially long
time, since Fonter has to load each font. Also, remember again that
printing a font book can take HOURS! If you need to abort printing
while in the font book mode, click the Exit button. Fonter will
exit after finishing the current routine.
YOUR MACHINE IS NOT LOCKED UP!
Once the pages go to the Print Manager or other spooler, you may
either select another font or option or exit the program.
EXITING FONTER
To quit Fonter, just click the EXIT button. You can quit anytime
the arrow cursor is visible, even if your pages haven't emerged
from the printer. If you click this button while an operation is
going on, you'll exit at the end of the current routine.
REMEMBER: BE PATIENT DURING PRINTING!
THANKS for registering Fonter.
George Campbell
1472 Sixth Street
Los Osos, CA 93402
OsoSoft BBS (850) 528-3753
CIS ID: 71571,222
GEnie: G.CAMPBELL
MCIMAIL: GCAMPBELL
Fonter is copyright 1991, by George Campbell. All rights
