Usenet 1993 July/InfoMagic USENET CD-ROM July 1993.ISO/answers/fonts-faq/part4

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From: [e-mail] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: comp.fonts FAQ.2.Mac-Info
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Date: 21 Jun 1993 13:19:11 GMT
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
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Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts.
         It addresses both general font questions and questions that
     are specific to a particular platform.
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.fonts:9142 comp.answers:1070 news.answers:9619

Posted-By: auto-faq 2.4
Archive-name: fonts-faq/part4
Version: 1.4.1

Subject: Chapter 2

    Macintosh Information

Subject: 2.1. Font formats

    Postscript Type 1 fonts can be installed on the Macintosh only by
    using accompanying bitmapped fonts.

    Postscript Type 3 fonts are installed on the Macintosh in the same
    way that Type 1 fonts are.

    Truetype fonts: no bitmapped font is necessary with this type,
    though commonly used sizes are often supplied.

    Bitmap fonts: on the Macintosh, bitmap fonts also contain the
    kerning information for a font and must be installed with both type
    1 and type 3 fonts. Their presence also speeds the display of
    commonly used font sizes.

Subject: 2.2. Frequently requested fonts

    Many fonts are available at various archives. The king of Macintosh
    font archives is mac.archive.umich.edu. On mac.archive.umich.edu,
    the fonts are located in the following folders:

       /mac/system.extensions/font/type1
       /mac/system.extensions/font/type3
       /mac/system.extensions/font/truetype

    The following fonts are in Type 1 format for the Macintosh. Some
    are also available in TrueType format.

    * Tamil

      Paladam, T. Govindram

    * Hebrew

      ShalomScript, ShalomOldStyle, ShalomStick, Jonathan Brecher

    * Japanese

      Shorai (Hirigana, with application)

    * Star Trek

      StarTrekClassic, Star TrekClassicMovies, StarTrekTNGCrille,
      StarTrekTNG Titles, TNG monitors, StarFleet, Klinzai (Klingon
      font)

    * Command-key symbol

      Chicago (TrueType or bitmap, key: Ctrl-Q), Chicago Symbols
      (Type3, key: 1), EncycloFont (Type3, key: d)

    * Astrologic/Astronomic symbols

      Hermetica (Type1), InternationalSymbols (Type 3, Mars and Venus
      only), MortBats (Type3), Zodiac (bitmap)

    * IBM OEM Line Drawing Characters

      Try Adobe PrestigeElite or Adobe LetterGothic. They have all the
      characters you want, but the `line draw' characters are unencoded
      --- you will need tools to reencode the outline font itself and
      make a new PFM metric files.

      Or try IBMExtended from Impramatur Systems in Cambridge, Mass. It
      already is encoded using IBM OEM encoding (some DOS code page).

      The IBM version of Courier distributed freely under the X11
      Consortium also contains the appropriate characters. It is
      distributed in PC format, however. Again, the font will have to
      be reencoded for Windows. Appropriate AFM files for this font can
      be obtained from: ibis.cs.umass.edu:/pub/norm/comp.fonts. The
      file is called IBM-Courier-PC8-SymbolSet-AFMs.zip.

    Many of these mac fonts are available in files that are either
    entitled xxxx.sit or xxxx.cpt. xxxx.sit files are Stuffit
    archives. xxxx.cpt files are Compact Pro archives. StuffitLite
    (shareware 25) and Compact Pro (shareware 25) are available at the
    standard ftp sites. Uncompressors for these programs (free) are
    also available at the archive sites. Check the
    utilities/compression utilities folders.

Subject: 2.3. Commercial font sources

    Commercial fonts can be obtained from a number of different
    companies, including the large font houses: Adobe, Font Haus, Font
    Company, Bitstream, and Monotype. At these companies, fonts cost
    about $ 40 for a single face, and must be purchased in packages.
    Adobe, Bitstream, and Monotype also sell pre-designated type
    collections for slightly lower prices.

    Image Club sells a wide selection of fonts for about $ 50 for a 4
    font family.

    Other, cheaper companies sell fonts of lesser quality, including
    KeyFonts, which sells a set of 100 fonts for $ 50 and Cassady &
    Green's Fluent Laser Fonts, a set of 79 fonts for $ 99. Cassady &
    Greene also sells Cyrillic language fonts in Times, Bodoni, and
    Helvetica sell for about $ 40 for each 4 font family.

    Underground Phont Archive (Jason Osborne, <
    [e-mail]>): is a distributor of
    shareware/freeware truetype fonts. Many of these fonts can also be
    obtained at the mac.archive.umich.edu archive site. Currently [ ed:
    as of 7/92 ] 170 fonts, which are distributed for $ 35, +3 shipping
    for overseas orders. (Some fonts may have additional shareware
    fees).

    Foreign language fonts, ranging from Egyptian hieroglyphics to
    Cyrillic can be obtained from Ecological Linguistics.

    Please consult the vendor list for a more complete list of vendors.

Subject: 2.4. Font Installation

    * System 7

      Install the fonts by opening the suitcase containing the bitmap
      file and dropping the fonts into your system suitcase, located
      inside your system folder. You will need to quit all other
      applications before doing this. For a TrueType font, the icon for
      the font will have several letters in it, instead of just one.
      Dropping it into your system suitcase will make all sizes of the
      font available. For Postscript type 1 fonts, you also need to
      place the printer font in the extensions folder in your system
      folder. If you are using ATM you need to place these fonts in the
      root level of your system folder (not inside another folder).
      Using Suitcase, a font management utility, you can avoid
      cluttering your system folder with printer fonts.

      You can make new suitcases of fonts (generally not needed, but
      used by those who use Suitcase) by using Font DA mover. It
      operates the same as in system 6, except that the most recent
      version must be used.

    * System 6

      Bitmap fonts can be installed using Font DA mover to move the
      fonts, located inside suitcases, into your system. You will need
      to restart your computer to make these fonts available. Printer
      fonts must be placed in the system folder, not inside any other
      folder.

      Truetype fonts can be used with system 6 if you get the Truetype
      init. Then the fonts can be installed in your system with Font DA
      mover. Suitcase can also be used under system 6.

Subject: 2.5. Font utilities

    * SUITCASE

      Suitcase is a nifty little system extension that lets you avoid
      having to install fonts into your system. In system 6, it means
      that you can avoid restarting your system every time you want to
      install a new font.

      In system 7, Suitcase lets you avoid quitting all applications
      before making fonts available. Some programs, like Quark Xpress
      will automatically update their font list when you open a new
      suitcase, allowing much more flexibility in opening and closing
      font suitcases and making different sets of fonts available.

      Suitcase appears in your Apple menu in both system 7 and 6 and
      allows you to open suitcases, as though they were files, thus
      making the fonts contained in them accessible to programs.

      In addition, when suitcase is installed, printer fonts can be
      stored with the bitmap suitcases they correspond to, instead of
      having to drop them into your system folder.

      The most recent version of Suitcase is compatible with TrueType.
      Suitcase is about $ 54 form the mail order places.

    * MASTER JUGGLER

      Claims to do similar things

    * ATM

      Adobe Type Manager is an Init and Control panel allows accurate
      screen display, at any size of Postscript type 1 fonts. It's
      function is replicated with Truetype (but for different outline
      font format). With it installed, you can print fonts of any size
      to non-postscript printers. When using ATM, printer fonts must
      either be stored with the bitmap files opened with suitcase (when
      using Suitcase), or they must be stored in the root level of the
      system folder (with System 7.0, printer fonts must be stored in
      the Extension folder if you are not using Suitcase). ATM is now
      available, with the System 7.0 upgrade, as well as directly from
      adobe with 4 Garamond fonts.

      ATM is not built into System 7.1 as previously expected. With
      System 7.1, printer fonts must be stored in the Fonts folder if
      you are not using Suitcase.

      If you are using version 7.x prior to 7.1, the following hack
      allows you to have a Font folder (if you don't use Suitcase):

      Open the second 'DCOD' resource from the ATM 68020/030 file. Do
      an ASCII search for the string "extn" and change it to "font"
      (it's case sensitive). Save, close, and Reboot.

      This process should work for 68000 machines using the proper ATM
      file instead.

    * Super ATM

      This is a utility that will create fonts, on the fly, that match
      the metrics of any Adobe-brand fonts you don't have. It does a
      remarkably good job of mimicry because it uses two "generic"
      Multiple Master typefaces, serif and sans serif to simulate the
      appearance of the missing typefaces. (There is a 1.4 megabyte
      database file that allows Super ATM to simulate the fonts that
      aren't there.) You also get Type On Call (a CD-ROM), which has
      locked outline fonts, and unlocked screen font for all but the
      most recent faces in the Adobe Type library.

    * TTconverter

      A shareware accessory available at the usual archives will
      convert Truetype fonts for the IBM into Macintosh format.

    * Microsoft Font Pack

      If you work with a mixture of Macs and PCs running Windows 3.1,
      this is a good deal; 100 TrueType fonts compromising the Windows
      3.1 standard set and the two Font Packs for Windows. This
      includes various display fonts, the Windows Wingdings font, and
      the Lucida family.

    A variety of programs, for example, Font Harmony, etc. will allow
    you to change the names and ID numbers of your fonts.

    Fontmonger and Metamorphosis will let you convert fonts among
    several formats (type 1 and 3 and Truetype for the Mac and PC), as
    well as letting you extract the font outlines from the printer
    fonts.

Subject: 2.6. Making outline fonts

    This is very, very difficult. Many people imagine that there are
    programs that will simply convert pictures into fonts for them.
    This is not the case; most fonts are painstakingly created by
    drawing curves that closely approximate the letterforms. In
    addition, special rules (which improve hinting, etc.) mandate that
    these curves be drawn in specific ways. Even designing, or merely
    digitizing, a simple font can take hundreds of hours.

    Given that, there are two major programs used for font design on
    the Macintosh, Fontographer ( 280) and FontStudio ( 400). These
    programs will allow you to import scanned images, and then trace
    them with drawing tools. The programs will then generate type 1, 3,
    TrueType and Bitmap fonts for either the Macintosh or the IBM PC.
    They will also generate automatic hinting. They also open
    previously constructed outline fonts, allowing them to be modified,
    or converted into another format.

    As far as I know, there are no shareware programs that allow you to
    generate outline fonts.

Subject: 2.7. Problems and possible solutions

   1. Another font mysteriously appears when you select a certain font
      for display.

      This is often the result of a font id conflict. All fonts on the
      Macintosh are assigned a font id, an integer value. When two
      fonts have the same id, some programs can become confused about
      the appropriate font to use. Microsoft word 4.0 used font id's to
      assign fonts, not their names. Since id's can be different on
      different computers, a word document's font could change when it
      was moved from one computer to another. Other signs of font id
      problems are inappropriate kerning or leading (the space between
      lines of text). Some font ID problems can be resolved by using
      Suitcase, which will reassign font ID's for you, as well as
      saving a font ID file that can be moved from computer to computer
      to keep the id's consistent. Font ID problems can also be solved
      with several type utilities, which will allow you to reassign
      font id's. Most newer programs refer to fonts correctly by name
      instead of id number, which should reduce the frequency of this
      problem.

   2. When using a document written in MSWord 5.0, the font
      mysteriously changes when you switch from your computer at home
      to work, or vice versa.

      This is the result of a bug in MSWord 5.0. The MSWord 5.0
      updater, which can be found at the info-mac archives at sumex (in
      the demo folder), will fix this bug.

Subject: 2.8. Creating Mac screen fonts from Type 1 outlines

    Peter DiCamillo contributes the following public domain solution:

    BitFont is a program which will create a bitmapped font from any
    font which can be drawn on your Macintosh. In addition to standard
    bitmapped fonts, it works with Adobe outline fonts when the Adobe
    Type Manager is installed, and works with TrueType? fonts. BitFont
    will also tell you how QuickDraw will draw a given font (bitmapped,
    ATM, or TrueType) and can create a text file describing a font and
    all its characters.

    BitFont was written using MPW C version 3.2. It is in the public
    domain and may be freely distributed. The distribution files
    include the source code for BitFont.

    Berthold K.P. Horn <[e-mail]> contributes the following
    solution.

    This is a commercial solution. A font manipulation package from Y &
    Y includes:

    AFMtoPFM, PFMtoAFM, AFMtoTFM, TFMtoAFM, AFMtoSCR, SCRtoAFM,
    TFMtoMET, PFBtoPFA, PFAtoPFB, MACtoPFA, PFBtoMAC, REENCODE, MODEX,
    DOWNLOAD, SERIAL, and some other stuff I forget.

    To convert PC Type 1 fonts to MacIntosh use PFBtoMAC on the outline
    font itself; then use AFMtoSCR to make the Mac `screen font'
    (repository of metric info). You may need to use PFMtoAFM to first
    make AFM file.

    To convert MacIntosh font to PC Type 1, use MACtoPFA, followed by
    PFAtoPFB. Then run SCRtoAFM on screen font to make AFM file.
    Finally, run AFMtoPFM to make Windows font metric file.

    Y & Y are the `TeX without BitMaps' people (see ad in TUGboat):

    Y & Y makes DVPSONE, DVIWindo, and fonts, for use with TeX mostly,
    in fully hinted Adobe Type 1

    Y & Y, 106 Indian Hill, Carlisle MA 01741 USA

    [phone]

    [phone] (voice)

    [phone] (fax)

    Mac Screen fonts can be constructed from outline fonts using
    Fontographer, as well.