AN ATTRACTIVE alternative to Adobe's multiple-master technology, FontChameleon gives you the freedom to create unlimited PostScript or TrueType fonts by manipulating aspects of a core set of master font descriptors. Bargain Typefaces. The new Starter Kit edition contains seven font families (Berkeley Oldstyle, Century Schoolbook, Frutiger, Galliard, Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, and Kabel), with 47 typefaces among them. Each font is in the form of a master font descriptor you manipulate with sliders to change aspects such as x-height, descender depth, and weight. FontChameleon then generates PostScript or TrueType fonts based on your settings. Each descriptor takes only about 4K of space, so you can create thousands of fonts without needing the disk space thousands of conventional fonts would take up. After you've created a font, you can save it in its entirety or throw it away and save only its descriptor settings so that you can re-create it. FontChameleon can also create fonts by using commercially available AFM (Adobe Font Metrics) files.
The new version can create true italic fonts, the lack of which was a major shortcoming of the first release (see review, October '94, page 55). Furthermore, the redesigned interface in this version sparkles, with easier-to-use sliders and resizable windows. You can enhance the FontChameleon Starter Kit with any of four FontChameleon add-on type collections, which cost between $25 and $40 per collection. If you want a more thorough set of font descriptors and typefaces, you can opt for the $295 full edition, which comes with 51 font families, including 220 typefaces in all, and is ultimately a better value for those who can afford it.
FontChameleon Starter Kit 1.5 (4 out of 5 mice) Very Good / Price: $55 (list). Company: Ares Software, Foster City, CA; 415-578-9090. Reader Service: Circle #417.
