pfb2pfa(1)


pfb2pfa -- convert PostScript Type 1 outline fonts from binary to ASCII

Synopsis

pfb2pfa < pfb-file > pfa-file

Description

The pfb2pfa utility converts Type 1 outline fonts from their binary form to their ASCII form. Both forms are encrypted. (Type 1 fonts can be displayed with the UnixWare X server and printed with lp.) The binary form is usually the form in which they appear on retail DOS diskettes. The ASCII form is the form in which they were stored on the system, after installation from diskette, in previous releases of UnixWare; in this release, they are stored on the system in binary form. The fonts must be in ASCII form when downloaded for use by lp(1), and so the download(1) utility now invokes pfb2pfa dynamically.

The pfb2pfa utility takes no options and reads and writes only standard input and output.

Usage

Examples

pfb2pfa < HOBO.PFB > HOBO.PFA

Installing type 1 fonts using the UnixWare desktop

The Fonts application of the UnixWare Desktop allows most Type 1 fonts packaged for the retail DOS Windows market to be installed using a graphical user interface, via the Install menu item of the Fonts menu button. This installation mechanism works for Type 1 fonts:

If a font has an associated AFM (Adobe Font Metrics) file, the Fonts installation process also copies it to the system (Type 1 fonts are installed in the directory /usr/X/lib/fonts/type1 and AFM files are installed in the afm subdirectory there).

Installing type 1 fonts using UnixWare utilities

If you have a Type 1 fonts diskette in DOS format that cannot be installed using the graphical interface (it would give you a message like ``Diskette does not contain Type 1 fonts in a recognizable format''), the fonts may still be installable using a sequence of UnixWare utilities. Use the following steps:

  1. Open a Terminal window from the Applications folder.

  2. Ensure that the diskette can be read using the DOS diskette utilities. Use the dosdir command:

    dosdir a:

    (Use b: for second diskette drive)

    If this displays a list of filenames in the format of a DOS dir command, then the diskette is a DOS diskette.

  3. If any of the files shown in the output of the dosdir command are directories (marked <DIR> in the output), then you need to repeat the dosdir command with the directory name as part of the argument. For example:

    dosdir a:/FONTS

    If at least one of the files shown from either of these dosdir commands has a file name suffix of .PFB or .PFA, then proceed; otherwise; the diskette has no usable Type 1 fonts.

  4. su - root

  5. cd /usr/X/lib/fonts/type1

  6. For each .PFB file on the diskette, do the following:

    doscp a:filename.PFB

    If there are .PFA files on the diskette, those can be copied as well. It is no longer necessary to convert the PFB files to PFA format, but you may do it, e.g. if you want to look at the ASCII header of the font.

  7. For each .AFM file on the diskette:

    doscp a:filename.AFM afm

    This puts the font metric files in the appropriate directory.

  8. LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/X/lib mkfontscale && mkfontdir

  9. Use exit to return to your non-root login.

In addition, you must update the list of fonts available to the font server; this can be done by using the Integrity Check item on the Actions menu button of the Fonts application. This causes the DERIVED_INSTANCE_PS environment variable to be used for the mkfontscale utility (it is set from the value in the configuration file /usr/X/lib/fonts/type1/config).

References

desktop(1), download(1), fsfpreset(1M), mkfontdir(X1M), type1.config(4)

Notices

Portions of this page are derived from material which is copyright © 1987-1991 by Adobe Systems Incorporated.
30 January 1998
© 1998 The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. All rights reserved.