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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.280



  Run UNCPT on PLUGH.DAT.  You want to extract the AFM file (if present),
  the documentation or readme file (if present), and the Type1 outline
  file.  The AFM and README files will be in the data fork of the archive
  file.  The Type1 outline will be in the resource fork.  The AFM and
  README files have Mac "TEXT" type.  The Type1 outline file has "LWFN"
  type.  I'm not trying to describe this part in a step-by-step fashion.
  Use the docs for UNCPT and UNSIT as a guide.  If you got this far you
  probably won't have much difficulty.  If you do, drop me a line and I'll
  try to help.

  If the font does not contain an AFM file, extract the screen font.
  Screen fonts frequently have the extension .bmap and are "FFIL" type
  files.  Use Bmap2AFM to construct an AFM from the screen font.  If the
  archive _does_ contain an AFM file, it's safe to bet that the author's
  AFM will be better than the one created by Bmap2AFM.

  Finally, run REFONT on the Type1 outline that you extracted above.  The
  result should be an appropriate PC type1 outline.  REFONT will create a
  PFM file for you from the AFM file, if you desire.

  Remember to register your shareware...

5.1 Converting PC Type1 fonts into TeX PK bitmap fonts

  The release of PS2PK by Piet Tutelaers <[e-mail]> is a godsend to
  those of us without PostScript printers.  PS2PK converts PC/Unix format
  Type 1 fonts into TeX PK files.  Used in conjunction with the AFM2TFM
  utility for creating TeX metric files, this allows almost anyone to use
  Type 1 PostScript fonts.  PS2PK is distributed under the GNU License and
  has been made to run under MS-DOS with DJGPP's free GNU C compiler.  The
  PC version requires a 386 or more powerful processor.  Check with Archie
  for a source near you.

  Note: if TeX PK files are not directly usable for you, there seems to be
  a fair possibility that LaserJet softfonts would be useful.  If so, check
  below for instructions on converting TeX PK files to LaserJet softfonts.

5.2 Converting TeX PK bitmaps into HP LaserJet softfonts (and vice-versa)

  There is some possibility that someone will yell 'conflict of interest'
  here, but I don't think so.  I wrote the following utilities:

    PKtoSFP: convert TeX PK files to LaserJet (bitmapped) softfonts
    SFPtoPK: convert LaserJet (bitmapped) softfonts to TeX PK files

  But they are completely free, so I don't gain anything by "advertising"
  them here.  These are MS-DOS platform solutions only.  If you know of
  other solutions, I would be happy to list them.

5.3. TrueType to HP LaserJet bitmap softfonts (HACK!)

  If you have the tools, the following suggestion does work, but it
  isn't easy and it hasn't been automated.  To be honest, I haven't
  really tested it.

  If you are using Windows 3.1, get a LaserJet printer driver (you don't
  need the printer, just the driver).  Using the LaserJet driver, direct
  output to a file and print a simple file containing all the letters you
  want in the softfont in the font that you are converting.  When the print
  job has completed, the output file will contain, among other things, a
  LaserJet softfont of the TrueType font you selected.  If you know the
  LaserJet format, you can grab it out of there.

  I didn't say it was easy ;-)

  This method will not work with ATM [ed: as of 7/92] because ATM does
  not construct a softfont; it downloads the whole page as graphics.

  Here is an overview of the LaserJet bitmap softfont format.  It should
  help you get started.  If you have any questions, ask norm
  <[e-mail]>.  If anyone wants to write better instructions... ;-)

  Many details are omitted from this description.  They are thoroughly
  discussed in the HP Technical Reference for each model of laser printer.
  I recommend purchasing the Tech Ref.  If you have additional questions
  and do not plan to purchase the Tech Ref (or do not wish to wait for its
  arrival), you can ask norm <[e-mail]>.

  An HP LaserJet softfont can occur almost anywhere in the output stream
  destined for the printer.  In particular, it does _not_ have to be
  wholly contiguous within the output file.  In fact, fonts can be
  "intermixed" at will.  The following "pieces" make up a font:

  A begin font descriptor command (followed by the descriptor) and a
  series of begin character descriptor commands (followed by their
  associated data).  When a new character descriptor is encountered, it
  is added to the _current_ font (which may change between descriptors).

  In the discussion that follows, the following notational conventions
  are followed:

    Key elements are surrounded by quotation marks.  The quotation marks
    are not part of the element.  Spaces within the element are for
    clarity only, they are not part of the element.  All characters
    (except ESC and #, described below, are _literal_ and must be
    entered in the precise case shown).

    ESC means the escape character, ASCII character number 27 decimal.

    # means any decimal number.  The meaning of the number is described
    in the commentary for that element.

  What is a font descriptor?  A font descriptor begins with a font
  descriptor command and is followed immediately by the data for the
  descriptor.  Font descriptors define data global to the font.  In
  general, more recent printers are less strict about these parameters
  than older printers.

  What is the font descriptor command?

   "ESC ) s # W"

     In this command, # is the number of bytes in the descriptor.  The
     first element of the descriptor indicates how many of these bytes
     should be interpreted as the font descriptor (the remaining bytes
     are commentary only--to the printer, at least).  This area is
     frequently used for copyright information, for example, although
     some systems insert kerning data into this area.

  What is the font descriptor data?

    The data is:

      UI  Font descriptor size
      UB  Descriptor format
      UB  Font type
      UI  Reserved (should be 0)
      UI  Baseline distance
      UI  Cell width
      UI  Cell height
      UB  Orientation
       B  Spacing
      UI  Symbol set
      UI  Pitch
      UI  Height
      UI  xHeight
      SB  Width Type
      UB  Style
      SB  Stroke Weight
      UB  Typeface LSB
      UB  Typeface MSB
      UB  Serif Style
      SB  Underline distance
      UB  Underline height
      UI  Text Height
      UI  Text Width
      UB  Pitch Extended
      UB  Height Extended
      UI  Cap Height
      UI  Reserved (0)
      UI  Reserved (0)
      A16 Font name
      ??  Copyright, or any other information

    Where, UI=unsigned integer, SI=signed integer,
           UB=unsigned byte,    SB=signed byte,
            B=boolean,          A16=sixteen bytes of ASCII

    After the font name, ?? bytes of extra data may be inserted.  These
    bytes pad the descriptor out to the length specified in the begin
    font descriptor command.

    Note: integers are _always_ in big-endian order (MSB first).

  What is a character descriptor?  A character descriptor describes the
  character specific info and the layout of the bitmap.  Newer printers
  can accept compressed character bitmaps.

  What is a character descriptor command?

    "ESC * c # E"

      The # is the length of the descriptor, in bytes.

  What is the character descriptor data?

    UB  Format
     B  Continuation
    UB  Descriptor size
    UB  Class
    UB  Orientation
    SI  Left offset
    SI  Top offset
    UI  Character width
    UI  Character height
    SI  Delta X
    ??  Character (bitmap) data.

    Although older printers cannot accept characters that include
    continuations, newer printers can.  If the "continuation" field is
    1, the character bitmap data begins immediately after that byte and
    the remaining fields _are not_ present.

  Ok, now I understand the data, what do I look for in the output stream?

    "ESC * c # D"  defines the font number (remember the number).
    "ESC ) s # W"  defines the font descriptor (as described above).
    "ESC * c # E"  specifies the character code (the #, in this case).
                   The next character descriptor maps to this position in
                   the font.  Characters do not have to appear in any
           particular order.
    "ESC ( s # W"  defines the character descriptor (as described above).

    Remember, these can occur in any order.  Experimentation with the
    particular driver you are using may help you restrict the number of
    different cases that you have to be prepared for.

  Please report your experiences using this method to norm
  <[e-mail]> (both to satisfy his own curiosity and to help
  improve the FAQ).

6.  MS-DOS Screen Fonts (EGA/VGA text-mode fonts)

  Editors note: the following description was mercilessly stolen from
                comp.archives on 02SEP92.  It was originally Yossi Gil's
                <[e-mail]> posting.


  FNTCOL12.ZIP contains more than 100 text mode fonts for EGA/VGA displays.
  It includes fonts in different sizes for Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, math
  symbols and various type styles including smallcaps and script.

  It is available at cs.ubc.ca in /pub/pickup/terse/fntcol12.zip

-- END OF PART III --
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From: [e-mail] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,news.answers
Subject: comp.fonts FAQ.4.Unix-Info
Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts.
         It addresses both general font questions and questions that
     are specific to a particular platform.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 7 Dec 92 19:15:54 GMT
Expires: 8 Jan 93 00:00:00 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Norm Walsh)
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
Lines: 35
Approved: [e-mail]

Archive-name: fonts-faq/part05
Version: 1.1.1.

FAQ for comp.fonts: Chapter IV: *nix-specific Info

Version 1.1.1., Release 07DEC92

Welcome to the comp.fonts FAQ.  These articles, posted monthly, describe many
of the basic questions that seem to be repeated frequently on comp.fonts.
Your comments are both welcome and encouraged.

The FAQ is divided into chapters.  The first chapter is a general overview.
Most of the remaining chapters are more-or-less platform specific.

For more information about the FAQ, please consult the beginning of the first
chapter.  The FAQ is always available via anonymous ftp from ibis.cs.umass.edu
in /pub/norm/comp.fonts/FAQ*

This chapter covers the following topics:

0.  Please help!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Please help!

  This section needs a lot of work.  At the time of this release, I'm not
  in a position to write it so I'm leaving it basically blank.  Even if
  you don't have time to write it, if you know what _should_ be in this
  section, please forward it to norm <[e-mail]>.

  Please consult the 'utilities' section for more information.  Most of the
  utilities described in that section run under Unix.

-- END OF PART IV --
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From: [e-mail] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,news.answers
Subject: comp.fonts FAQ.5.Sun-Info
Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts.
         It addresses both general font questions and questions that
     are specific to a particular platform.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 7 Dec 92 19:16:16 GMT
Expires: 8 Jan 93 00:00:00 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Norm Walsh)
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
Lines: 147
Approved: [e-mail]

Archive-name: fonts-faq/part06
Version: 1.1.1.

FAQ for comp.fonts: Chapter V: Sun-specific Info

Version 1.1.1., Release 07DEC92

Welcome to the comp.fonts FAQ.  These articles, posted monthly, describe many
of the basic questions that seem to be repeated frequently on comp.fonts.
Your comments are both welcome and encouraged.

The FAQ is divided into chapters.  The first chapter is a general overview.
Most of the remaining chapters are more-or-less platform specific.

For more information about the FAQ, please consult the beginning of the first
chapter.  The FAQ is always available via anonymous ftp from ibis.cs.umass.edu
in /pub/norm/comp.fonts/FAQ*

This chapter covers the following topics:

0.    Please help!
1.    Fonts under Open Windows
2.    Does OpenWindows support Type 1 PostScript fonts?
3.1    Improving font rendering time
3.2    Making bitmap fonts for faster startup:
4.    Converting between font formats (convertfont, etc.)
5.    Xview/OLIT fonts at 100 dpi
6.    Where can I order F3 fonts for NeWSprint and OpenWindows?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Please help!

  Someone mailed a file of Sun-related font tips.  Unfortunately, I cannot
  find the file.  If you have any suggestion for this section (or if you
  are the person that mailed me the other list), please forward your
  suggestions to norm <[e-mail]>.

1. Fonts Under Open Windows

  The following information regarding fonts under Open Windows was stolen
  from Liam R.E. Quim's <[e-mail]> Open Windows FAQ.  The original author
  was Rick Heli <[e-mail]>.

2. Does OpenWindows support Type 1 PostScript fonts?

    Type 1 fonts are supported starting with the NeWSprint 2.0
    and Solaris 2.0 (OpenWindows 3.0.1) releases.

    There are also 57 F3 format fonts supplied with OpenWindows which
    are fully hinted.  Documentation on the F3 font format and the F3 font
    interpreter, TypeScaler, is available from Sun.

3.1 Improving font rendering time

    Although the Sun type renderer (TypeScaler) is pretty fast, it's not as
    fast as loading a bitmap.  You can pre-generate bitmap fonts for sizes
    that you use a lot, and you can also alter and access the font cache
    parameters.     If you have a lot of memory you might want to increase the
    font cache size.
    $ psh -i
    Welcome to X11/NeWS Version3 <--- psh will say this at you
    currentfontmem =    % type this line ...
    300    % and here's what my server was using -- 300 Kbytes
    1024 setfontmem
    % Just to check:
    currentfontmem =
    1024
    See pp. 328ff of the NeWS 3.0 Programmer's Guide.  You need to say psh -i
    so that the PostScript packages are loaded - see the psh man page.

3.2 Making bitmap fonts for faster startup:

    $ mkdir $HOME/myfonts
    $ cd $HOME/myfonts
    $ makeafb -20 -M $OPENWINHOME/lib/fonts/Bembo.f3b
    Creating Bembo20.afb
    $ convertfont -b Bembo20.afb
    Bembo20.afb->./Bembo20.fb
    Chars parameter greater than number of characters supplied.
    $ ls
    Bembo20.afb    Bembo20.fb    Synonyms.list
    $ bldfamily
    * Bembo               ./Bembo.ff (Encoding: latin)
    cat: ./Compat.list: No such file or directory
    $ xset +fp `pwd`
    $ xset fp rehash

    If you want the server to see your new font directory every time,
    add this directory to your FONTPATH environment variable in one
    of your start-up files, e.g. .login or .profile.

4. Converting between font formats (convertfont, etc.)

    You can also use F3 fonts with an X11 server, by converting them to a
    bitmap (X11 bdf format) first.  Your license restricts use of these
    fonts on another machine, and unless you have NeWSPrint you shouldn't
    use them for printing.  Having said all that...  you can use makeafb
    and convertfont to generate bdf files that you can compile with bdftosnf or
    bdftopcf.

    Use mftobdf (from the SeeTeX distribution) to convert TeX pk fonts to
    X11 bdf format, which you can then use with either X11 or OenWindows.

5. Xview/OLIT fonts at 100 dpi

    There aren't any.  More precisely, the various text fonts, such as
    Lucida Typewriter Sans, are available at 100 dpi, and in fact are
    scalable under OpenWindows.     The glyph fonts are bitmaps, and don't
    scale very well.

6. Where can I order F3 fonts for NeWSprint and OpenWindows?

    600 F3 fonts are available for unlocking from Printer's Palette, a CD
    available with NeWSprint 2.0.

    In addition, F3 fonts are available from the following sources:

    Linotype AG            Linotype Company
    Mergenthaler Allee 55-75    425 Oser Avenue
    6236 Eschborn Germany    Hauppague, NY  11788
    49/(61 96) 4031        [phone]
    FAX [phone]    FAX [phone]
    attn: F3 Font Production    attn: F3 Font Production

    Monotype Plc.        Monotype Typography
    Salfords Redhill RH1 5JP    53 W. Jackson Boulevard Suite 504
    England            Chicago, IL  60604
    44/(737) 765959        [phone]
    FAX [phone]    FAX [phone]
    attn: F3 Font Production    attn: F3 Font Production

    U R W            U R W
    Harksheider Strasse 102    One Tara Boulevard Suite 210
    D2000 Hamburg Germany    Nashua, NH  03062
    49/(40) 606050        [phone]
    49/(40) 60605148        [phone]
    attn: F3 Font Production    attn: F3 Font Production

    Bigelow & Holmes        Autologic
    P. O. Box 1299        1050 Rancho Conejo Boulevard
    Menlo Park, CA  94026    Newbury Park, CA  91320
    415/326-8973        [phone], or [phone] in CA
    FAX [phone]        FAX [phone]
    attn: F3 Font Production    attn: F3 Font Production

-- END OF PART V --
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From: [e-mail] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,news.answers
Subject: comp.fonts FAQ.6.NeXT-Info
Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts.
         It addresses both general font questions and questions that
     are specific to a particular platform.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 7 Dec 92 19:16:37 GMT
Expires: 8 Jan 93 00:00:00 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Norm Walsh)
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
Lines: 39
Approved: [e-mail]

Archive-name: fonts-faq/part07
Version: 1.1.1.

FAQ for comp.fonts: Chapter VI: NeXT-specific Info

Version 1.1.1., Release 07DEC92

Welcome to the comp.fonts FAQ.  These articles, posted monthly, describe many
of the basic questions that seem to be repeated frequently on comp.fonts.
Your comments are both welcome and encouraged.

The FAQ is divided into chapters.  The first chapter is a general overview.
Most of the remaining chapters are more-or-less platform specific.

For more information about the FAQ, please consult the beginning of the first
chapter.  The FAQ is always available via anonymous ftp from ibis.cs.umass.edu
in /pub/norm/comp.fonts/FAQ*

This chapter covers the following topics:

0.    Please help!
1.    Font availability

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Please help!

  If you have any suggestions for this section, please forward your
  suggestions to norm <[e-mail]>.

1. Font availability

  Public Domain fonts for the NeXT are available via anonymous FTP from
  sonata.purdue.edu, in the directory next/graphics/fonts.  The README for
  this file states that the directory is currently being restructured by
  the archive moderator, although fonts are still available in that
  directory.

-- END OF PART VI --
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From: [e-mail] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,news.answers
Subject: comp.fonts FAQ.7.X-Info
Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts.
         It addresses both general font questions and questions that
     are specific to a particular platform.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 7 Dec 92 19:16:57 GMT
Expires: 8 Jan 93 00:00:00 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Norm Walsh)
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
Lines: 85
Approved: [e-mail]

Archive-name: fonts-faq/part08
Version: 1.1.1.

FAQ for comp.fonts: Chapter VII: X-specific Info

Version 1.1.1., Release 07DEC92

Welcome to the comp.fonts FAQ.  These articles, posted monthly, describe many
of the basic questions that seem to be repeated frequently on comp.fonts.
Your comments are both welcome and encouraged.

The FAQ is divided into chapters.  The first chapter is a general overview.
Most of the remaining chapters are more-or-less platform specific.

For more information about the FAQ, please consult the beginning of the first
chapter.  The FAQ is always available via anonymous ftp from ibis.cs.umass.edu
in /pub/norm/comp.fonts/FAQ*

This chapter covers the following topics:

0.    Please help!
1.    Where do I get X?
2.    X fonts and font utilities

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Please help!

  This section needs a lot of work.  At the time of this release, I'm not
  in a position to write it so I'm leaving it basically blank.  Even if
  you don't have time to write it, if you know what _should_ be in this
  section, please forward it to norm <[e-mail]>.

1. Where do I get X?

   The standard location for X software is export.lcs.mit.edu.

2. X fonts and font utilities

  The following programs will allow you to create fonts for display under
  X.  IBM has contributed Type1 font support for X11R5 but, at present,
  I have no experience with it.

  On any given platform, X requires specially 'compiled' fonts.  The
  standard method of interchange between platforms is BDF format.  The
  BDF format is defined by Adobe.  A document describing the format is
  available from Adobe (send "help" to <[e-mail]>).
  It is also available in the standard X distribution.  Look under
  ../X11R4(5)/mit/hardcopy/BDF.  This document is also reproduced in any
  text describing the X standard.

  Once you have a file in BDF format, your X platform should have the
  tools required to convert it into your local binary format.  Depending
  on your platform this may be 'snf', 'pcf', or X11/News format ('ff'
  and 'fb').

  Here's a quick list of possible steps to get from "what you got" to X:

  Mac format bitmaps:

    No idea.  If _you_ know how to read a Mac format bitmap file on some
    other platform, please tell norm <[e-mail]>.

  PC format bitmaps:

    Conversion to BDF is possible from TeX PK format and LaserJet softfont
    format.  Other conversions are also within the realm of possibility.
    Feel free to ask norm <[e-mail]> for more information if you
    have a specific conversion in mind.

  TeX PK format bitmaps:

    PKtoBDF gets us directly to BDF format from here.

  Mac format postscript:

    Under MS-DOS, conversion to PC format postscript allows the font to
    be accessed with PS2PK (under *nix or MS-DOS).  See above for TeX
    PK to X conversions.

  PC/*nix format PostScript

    Conversion to TeX PK with PS2PK allows us to get to BDF (indirectly).

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From: [e-mail] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,news.answers
Subject: comp.fonts FAQ.8.Utilities
Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts.
         It addresses both general font questions and questions that
     are specific to a particular platform.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 7 Dec 92 19:17:22 GMT
Expires: 8 Jan 93 00:00:00 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Norm Walsh)
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
Lines: 449
Approved: [e-mail]

Archive-name: fonts-faq/part09
Version: 1.1.1.

FAQ for comp.fonts: Chapter VIII: Font utilities

Version 1.1.1., Release 07DEC92

Welcome to the comp.fonts FAQ.  These articles, posted monthly, describe many
of the basic questions that seem to be repeated frequently on comp.fonts.
Your comments are both welcome and encouraged.

The FAQ is divided into chapters.  The first chapter is a general overview.
Most of the remaining chapters are more-or-less platform specific.

For more information about the FAQ, please consult the beginning of the first
chapter.  The FAQ is always available via anonymous ftp from ibis.cs.umass.edu
in /pub/norm/comp.fonts/FAQ*

This chapter covers the following topics:

0.    Notes about the utilities
1.    PS2PK
2.    TeX Utilities
3.    MFPic
4.    GNU Font Utilities
5.    Font Editors
6.    t1utils

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Notes about the utilities

   I have just started collecting information about font utilities.  I
   will gladly add any information that you can pass my way.  Please send
   your submissions to norm <[e-mail]>.

   I would appreciate it if you could include a paragraph or so of description
   and the appropriate site/filename for retrieval.

1. PS2PK version 1.2

  PS2PK is a utility for converting Type1 postscript fonts into TeX PK files.
  The source code is distributed and it has been compiled for both *nix boxes
  and MS-DOS based machines.

  Here is the original announcement:

                            Ps2pk-1.2 available
                            -------------------
                                 (June 1992)

    Version 1.2 of ps2pk is now available on:
       ftp.urc.tue.nl (address: 131.155.2.79)
       directory:    /pub/tex
       files:        ps2pk12.README         (  1k)    This file
                     ps2pk12.tar.Z          (391k)    Sources
                     ps2pk386.zip           (232k)    MSDOS executables
                     utopia.tar.Z           (342k)    Adobe Utopia font family
                     courier.tar.Z          (207k)    IBM Courier font family

       For people having difficulties in handling UNIX `.tar.Z' format I
       have made some UNIX tools (only executables) available in:
       directories:  /pub/unixtools/dos
                     /pub/unixtools/vms

       See the system specific TARZ file for some help.

       Ftp.urc.tue.nl can not handle E-mail requests. But sites are free
       to put the ps2pk12 stuff on any server that can.

    When do you need ps2pk?
    ----------------------
    Ps2pk is a tool that converts a PostScript type1 font into a corres-
    ponding TeX PK font.  The tool is especially interesting if you want
    to use fully hinted type1 fonts in your DVI previewer (instead of the
    unhinted type1 fonts currently used in GhostScript) or on a printer
    that has no PostScript interpreter.

    In order to use the ps2pk generated fonts your driver and previewer need
    to support virtual fonts.  The reason is that PostScript fonts and TeX
    fonts do have a different font encoding and handle ligatures in a
    different way.  With virtual fonts the PostScript world (encoding +
    ligatures) can be mapped to the old style TeX world on which the current
    plain macro packages still are based (despite the fact that TeX3.0 can
    handle 8bits).

    It is also possible to use the ps2pk generated PK fonts directly

  In addition, a modified version of PS2PK exists on ibis.cs.umass.edu.  I
  have added some hacks to better support really large renderings and a
  primitive "range" facility.