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From: [e-mail] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,news.answers
Subject: comp.fonts FAQ.3.MS-DOS-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 19:15:36 GMT
Expires: 8 Jan 93 00:00:00 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
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Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
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Archive-name: fonts-faq/part04
Version: 1.1.1.

FAQ for comp.fonts: Chapter III: MS-DOS-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:

1.    MS-DOS font notes
2.    Font installation
3.    Font utilities
4.    Converting Macintosh Type1 fonts to MS-DOS format
5.1    Converting PC Type1 fonts into TeX PK bitmap fonts
5.2    Converting TeX PK bitmaps into HP LaserJet softfonts (and vice-versa)
5.3    Converting TrueType fonts to HP LaserJet bitmap softfonts (HACK!)
6.    MS-DOS Screen Fonts (EGA/VGA text-mode fonts)

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

1. MS-DOS font notes

  The easiest way to get outline fonts under MS-DOS is with MicroSoft
  Windows 3.x or OS/2 2.x.

  MicroSoft Windows 3.0 with Adobe Type Manager (ATM) and OS/2 2.0 support
  PostScript Type1 fonts.

  MicroSoft Windows 3.1 supports TrueType fonts natively.

  Bitmap fonts are available in a variety of formats: most formats are
  designed with the printer in mind and not the display since (prior to
  graphical environments like Windows, GEM, and OS/2) the majority of work
  under MS-DOS was done with a character-based interface.

1.2. Frequently requested fonts

  Many fonts are available at various archives.  The biggest font archive
  for MS-DOS format fonts is ftp.cica.indiana.edu.  Note: you can use any
  Mac format Type1 font on your PC by converting it to PC format with the
  free/shareware as described below.

  The following fonts are in Type 1 format for MS-DOS. Some are also
  available in TrueType format.

  Hebrew        ShalomScript, ShalomOldStyle, ShalomStick

  Japanese      Shorai

  Start Trek    Crillee, TNG monitors

2. Font Installation

  If you have any information that you feel belongs in this section, it
  would be greatly appreciated.

  Windows

    Pat Farrell <[e-mail]> contributes the following description
    of font installation under Windows.

    Installing Fonts into Windows:

    This only covers Windows 3.1. Font is a four-letter word in Windows
    versions prior to 3.1 due to the distinctions between screen fonts and
    printer fonts. The upgrade price of Windows 3.1 is justified by the
    integration of TrueType into the package and the inclusion of useful
    fonts for all printers.

    Commercial fonts usually have installation instructions with their
    manuals. The approach may differ from the method used for PD and
    shareware fonts.

    To install PD and shareware fonts in Windows 3.1:

      1. Copy the fonts onto a suitable scratch area (i.e. a floppy, or any
         temporary area of your hard disk.

      2. Execute "Control Panel" by double-clicking on the icon in the
         Windows Program Manager's "main" group.

      3. Double-click on the Fonts icon.

      4. Double-click on the "Add" button.

      5. Select the scratch directory holding the new fonts.

      6. A list of the fonts will be displayed. You can manually select the
         fonts you like, or you can use the "Select All" button.

      7. Make sure the "Copy Fonts to Windows Directory" check-box is
         checked. This will copy the fonts from the scratch area to your
         Windows directory.

      8. Click on the "Ok" button.

    Special notes for Windows applications:

    Word for Windows (W4W) stores font/printer information in its own
    initialization files. After you add new fonts, you have to tell W4W
    that the printer can use the new fonts. Do this by selecting "Printer
    Setup" from the W4W main "File" menu item, click on the "Setup" button,
    and then click on two "Ok" buttons to back out of the setup mode.

    Note concerning Windows 3.1 upgrade:

    There are two upgrade packages available from Microsoft for Win3.1.
    There is the standard version which contains TypeType support, and
    about six font families (Times New Roman, Arial, Courier, Symbols,
    Wingdings, etc.). It costs something like $50 (US). The second version
    contains a number of TrueType fonts that includes equivalents for the
    35 standard Postscript fonts. This adds an additional $50, which is a
    pretty good value.  However, if you plan on buying Microsoft's
    PowerPoint, it includes the same additional fonts/typefaces. So you can
    save money by not buying the fonts twice.

  More about Windows

    Q: Why are don't the TrueType fonts that come with Microsoft products
       (Word-for-Windows, PowerPoint, Windows 3.1 TrueType Font Pack, etc.)
       display and print properly on my system?

    A: The font matching algorithm in Win3.1 is fairly simplistic.  If you
       install lots of TrueType fonts, the algorithm can get confused. In
       this case, "lots" is more than 50 or so.

       According to Luann Vodder who supports Microsoft Word on CompuServ:

         "There is a procedure which Windows must go through when an
         application requests a font.  Each font contains a list of
         attributes such as Family, FaceName, Height, Width, Orientation,
         Weight, Pitch, etc.  When an application requests a font, it fills
         out a logical font for Windows containing the necessary attributes,
         then starts going through a font mapping algorithm to determine
         which of the installed fonts most closely matches the requested
         (logical) font.  Penalties are applied against fonts whose
         attributes do not match the logical font, until the fonts with the
         fewest penalties are determined.  If there is a "tie", Windows may
         need to rely on the order of the fonts in the WIN.INI file to
         determine the "winner".

       If the fonts you want are in your WIN.INI file, and show up in
       Windows' Control Panel, then try moving them higher in your WIN.INI
       file with a file edittor such as SYSEDIT.

   Kesh Govinder <[e-mail]> suggested the following warning:

   CAUTION: While many Windows 3.1 users would like to have many
   TrueType fonts at their disposal (and they are many available in the
   PD) a word of caution.  A large number (>50) TT fonts will slow down
   your windows startup time.  This occurs as every installed font is
   listed in the win.ini file, and Windows has to go through the entire
   file before starting up.  While this may not affect most users, it
   will especially affect users of CorelDraw!, so be warned.

  Other Programs

    It is an unfortunate fact that almost all MS-DOS programs do things
    differently.  Your best bet is to read the manual that comes with the
    program you want to use.

3. Font utilities

  PS2PK

    PS2PK allows you to convert PostScript Type1 fonts into bitmap fonts.
    The bitmap files produced are in TeX PK format.

  PKtoSFP

    PKtoSFP allows you to convert TeX PK fonts into HP LaserJet softfonts.

  PFBDir/PFBInfo

    PFBDir and PFBInfo format and display the "headers" in a binary Type1
    font.

4. Converting Macintosh Type1 fonts to MS-DOS format

  Converting Macintosh Type1 fonts into PC Type1 fonts can be done using
  purely free/shareware tools.  I've outlined the procedure below.  Make
  sure you read the "readme" files that accompany many fonts.  Some font
  authors specifically deny permission to do cross-platform conversions.

  THE TOOLS YOU NEED:
  -------------------

    XBIN:   xbin23.zip in /pub/msdos/mac on oak.oakland.edu (or other mirrors)
    UNSIT:  unsit30.zip in /pub/msdos/mac on oak.oakland.edu
    UNCPT:  ext-pc.zip in /pub/pc/win3/util on ftp.cica.indiana.edu
    REFONT: refont11.zip in /pub/pc/win3/fonts on ftp.cica.indiana.edu
    BMAP2AFM: bm2af01.zip in /pub/norm/mac-font-tools on ibis.cs.umass.edu

  XBIN converts Mac "BinHex"ed files back into binary format.  BinHex is
  the Mac equivalent of UUencoding, it translates files into ascii characters
  so that mailers can send them around without difficulty.  It also aids in
  cross platform copying too, I'm sure.  BinHexed files generally  have
  filenames of the form "xxx.yyy.HQX".

  UNSIT explodes "Stuffit" archives.  Stuffit archives generally have
  filenames of the form "xxx.SIT".

  UNCPT explodes "Compactor" archives.  The ext-pc implementation is called
  "extract" and does not require windows (even thought it's in the windows
  section on cica).  Compactor archives generally have filenames of the
  form "xxx.CPT".

  REFONT converts Mac type1 fonts into PC type1 fonts.

  BMAP2AFM constructs AFM files from the metric information contained in
  Mac screen fonts (.bmap files).  The screen font files do not have any
  standard name (although they frequently have the extension .bmap).  The
  screen fonts have file type "FFIL" which, in combination with some common
  sense, is usually sufficient to identify them.

  I've listed the tools that I've used and the sites that are reasonable
  for me to retrieve them from.  It's probably a good idea to check with
  archie for closer sites if you're not in North America.  These tools run
  under MS-DOS.  XBIN and UNSIT can also be run under Unix.

  HOW TO DO IT:
  -------------

  Collect the Mac fonts from the archive or BBS of your choice.  Most of
  these files will be in BinHexed format.  As a running example, I'm going
  to use the imaginary font "Plugh.cpt.hqx".  When I download this font to
  my PC, I would use the name "PLUGH.CPX".  The actual name you use is
  immaterial.

  Run XBIN on PLUGH.CPX.  This will produce PLUGH.DAT, PLUGH.INF, and
  PLUGH.RSR.  The data fork of the Mac file (the .DAT file) is the only one
  of interest to us, you can delete the others.

  If the original file had been "Plugh.sit.hqx", we would be using the
  UNSIT program.  Since I chose a .cpt file for this example, I'm going to
  run UNCPT.

  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 --