- The "Glyph Basic" font set, with Type 1 PostScript and bitmap
- 24-pt bitmaps of the "Glyph ExtLib" font set.
MacScribe allows you to typeset Egyptian hieroglyphics easily, and then either print directly or export to another document.
The Glyph Basic font set contains about 900 signs, corresponding roughly to Gardiner's Grammar "Sign List".
The Glyph ExtLib font contains 4700 signs.
Both were designed on the lead font of the French Institute in Cairo (IFAO).
MacScribe demo has all the functionalities of the full version, but cannot export by copy-pasting, and has limited printing capabilities (in particular, all signs are printed with a stroke on them).
To install the demo, put both the PostScript and bitmap fonts in your system (with system 7, you just need to drop the icons on the icon of your system folder. Refer to your manual).
Put in the same folder "MacScribe", "Glossaire MacScribe", "English", "Français", "Glyph Basic", "Glyph ExtLib".
Once MacScribe is launched, you have several ways to enter a sign:
- If it is a phonogram, you can type its transliteration (e.g. m to get an owl).
- If you know its encoding (based on Gardiner's encoding, refer to Hieroglyphica, PIREI, 1993, available from Utrecht University), you can type it (e.g. A1 to get a seated man)
- If it is a sign from the basic set, you can select it in the hierarchical "Gardiner" menu.
- Otherwise, you can display the sign palette, select a category in the popup menu, and pick the sign you want. When the "Glyph ExtLib" font is selected, the signs with an ellipsis give access to related signs. You can directly enter the "master" sign by option-clicking on it. The hierarchy of signs is the one from Hieroglyphica.
You can then group the signs, adjust the groups, add cartouches, rotate, etc.
ATM is recommended. If you use the Extended Library, give it as much memory as you can afford (1 meg. looks reasonnable).
A Level 2 PostScript printer is strongly recommended.
