This is the unregistered version of Fonter 6.2. Fonter is a shareware program. You may try this copy of the program for a period not to exceed 30 days to determine whether or not it is suitable for your needs. After that time, if you continue to use the program, you must register your copy with the author. To register, use the OsoSoft Program Info command in the Help Menu to print the registration form. The Registration fee for this program is $20.
You can also register with a Visa or MasterCard by calling OsoSoft at (805) 528-1759 during normal West Coast business hours. Credit card orders incur a $4 shipping and handling fee for each order, regardless of how many programs are ordered. OsoSoft programs may also be registered on CompuServe in the SWREG forum. Registrations will be charged to your CompuServe account.
Registered users receive the very latest version of the program, a printed manual, automatic notification of major upgrades, and support. In addition, when you register, you'll always be entitled to upgrade to new registered versions at no charge on the OsoSoft BBS at (805) 528-3753. Registered users are entitled to unlimited free support by telephone, fax, on the OsoSoft BBS, and on Compuserve.
Unregistered users receive only a minimum of support, limited to some installation help, if necessary, and are not entitled to telephone support. If you call the OsoSoft voice number for support as an unregistered user, you will be asked to register at that time by credit card.
Users of this program, along with traditional shareware distributors may distribute copies of the shareware versions of this program, but only under the terms described in the VENDOR.DOC file included with this copy of the program. All commercial distributors MUST read that file and abide by the distribution rules contained in that file. Violations of the distribution license in VENDOR.DOC may result in prosecution under appropriate copyright laws of the United States and other countries.
Fonter and all related files, including this documentation are Copyright 1991,1994 by OsoSoft. All rights are reserved.
OsoSoft is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals and the Software Publishers' Association.
OsoSoft
1472 Sixth Street
Los Osos, CA 93402
OsoSoft BBS: (805) 528-3753
Voice Order Line: (805) 528-1759
CompuServe ID: 71571,222 or GO OSOSOFT
HOURS
OsoSoft business hours are 7 AM to 4 PM, Pacific Time, on weekdays. Calls outside those hours are not appreciated.
ASP OMBUDSMAN NOTICE
This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting that member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49422-9427 USA FAX 619-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
INSTALLATION
The Shareware and Online Update versions of Fonter use a manual installation technique. The Full Registered Version includes an automated installation program. To install this program, take the following steps. If you need help with any of the file and directory procedures, consult your Windows or DOS Manual.
1. Copy all files from the distribution diskette or the ZIP file containing the program into a directory on your hard disk. OsoSoft recommends that you create a directory called FONTER for the files.
2. Now, copy all files with the extensions .DLL and .VBX from the FONTER directory into your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. If you're working from the DOS prompt while in the FONTER directory, the commands would be:
COPY *.DLL C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
COPY *.VBX C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
Naturally, you'd substitute your own drive and directory information if you installed Windows in a different directory.
NOTE: Once you have successfully copied all DLL and VBX files into the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, you may delete them from the Fonter home directory, if desired, to save disk space. Do not, however, delete any other files.
VBRUN300.DLL REQUIRED
The shareware and online update versions also require VBRUN300.DLL, which must be installed in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. If you do not have a copy of that file, you may download it as VBRUN300.ZIP from the OsoSoft BBS at (805) 528- 3753, or obtain it from the source where you got your copy of the shareware version.
3. If Windows is not running, start it. Then, from the Program Manager, click once inside the program group where you want the Fonter icon. Then, select the New command from the Program Manager's File menu. Make certain the Program Item option is selected, then click OK or press <Enter>.
4. In the Description field of the resulting dialog box, type Fonter, then press <Tab>.
5. In the Command Line field, type C:\FONTER\FONTER.EXE, substituting other drive and directory information, if necessary. Press <Tab>.
6. In the Working Directory field, type C:\FONTER, or substitute other drive and path information, if necessary.
7. Press <Enter> or click OK to complete the installation. The Fonter icon will appear in the program group you selected earlier.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Fonter requires a 386S or better PC, Windows 3.1 operating in Enhanced Mode, and a minimum of 2 MB of memory. You'll also need 2 MB of disk space for installation and up to 6 MB of free disk space for TMP files if you use Print Manager. NOTE: For fastest results, turn Print Manager off in the Control Panel's Printer Setup application before starting Fonter. You'll also need a fully-supported Windows-compatible printer with a 100% correct printer driver and a valid video display with 640 X 480 resolution minimum.
SYSTEM LIMITATIONS
Fonter works only with TrueType and Adobe Type Manager scalable fonts. It is untested with other font scaling software.
Defective Fonts
Some TrueType and Adobe PostScript fonts have defects. This can cause Fonter or other Windows software to crash. For more information, see the Troubleshooting section at the end of this manual.
RUNNING FONTER
To start Fonter, double-click its icon in the Program Manager. The first time you run the program, it will create a list of your fonts and save the list in a file. This process can take a minute or two. You'll see a window telling you what's going on. If your font list changes, Fonter will automatically rebuild the font list.
Right-Click Help: Any time you want help with a command or other on-screen item in Fonter, right click on that item and look for the help line in the program's title bar.
USING FONTER WITH INSTALLED FONTS
Once Fonter starts, you'll see its main window. At the top left of the screen, you'll see the Font Sample window, which displays a sample of the first font in your font list.
At the lower right, you'll see a list of the fonts you have available for your printer, with a font count just below the list. You'll also see the font type listed above the list box.
NOTE: Fonter only displays the root font for TrueType fonts which have separate files for each font weight in this list. When you select a TrueType font for viewing, another list box will appear, showing you the weights for which you actually have an installed font file. If you select the Bold and Italic options, or one of the listed weights Windows will load the correct font file. Because of this, your font count may not agree with that in ATM or the TrueType control panel.
To the left of the Font List window are a number of option check boxes and other Fonter options. To see an alphanumeric sample of any font, click on the name of the desired font in the Font List window. Use the scroll bars on that window to view more font names. The sample contains a text paragraph, followed by a complete upper and lower case alphabet for the font. Scroll the Font Sample window to see more of the sample.
Selecting Fonts
Many Fonter operations work on more than one font. To select multiple fonts in the Font List window, use normal Windows selection tools. For example, to select multiple fonts that are consecutive in the list, click and drag the highlight over the desired font names. To select multiple, non-consecutive files, hold down the <Ctrl> key while you click or drag over the desired fonts.
When You Add or Delete Fonts
If you add or delete fonts from Windows, or change printers, you'll need to update your font list. When you start Fonter, it checks its list against the list of actual Windows fonts. If it finds any discrepancies, it will update the list. If you want, you can also update the list with the File/Re-list Fonts command.
On-Screen Options
You can alter many aspects of Fonter's display by selecting a number of options. All options are at the lower left of the Fonter window.
[Font Size]--To change the size of a font sample, click the arrow on the Font Size drop-down list, then click the size you want. The font size you select will display in the Font Sample Window and will be the font size used in printing font lists. You can also type a font size larger than 36 points directly in the Font Size window. Just click in the window, type the font size, then press <Enter>.
[Bold] and [Italic]--To display or print Bold, Italic, or Bold Italic samples, click the appropriate check box. These options also affect font lists.
[Show Custom Sample]--To view specific text in the Sample window, type it in the sample text box at the bottom left of the main screen. Click inside the box, then type your text. You can use the normal <Home> and <End> keys to scroll the text. After you type the text, click the [Show Custom Sample] box. Your custom text will display in the Font Sample window. If this box is checked, that text will also appear in the Font List printouts.
Text Samples--You can also type directly in the Font Sample window. To do this, click in the window and type away. The Cut and Paste tools in the "Edit" menu work here, as do all Windows cut and paste shortcut keys.
Fonter Command Buttons
[View Details]
This button replaces the sample window with two lists which show you in detail the metrics for the current font, both in its current logical format and the overall Text Metrics values for this font. These values are highly technical, but most are self-explanatory. For more information on font metrics, you'll need to consult the Microsoft Software Development Kit or another Windows font reference. For most users, this information is more than they'll ever need. This information is provided for professional typographers. To return to the normal display, click the [Hide Details] button.
[Full Screen]
Fonter offers a full screen display of characters for any font. To view this, click this button. You'll see a list of the keyboard characters, with ANSI codes.
Using the Full Screen Display
The full screen character display offers a number of options, called by the command buttons listed below:
[Extended Characters]--To view codes for foreign language and symbolic characters, click this button on the full-screen display.
[Normal Character]--To return to the normal character display, click this button.
[Zoom]--To view an enlarged character set, click this button on the full-screen display. To view an even larger sample, highlight a character by dragging the mouse cursor over it while holding down the left mouse button. Then click the [Zoom] button again. You'll see a 200-point sample of your character. To return to the normal full-screen view, click the [Normal Size] button.
[Return]--To return to the main Fonter Window, click this button in the full-screen display.
NOTE: As with the sample window, you can use the Full-Screen display's Edit menu to cut and paste selected characters. So you can copy a character into the clipboard, then switch to another application and paste that character.
[Keyboard]
This main window command button takes you to a display which offers a new view of your font. You'll see a keyboard image, with characters from the currently-selected font in their correct places on the keyboard. This window also offers you a number of other options for viewing characters and even lets you create large clip art images of any character.
HINT: Use the Keyboard display to graphically show you what key to press to get a specific dingbat or symbolic character in any font. You can even print a sample of the keyboard to use outside of Fonter.
Using the Keyboard Display
The keyboard display shows a typical computer alphanumeric keyboard. On the key tops are the characters in the currently-selected font. When you first access the Keyboard display, the characters are in lower case.
[Upper] and [Lower] options--Use these option buttons to control whether the keyboard displays upper or lower case characters.
[Current Font] List--Identical to the Font List in the main Fonter window, this drop-down list box lets you select any font for display on the keyboard.
[Zoom Window]--You'll always see a large version of the current character in this window. To zoom a specific character, press the key for that character. The character will appear in the Zoom Window. Or use the Character Scroll Bar, described next. For some fonts, the entire character may not fit on the screen. If you have a high resolution monitor, you can enlarge the Fonter screen to see more of the character.
[Character Scroll Bar]--Use this scroll bar to move quickly through the entire Windows ANSI character list. The current ANSI code appears near the center of the scroll bar. Click the arrows to move one character at a time. Click between the arrows to scroll 10 characters at a time, or move the thumb for large changes. The current character appears in the Zoom Window.
[Save as .BMP]--This command lets you save the enlarged character in the Zoom Window as a Windows BMP clip art image for use in other programs. You'll see a dialog box, with the first four characters of the font name plus the ANSI code proposed as the filename. If you wish, you can edit the filename and path to suit your needs.
NOTE: Even if the entire character doesn't show in the window, the BMP file will contain the whole character.
HINT: Try this feature to create clip art images from symbolic and dingbat fonts like WingDings. These images work very well in programs like OsoSoft's Rockford! and Fonter when you need a large character.
[Return]--Use this menu command to return to the Fonter main window.
[Print Form]--Use this menu command to print a copy of the entire keyboard Window. If you do this for symbolic and dingbat fonts, you'll always have a handy reference on paper.
[ANSI Chart]
This main window command button opens still another window, this one containing a complete ANSI chart for the current font. In the chart, which is a grid, you'll see the normal ANSI character to the left of the ANSI character for the font you've selected in the main Fonter window. A status line will tell you what font you're looking at.
To read the chart, read across the top of the grid, then down, adding the number to the left to the number at the top to get the actual ANSI code for the character at any grid intersection.
You can print a copy of this chart with the [Print Chart] menu command. To return to the main Fonter window, select the [Return] menu command.
NOTE: With some fonts, particularly exceptionally wide or large fonts, some characters may stray out of their grid box. Most fonts, however, will display properly. Fonter makes a compromise which accommodates most fonts well, in a size large enough to view easily.
[View Large Font Sample]
This button displays a full screen showing all the characters of the current font. When this screen is displayed, you can use the Larger or Smaller menu commands to change the size of the characters to fit your screen. The Save as BMP command will save the screen as a BMP file. A file name will be proposed, or you can supply your own. The Print command will print a duplicate of the screen on your current printer. Select Return to resume normal use of the program.
[Compare Selected Fonts]
Before giving this command, select up to 8 font names in the list with your mouse. This command will display a full screen window showing text in those fonts, along with the font name for comparison purposes. You can accept the default text, or type your own in the box that appears. The Save as BMP command will save the screen as a BMP file. A file name will be proposed, or you can supply your own. Select Return to resume normal use of the program.
PRINTING WITH FONTER
While Fonter's on-screen display is useful, another of the program's functions is to print out lists and samples of your fonts. All printing commands are in Fonter's File menu. All Fonter printouts have a 1.25" left margin. If you print on 3-hole binder paper, it's easy to put your font lists and samples into a binder.
Printer Information
Fonter always prints to the default Windows printer. Once Fonter is running, though, you can always change printers with the Printer Setup command in the File menu. When you do this, Fonter automatically updates your font list to reflect the new printer.
PostScript Printers
Some PostScript printers have a limit to how many fonts can be downloaded to the printer. If you are unable to print complete font lists with your PostScript printer, try printing lists of selected fonts where the number is less than your printer's limit. Also, when using TrueType fonts, use the Printer Setup dialog to select Print True Type Fonts as Bitmaps option. While this will take longer to print, you'll avoid encountering your printer's download limits. If your printer can support the Hewlett-Packard HPCL printer commands, you'll get faster results if you use a PCL driver instead of the PostScript driver.
Print Manager--On or Off?
OsoSoft recommends that you turn Print Manager off while printing with Fonter. While this slows down access to other Windows programs during printing, it also removes the possibility that you will generate TMP files larger than your disk space can handle. Use the Printer Setup application in the Control Panel to change this setting before starting Fonter. This is especially true when printing font books, which can generate enormous TMP files.
Printing Font Lists
List All Fonts--To print a list of all fonts installed in Windows for your current printer, give the File/Print List (All) command. The list will contain the name of each font, along with a text sample for that font. If you have entered custom text and checked the [Show Custom Sample] box, that text will print. Font lists print in the font size selected in the Font Size drop-down list, up to 36 points. Font lists also use the Bold or Italic attributes.
NOTE: Some internal printer fonts have a fixed size. These fonts will print in their default size.
NOTE: Printing a complete font list can take several minutes. Please be patient.
List Some Fonts--To print a list of just the fonts you've selected in the font list, give the File/Print List (Selected) command. The list is in the same format as described above.
Printing Font Samples
Fonter can create two separate font sample sheets. One is a sheet displaying your selected font in several sizes from 3 to 60 points. This sample also displays Bold, Italic, Bold Italic and Underlined sample text, plus a complete list of the font's characters.
The second sheet contains an grid-like chart of every character available in the font. This chart lets you see the ANSI code for any character at a glance. You'll also see the normal Windows keyboard character or extended ANSI character.
You can print either sheet, or both. Simply check the appropriate box in the lower left corner of the Fonter Main window. The [Print ANSI Grid] box controls the ANSI grid, while the [Print Text Sample] box controls the sample sheet.
Single Font Sample--To print samples of the current font in the Main Font List window, give the File/Print Sample (Current) command.
Multiple Font Samples--To print samples of more than one font, add the fonts to the Selected Fonts window, then give the File/Print Samples (Selected) command.
NOTE: You can abort a multiple font sample printing job. Just click Fonter's [Exit] button with the hourglass cursor. Fonter will stop after printing the current font.
Printing Font Books
Fonter can also create font books, which contain both font lists and font sample sheets. Fonter first prints a list, as in the Font List commands, then prints samples for each font. Sample sheets print in the same way as described above.
NOTE: Printing a font book for all fonts can take as long as 8 hours! Plan to print your font book at night, and make sure Print Manager is turned off to avoid running out of disk space.
Aborting Font Books--You can always abort font book printing. Just click Fonter's [Exit] button with the hourglass pointer. Printing will stop after the current font.
WARNING: Check your printer's paper capacity. You'll be printing up to two pages for each font. If you have too many fonts to print a complete font book, print a complete font list, then a group of fonts. Use the File/Print Samples (Selected) command to print samples in smaller groups.
Complete Font Book--To print a font book for all fonts installed, give the File/Print Book (All Fonts) command.
Partial Font Book--To print a font book of just some fonts, select the fonts you want to print, then give the File/Print Book (Selected) command.
GETTING HELP
Use the commands below, in the Help menu:
Help/Fonter Help--You'll see a new window. On the left is a Topic Index. On the right is the Help information. To view help on a topic, simply click on that topic in the Topic Index. To return to Fonter, click the [Exit] button or the Return to Program command.
Help/About Fonter--view version information about Fonter and to find the OsoSoft support access numbers.
Help/OsoSoft Program Information--You'll see an order form for OsoSoft products. To learn more about a product, click the [Info] button next to that product's listing. To order, type the number of copies for each product . The rest is automatic. Click the [Print] button to print the form.
OTHER FONTER MENU COMMANDS
Options/Display ANSI Code--This command extends the Font Sample to display the entire list of ANSI codes, along with the characters they represent for the current font. You can scroll through the Font Sample window to see any character.
Options/Set Left Margin--This command sets the left margin for all printed output. The default is 1.25".
Options/Make Current Font the Text Font--Normally, Fonter uses Arial on its printouts for all descriptive text. If you'd like to change this or if you've deleted that font, select another font, then give this command. You'll see the current font in a label just above the Font Sample Window.
Options/Save Text Font as Default--Once you've chosen a default text font with the command above, you can save this font name as a permanent default with this command.
Edit/Custom Font List Text Sample--This command checks the [Show Custom Sample] check box and positions the cursor in the sample text editing area.
Previewing and Installing TrueType Fonts
New in this version of Fonter is the ability to preview TrueType fonts and install them in Windows for use by your applications. To switch to Fonter's Preview/Install mode, click the Preview/Install button. Some new command buttons will appear on the screen, while other commands, not appropriate to this operation, will disappear or be grayed out.
TrueType Font File List
At the bottom right of your Fonter window, you'll see a list of TrueType TTF files in the current directory. Use normal Windows file selection tools to change drives or directories to see the fonts you want to preview. NOTE: Whenever you jump to the Preview mode for the first time in a session, you'll start out in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, the normal place for TTF files to be found. Whether a font is installed or not, you can view it in this mode. No checking is done to determine whether a font is currently installed.
Previewing a Font
To see a preview of the font contained in a TTF file, just double-click on that filename. A font sample will appear in the normal Fonter sample Window. As with other installed fonts, you can click the View Details button to see font metric information.
NOTE: If a TrueType font file you select is corrupted or contains improper information, Fonter will display a message and refuse to load the font. The program will not install a font which contains invalid font name information.
Printing a Specimen of a Previewed Font
Click the Print Specimen button to print a full-page sample of the currently-displayed font. This sample is the same as the one printed from the normal Fonter command, and includes samples in various sizes and weights, along with a list of all extended ANSI characters. Print this sample to check the way the font will look when printed.
Printing a Sample List of Uninstalled Fonts
Fonter 7.0 can now print a list of samples of the TTF files you've selected. To use this tool, first select as many of the TTF files as you wish from the file list, using the mouse. You can click and drag the mouse over the names or use <Ctrl>-Click to select multiple files not adjacent to each other. Then, select [Print Font Samples] to begin printing your list, which looks exactly like any normal Fonter sample list. If you're working from a CD-ROM disc full of fonts, you may want to print the list in batches to avoid long delays.
Fonter, as it creates your list, checks the TTF file for common errors and prints a message on the printout if one is encountered. Use caution when installing a font which displays an error message. These errors do not necessarily mean the font is defective, but do mean that Fonter has not found a valid font name in the TTF or FOT file.
Adding a Font to The Print List
While previewing a font, you may want to add it to the list at the left of the screen to allow printing of a reference list for later installation or other purposes. To do this, click the Add to List button. Both the filename and the name of the font itself will be added. Whenever you wish, you can click the Print File List button to print a permanent record of fonts with their associated file names. HINT: Try this trick to print a reference list of file names which don't correspond closely with the name of the font they contain. It can be handy if you later want to delete font files, but can't remember the font name connected with a TTF file.
Installing TrueType Fonts Temporarily
It can be very useful to install a TrueType font temporarily for use in the current Windows session. For example, suppose you are working on a project which requires the use of an unusual font, one which you didn't normally use. By starting Fonter and installing that font temporarily, you could use it without adding it permanently to your font list. Remember: The fewer fonts you have installed permanently in Windows, the faster Windows loads.
To temporarily install the font currently displayed in the sample window, click the Temp Install button. Fonter will add the font to the current Windows font list, and inform Windows that there is a new font available. This new font will show up in almost all Windows applications, and can be used just like any other font. However, when you exit Windows, that font will no longer be available.
NOTE: Temporarily installed fonts use memory and resources. While you can install up to 254 fonts in this way, it's recommended that you install no more than 24 fonts during any Windows session to avoid memory and resource problems.
CAUTION: if you use a temporary font in a document, then load that document in another Windows session without reinstalling the font, your application will substitute a replacement font for the uninstalled fonts. To resume work, you'll have to temporarily re-install the font again with Fonter.
Installing TrueType Fonts Permanently
Fonter can also install any TrueType font in Windows for permanent use. When you click the Perm Install button, the currently previewed font is installed. You'll be prompted for confirmation before the font is actually installed. You'll also be asked whether you want to also install the font for the current session. Since Windows normally must be restarted after permanently installing fonts for them to take effect, answering Yes to this prompt lets you use the fonts immediately as well.
Permanent Installation Notes
Fonter always copies a font you permanently install into the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory to avoid problems if fonts are accidentally deleted or if a CD-ROM disk containing the font files is removed from its drive. If you want to install the fonts in a different directory, add them to the Print List and install them later with the Windows Font Installer.
Installing a font permanently requires that information be written to your WIN.INI file. For safety's sake, Fonter always saves a backup copy of WIN.INI whenever you permanently install a font. This file is stored in your WINDOWS directory, with the name WIN.FNT.
Fonter will let you reinstall fonts which are already installed in Windows. This does no harm, and no changes are made to your WIN.INI file when that occurs. Don't worry about duplicate fonts at all...none will be created. The font and WIN.INI entry will simply be refreshed. TIP: If you want to avoid reinstalling existing fonts, print a font list from the main Fonter screen, then use that list for comparison while previewing fonts.
Returning to The Normal Fonter Display
To return to the normal Fonter display of installed fonts, click the Normal button. Fonter will resume normal operations after updating its font list to add any new fonts you've installed.
