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+Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.mathworks.com!zombie.ncsc.mil!newsgate.duke.edu!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!paperboy.wellfleet.com!news3.near.net!amber.ora.com!not-for-mail
+From: norm@ora.com (Norman Walsh)
+Newsgroups: comp.fonts,comp.answers,news.answers
+Subject: comp.fonts FAQ: General Info (3/6)
+Supersedes: <font-faq-3_817479312@ora.com>
+Followup-To: poster
+Date: 14 Aug 1996 10:34:20 -0400
+Organization: O'Reilly and Associates, Inc.
+Lines: 1027
+Sender: norm@ruby.ora.com
+Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
+Distribution: world
+Expires: 27 Sep 1996 14:34:08 GMT
+Message-ID: <font-faq-3_840033248@ora.com>
+References: <font-faq-1_840033248@ora.com>
+Reply-To: norm@ora.com (Norman Walsh)
+NNTP-Posting-Host: ruby.ora.com
+Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts.
+ It addresses both general font questions and questions that
+ are specific to a particular platform.
+X-Web-Homepage: http://www.ora.com/homepages/comp.fonts/
+Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.fonts:48300 comp.answers:20514 news.answers:79235
+
+Archive-name: fonts-faq/part3
+Version: 2.1.5
+
+Subject: 1.18. Bibliography
+
+ Editors note: the following books have been suggested by readers of
+ comp.fonts. They are listed in no particular order. I have lost the
+ citations for some of the submissions. If you wrote a review that
+ appears below and you aren't credited, please let norm know.
+
+ I have decided that this is the best section for pointers to other font
+ resources (specs and other documents, for example). These appear after
+ the traditional bibliographic entries. As usual I will happily accept
+ entries for this section. As of 9/92, the only files listed are the
+ TrueType font information files available from Microsoft.
+
+ Bill Ricker contributed the following general notes:
+
+ The Watson-Guptill, Godine, and Dover publishers all have many
+ typography titles. Godine and Dover tend to be excellent; W-G tends
+ toward 'how-to' books which are good for basics and juried Annuals of
+ job work.
+
+ Hermann Zapf and his Design Philosophy, Society of Typographic Arts,
+ Chicago, 1987.
+
+ On Stone -- The Art and Use of Typography on the Personal Computer,
+ Sumner Stone, Bedford Arts, 1991.
+
+ Of the Just Shaping of Letters, Albrecht Durer, isbn 0-486-21306-4.
+
+ First published in 1525 as part of his theoretical treatise on applied
+ geometry, "The Art of Measurment".
+
+ Champ Flevry, Geofroy Troy.
+
+ First published in 1529 Troy attempts, in this book, to design an ideal
+ Roman alphabet upon geometrical and aesthetic principles.
+
+ The Alphabet & Elements of Lettering, Frederic W. Goudy, isbn
+ 0-486-20792-7. Revised 1942 edition.
+
+ This very interesting book looks at the history of letter shapes as
+ well font design.
+
+ The Mac is Not a Typewriter, Robin Williams, Peachpit Press.
+
+ A good, clear explanation of what typography is, and how to get it from
+ your computer. Mac-specific, but full of excellent general advice. I
+ think there's also a PC version. Available at most computer bookstores
+
+ Rhyme and Reason: A Typographic Novel, Erik Spiekermann, H. Berthold AG,
+ ISBN 3-9800722-5-8.
+
+ Printing Types (2 vols), Daniel Berkely Updike, Dover Press.
+
+ Affordable edition of the most readable history of type, lots of
+ illustrations.
+
+ Notes: Both the Dover and Harvard U. P. editions were 2 volumes. The
+ Dover editions were paperback and the Harvard hardback. It appears
+ that the Dover edition is out of print. Collectible HUP editions are
+ not cheap although later HUP editions may be had. Most libraries have
+ later HUP and Dover editions. If someone knows of a source, please
+ pass it along.
+
+ The Art of Hand Lettering, Helm Wotzkow, Dover Press, reprint from 1952.
+
+ Looking Good In Print, Roger C. Parker, Ventana Press, ISBN:
+ 0-940087-32-4.
+
+ Well, as a beginner's book, [it] isn't bad. I can't say that I agree
+ with the author's tastes all the time, but he at least gives some good
+ examples. Also there are some nice _Publish_-style makeovers. Don
+ Hosek <dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu>
+
+ Book Design: A Practical Introduction, Douglas Martin, Van Nostrand
+ Reinhold, New York: 1989. 206pp.
+
+ Along with Jan White's book (see below), this provides a fairly
+ complete guide to book design. Martin's book is somewhat more
+ conservative in outlook and also reflects his UK background. Don Hosek
+ <dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu>
+
+ Digital Typography: An Introduction to Type and Composition for Computer
+ System Design, Richard Rubinstein, Addison-Wesley, Reading,
+ Massachusetts: 1988. 340pp.
+
+ An interesting, technological approach to typography which is worth
+ reading although not necessarily always worth believing. A not
+ insubstantial portion of the text is dedicated to representing type on
+ a CRT display and Rubinstein devotes some time to expressing
+ characteristics of typography numerically. Don Hosek
+ <dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu>
+
+ Graphic Design for the Electronic Age, Jan V. White, Watson-Guptill
+ Publications, New York: 1988. 212pp.
+
+ A good handbook for document design. In a well-organized approach,
+ White covers the principles for laying out most of the typographics
+ features of a technical document. White is a bit overeager to embrace
+ sans-serif types and in places his layout ideas seem a bit garish, but
+ it's still a quite worthwhile book. Don Hosek
+ <dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu>
+
+ Xerox Publishing Standards: A Manual of Style and Design, Watson-Guptill
+ Publications, New York: 1988. 400pp.
+
+ Overall, a disappointing book. It is divided into four sections of
+ widely varying intent: "Publishing Process," "Document Organization,"
+ "Writing and Style" and "Visual Design." None of them is really
+ adequate for the task and all are highly centered on the Xerox method
+ for publishing. As a guide to Xerox' process, it succeeds, but as a
+ manual for general use, it falls far short. In print. Don Hosek
+ <dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu>
+
+ Methods of Book Design (3rd edition), Hugh Williamson, Yale University
+ Press, New Haven: 1983. 408pp.
+
+ It is a bit out-of-date as regards technology, but on issues relating
+ purely to design it is comprehensive and definitive. Well, I suppose
+ it could be argued that printing technology influences design - e.g.
+ some types look fine in metal but lousy in digital imagesetting - and
+ therefore a book that is out-of-date in technology can't really be
+ "definitive" in matters of design either. In any event, _Methods_ is
+ more than adequate for a beginner's needs. My paper-bound copy (ISBN
+ 0-300-03035-5) was \$13.95; cheap at twice the price! Cameron Smith
+ <cameron@symcom.math.uiuc.edu>
+
+ The Thames & Hudson Manual of typography, Rauri McLean, Thames & Hudson
+
+ An excellent book if you start getting more interested in type. Look
+ for Rauri McLean's other books after this one... Liam R.E. Quin
+ <lee@sq.com>
+
+ Typography and Why it matters, Fernand Baudin.
+
+ There is no better introduction than [it]. It's not a primer on
+ subjects such as "what does Avant Garde look like," or "This is a good
+ font for books." It is a good primer on the things you need to know
+ before the rest should be considered. He's a lovely writer, to boot.
+
+ [My copy is at work, so I may have munged the title-look up Baudin in
+ "Books in Print" and improvise :-)]
+
+ Ari Davidow <ari@netcom.com>
+
+ Better Type, Betty Binns
+
+ It's definitely not a lightweight beginner's introduction, but I've
+ found [it] to be indispensable. It's a large-format hardcover, but you
+ can find it remaindered for cheap if you look around. The book goes
+ into great detail about how factors like line spacing, line length,
+ point size, and design of typeface (evenness of stroke weight,
+ x-height, etc.) affect readability. When you've gotten the basics out
+ of the way and want to learn more about the fine nuances of type color,
+ this book is an absolute must. David Mandl <dmandl@bilbo.shearson.com>
+
+ Printing Types: An Introduction..., S. Lawson, (revised) 1990
+
+ I'd also recommend Alexander S. Lawson's books especially /Printing
+ Types: An Intro.../ (revised), 1990, which includes electronic types
+ now. Bill Ricker <wdr@world.std.com>
+
+ Tally of Types, Stanley Morrison, Cambridge University Press.
+
+ A keepsake for CUP on the Monotype fonts he'd acquired for them when he
+ was Type Advisor to both Brit.Monotype & CUP (Cambridge University
+ Press, Cambs.UK), which discusses his hindsight on some of the great
+ revival fonts and some of the better new fonts. Bill Ricker
+ <wdr@world.std.com>
+
+ Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press, 1982;
+ ISBN 0-226-10390-0.
+
+ The chapter on Design and Typography is most directly relevant, but
+ there are a lot of hints scattered all through the Chicago Manual on
+ making your words more readable and your pages more attractive. Stan
+ Brown <brown@ncoast.org>
+
+ X Window System Administrator's Guide (O'Reilly X Window System Guides,
+ volume 8), O'Reilly
+
+ It gives advice about setting up fonts, etc. Liam Quin <lee@sq.com>
+
+ How Bodoni intended his types to look Bodoni, Giambattista. Fregi e
+ Majuscole Incise e Fuse de ... Bodoni, Harvard University Library
+ (repr).
+
+ Inexpensive collectible, reproduced as a keepsake by the Houghton
+ Library at Harvard. [wdr]
+
+ The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst, Hartley & Marks
+ 0-88179-033-8 pbk \$15, Z246.B74 1992 0-88179-110-5 cloth, \$25.
+
+ A typography for desktop publishers who want to absorb some style.
+ Informed by the historical european tradition and the desktop
+ advertising, tempered by oriental yin-yang and examples. A page-turner
+ with repeat-read depth.
+
+ The only book I've seen that discusses page proportions that admits
+ there are more than three ways that describes how to find one that
+ feels good for your page. [wdr]
+
+ Hermann Zapf on the cover-blurb: "All desktop typographers should study
+ this book. ... I wish to see this book become the Typographers' Bible."
+
+ Printing It, Clifford Burke, Ballantine, 0-345-02694-2.
+
+ Manual for the hobby letterpress printer. [wdr]
+
+ Twentieth Century Type Designers, Sebastian Carter, Taplinger, 1987.
+
+ Discusses the talented adaptators of old faces to machine caster and
+ film/laser, as well as the designers of new works. Indexed? [wdr]
+
+ Design with Type, Carl Dair, University of Toronto Press, 0-8020-1426-7.
+
+ In print again (or still?); the ISBN above may be stale.
+
+ A great introduction to the issues of practicality and taste that
+ confront the users of type. A prized possession. I only regret that the
+ book does not include among the excerpts from his Westvaco pamphlets
+ the Seven Don'ts of Typography. [wdr]
+
+ Typography 6: The Annual of the Type Directors Club, Susan Davis, ed.,
+ Watson-Guptill, 0-8230-5540-x.
+
+ Specimens of Type Faces in the U.S. G.P.O., John J. Deviny, director.,
+ US G.P.O.
+
+ Practice of Typography: Plain Printing Types, Theodore Low De Vinne,
+ Century Co./DeVinne Press.
+
+ One of the earlier critical studies, in four volumes of which this is
+ my personal favorite, and still a classic reference. If one wants to
+ understand 18th and 19th century typography in context, this writer
+ lived the transition from eclectic to standard sizes, and comments
+ with taste. [wdr]
+
+ An Essay on Typography, Eric Gill, Godine, 0-87923-762-7.
+
+ The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering, Frederic W. Goudy, Dorset Press
+ (Marboro Books), 0-88029-330-6
+
+ Lovely. A wonderful way to learn Goudy's taste.
+
+ Stanley Morison Displayed, Herbert Jones, Frederick Muller Ltd / W,
+ 0-584-10352-2.
+
+ Lovely. A wonderful way to learn Morrison's taste.
+
+ Printing Types: An Introduction..., Alexander S. Lawson et. al., Beacon
+ 1971,?Godine? 1990; (2nd Ed includes electronic types now)
+
+ "Good introduction to comparisons of typefaces, with a detailed history
+ and a key family or face of each general category. Denounces rigid
+ indexes of type faces." [wdr]
+
+ Anatomy of a Typeface, Alexander Lawson, Godine, 0-87923-333-8,
+ Z250.L34 1990
+
+ Deep description of the authors' favorite exemplar and its influences
+ and relatives in each type category. It follows, without explicating,
+ the category system developed in the prior book. [wdr]
+
+ Types of Typefacs and how to recognize them, J. Ben Lieberman,
+ Sterling, 1968
+
+ "This isn't very good really, but it does give lots of examples of the
+ main categories." [Liam] [Old bibliographies praised this one, but I
+ haven't seen it so I can't comment.- wdr]
+
+ Tally of Types (& other titles), Stanley Morrison, Cambridge U. Press.
+
+ A keepsake for CUP on the Monotype fonts he'd acquired for them when he
+ was Type Advisor to both Brit. Monotype & CUP (Cambridge University
+ Press, Cambs.UK), which discusses his hindsight on some of the great
+ revival fonts and some of the better new fonts. [wdr]
+
+ Rookledge's International Type Finder 2nd, Perfect, Christopher and
+ Gordon Rookledge, Ed Moyer Bell Ltd / Rizzoli, 1-55921-052-4,
+ Z250.P42 [1st Ed was NY: Beil 1983]
+
+ "Lg. trade pb. Indexed by stylistic & characteristic features. Shows
+ A-Z, a-z, 0-9 in primary figures, whether lining or ranging.
+ Particularly distinctive sorts are marked for ease of comparison.
+ Separate tables collect the distinctive characters for assistance in
+ identifying a sample." [wdr]
+
+ English Printers' Ornaments, Henry R. Plomer, Burt Franklin
+
+ Paragraphs on Printing, Bruce Rogers, [Rudge] Dover, 0-486-23817-2
+
+ Digital Typography: An Introduction to Type and Composition for
+ Computer System Design, Richard Rubinstein, Addison-Wesley, Reading,
+ Massachusetts: 1988. 340pp.
+
+ For people who are disappointed with how the type looks on the laser,
+ this book explains the subleties of that medium and of the screen that
+ others miss. This is a study of the Human Factors of computer
+ typographic systems. [wdr]
+
+ The Case for Legibility, John Ryder, The Bodley Head, 0-370-30158-7,
+ Z250.A4
+
+ The Solotype Catalog of 4,147 Display typefaces, Dan X. Solo, Dover,
+ 0-486-27169-2, Z250.5.D57S654 19
+
+ "Working catalog of a specialty Graphics Arts shop. They use
+ proprietary optical special effects techniques to get Desktop
+ Publishing effects, and more, without the laser-printer grain. Great
+ listing of 19th Century Decorated Types - probably the largest
+ collection in the world. Prices to order headlines from them are NOT
+ cheap however. Their services are for professional or serious hobby
+ use only. Solo's previous Dover books show some number of complete
+ alphabets of a general peculiar style; this one shows small fragments
+ of his entire usable collection, important as an index. (According to
+ private correspondence, they have more faces that have not yet been
+ restored to usable condition.) Not well indexed, but indexed." [wdr]
+
+ Stop Stealing Sheep & find out how type works, Erik Spiekermann & E.M.
+ Ginger., Adobe Press, 1993
+
+ Introductory, motivational. If you wonder why there are so many type
+ faces in the world, this is the book for you! [Liam] [The title refers
+ to the old joke: "A man who would letterspace lowercase would also
+ steal sheep." [wdr]]
+
+ The Art & Craft of Handmade Paper, Vance Studley, Dover, 0-486-26421-1,
+ TS1109.S83 1990
+
+ Letters of Credit, Walter Tracey, Godine Press
+
+ "I can't recommend this too highly. It's not as introductory as the
+ Sheep Book, but conveys a feeling of love and respect for the letter
+ forms, and covers a lot of ground very, very well." [Liam]
+
+ Printing Types: Their History, Forms & Use, Daniel Berkely Updike,
+ Harvard University Press, reprint by Dover.
+
+ The standard reference. Tour-de-force history of type and type-styles.
+ A trifle conservative in its biases, but typography is conservative for
+ good reason: readability. Check the addenda for his final words on
+ newer faces. [wdr]
+
+ 1. I believe the Dover edition to be 3 vols Pbk; both the collectable
+ and later Harvard U.P. editions were two vols hbk.
+
+ 2. I am informed by my bookseller & Books In Print that the Dover
+ edition is out of print. *sigh* If a source be known, let me know.
+ Collectible HUP eds are not cheap, although later HUP eds may be had.
+ Most libararies have later HUP or Dover eds. [wdr]
+
+ Modern Encyclopedia of Typefaces, 1960-90, Lawrence W. Wallis, Van
+ Nostrand Reinhold, 0-442-30809-4, Z250.W238 1990
+
+ "Gives examples of most typefaces, almost all digital, designed &
+ distributed in the last 30 years. Cross indexed by foundry and
+ designer, and sources and looks-likes. Some historical bits. Shows
+ full a-z,A-Z,0-9, a few points (punctuation); and 0-9 again if both
+ lining and oldstyle supplied. Only complaint is that it omits small
+ caps even from what few fonts have 'em and the accented characters, of
+ which most have some but too few. List \$25." [wdr]
+
+ About Alphabets: Some Marginal Notes on Type Design, Hermann Zapf, MIT
+ Press, 0-262-74003-6
+
+ Hermann Zapf & His Design Philosophy, Hermann Zapf, Society of
+ Typographic Arts, Chicago
+
+ "Anything about, by, or vaguely connected with Hermann Zapf is probably
+ worth reading several times :-)" [Liam]
+
+ Manuale Typographicum, Hermann Zapf, MIT Press, 0-262-74004-4
+
+ There are two books of this title (portrait and landscape); this is
+ the only mass-market edition of either. Both are Zapf's selections of
+ interesting typographical quotations in his inimitable display
+ typography. [wdr]
+
+ Microsoft Windows 3.1 Programmer's Reference, Microsoft Press.
+
+ Documents the Panose system of typeface classification. Probably
+ contains a general discussion of TrueType under MS Windows 3.1.
+
+ Introduction to Typography, 3rd ed, Faber, London, 1962.
+
+ A very good introduction for any beginner. Also discusses things like
+ illustrations and cover design, although not in great detail.
+
+ Simon was a purist, as the editor of the 3rd edition remarks. He did
+ not mention phototypesetting in his original edition, but some
+ observations on its uses and abuses have since been added. Anders
+ Thulin <ath@linkoping.trab.se>
+
+ Eve Damaziere contributes:
+
+ Twentieth Century Type, Lewis Blackwell, Calmann & King, London (GB),
+ 1992. Chez Flammarion (1993 - 256 p.) pour l'edition francaise (french
+ edition).
+
+ It's a very intelligent account of the history of type in our century,
+ and its links to art, technics and politics (history). Lots of
+ pictures, too. At the end of it, a "description and classification of
+ types", from the 15th century up to now : the author follows the
+ classification of Maximilien Vox (1952), a french graphist.
+
+ [ed: additional bibliographic information appears in the file
+ "Additional-bibliography" on
+ http://www.ora.com/homepages/comp.fonts/FAQ.html. I have not yet had
+ time to integrate this bibliographic information into the FAQ]
+
+Subject: 1.19. Font Encoding Standards
+
+ What is a character set?
+ ========================
+
+ A character set is a collection of symbols in a specific order. Some
+ common character sets are ASCII and ISO Latin 1.
+
+ What is an encoding vector?
+ ===========================
+
+ The term "encoding vector" is most frequently heard in the context of
+ PostScript fonts. An encoding vector embodies a particular character
+ set, it is simply the list of all the characters in the character set
+ in the order in which they occur.
+
+ Most font technologies limit a particular encoding to 256 characters;
+ an Adobe Type 1 font, for example, may contain an arbitrary number of
+ characters, but no single encoding vector can contain more than 256.
+
+ Some common encodings are:
+
+ * Adobe Standard Encoding - the default encoding of many PS Type1
+ fonts
+
+ * Apple Standard Encoding - the default encoding on a Mac
+
+ * US ASCII - seven bit ASCII
+
+ * ISO Latin-1 - an eight bit multi-national character
+ set encoding
+
+ * Cork Encoding - the TeX community's eight bit standard
+
+ * FC - an eight bit encoding for African
+ languages
+
+ * TeX text - the TeX community's seven bit defacto
+ standard (CMR)
+
+ Where can I get them?
+ =====================
+
+ You can get tables showing the layout of many standard character sets
+ from the Kermit distribution (via anonymous ftp from
+ watsun.cc.columbia.edu in /kermit/charsets.
+
+Subject: 1.20. PostScript
+
+ What About PostScript UNIQUEIDs?
+ ================================
+
+ This section was constructed from a posting by Johannes Schmidt-Fischer
+ in Jun 1993.
+
+ All PostScript Type 1 fonts should contain a UniqueId. This is a
+ number which should be, as the name suggests, unique (at least among
+ the fonts that you download to the printer at any given time).
+
+ There are many PostScript fonts on the 'Net which have identical
+ UniqeIds. If two of these fonts are downloaded to the same printer at
+ the same time, attempts to use either font may cause the wrong
+ characters to be printed.
+
+ In a nutshell, the reason that the wrong characters may be printed is
+ that the printer may be storing the rendered glyphs in its font cache,
+ addressed by UniqueID. So, if two fonts, /Foo and /Bar, both have
+ UniqueID=5 and /Foo's 10pt "A" is currently in the cache, a request for
+ /Bar's 10pt "A" will cause the wrong character to be printed. Rather
+ than rendering /Bar's "A" from its (correct and unambiguous) outline,
+ the printer will note that the cache contains a 10pt "A" for font 5 and
+ will copy it from the cache (resulting in /Foo's "A" printing for /Bar).
+
+ Adobe's "Red Book" contains a detailed discussion of this topic.
+
+ Can a Type 1 Font Be Shaded?
+ ============================
+
+ David Lemon contributes:
+
+ There are three ways to get grey into a font. The first is to make a
+ series of Type 1 fonts, each of which will be used for a single shade
+ of grey (or other color). The user then sets copies of the characters
+ on top of each other, selecting each and setting it to the shade
+ desired. It's a bit inconvenient (and won't work in a word processor)
+ but it gets full resolution, good hinting and gives the user lots of
+ control. This is the approach Adobe has used in its "chromatic" fonts
+ (as in Adobe Wood Type 3 and Copal) and is viable for both Type 1 and
+ TrueType formats.
+
+ As an alternative, the designer can approximate shades of grey in the
+ characters by using many little dots (a sort of halftone effect) or
+ lines (as in cross-hatching). This leads to pretty complex characters,
+ which may choke some rasterizers, and won't hint well. As with the
+ first method, this is viable (more or less) for both Type 1 and
+ TrueType.
+
+ The third method is more direct but limited. In this approach, the
+ designer/producer creates the shades of grey in a font-editing program.
+ The limitation is that such a font must be written in Type 3, which is
+ a generalized PostScript format (Type 1 and TrueType recognize only
+ solid shapes). Such a font won't be supported by ATM, so your screen
+ display will suffer and you'll be restricted to PostScript printers. On
+ the plus side, your greys will be rendered at the full resolution of
+ the printer you use.
+
+Subject: 1.21. TrueType
+
+ George Moore announces the following information regarding TrueType
+ fonts:
+
+ "I am pleased to announce that there is now one central location for all
+ official Microsoft TrueType information available on the Internet. The
+ 9 files listed below are available for anonymous ftp access on
+ ftp.microsoft.com in the /developr/drg/TrueType-Info directory. The
+ most important of those files is the TrueType Font Files
+ Specifications, a 400 page book which describes in excruciating detail
+ how to build a TrueType font. Other information is also available in
+ the same directory and other files will be added from time to time.
+
+ For those people who do not have ftp access to the Internet can find the
+ same information available for downloading on Compuserve in the
+ Microsoft developer relations forum (GO MSDR) in the TrueType library.
+
+ Please be aware that the TrueType specifications is a copyrighted work
+ of Microsoft and Apple and can not be resold for profit.
+
+ TrueType developer information files on ftp.microsoft.com:
+
+ 1. ttspec1.zip, ttspec2.zip, and ttspec3.zip
+
+ The TrueType Specification:
+
+ These three compressed files contain the "TrueType Font Files
+ Specifications", a 400 page book complete with illustrations which
+ details how to construct a TrueType font from scratch (or build
+ a tool to do so), the TrueType programming language, and the
+ complete format of each sub-table contained in the .TTF file.
+ These documents are stored in Word for Windows 2.0 format and
+ require Windows 3.1 for printing. See the "readme.doc" (in
+ ttspec1.zip) for printing instructions. Requires 2.5MB of disk
+ space after uncompression.
+
+ This manual is a superset of the similar specifications from Apple
+ and has added information specific to Windows that is not
+ present in the Apple version.
+
+ 2. ttfdump.zip
+
+ An MS-DOS executable which will dump the contents of a TrueType
+ font out in a human-readable fashion. It allows you to dump the
+ entire font, or just specific sub-tables. This tool, combined
+ with the specifications above, allows very effective debugging
+ or exploration of any TrueType font. For example, to dump the
+ contents of the 'cmap' (character code to glyph index mapping)
+ table, enter:
+
+ ttfdump fontname.ttf -tcmap -nx
+
+ Entering "ttfdump" with no options will give you a help message.
+
+ 3. ttfname.zip
+
+ Example C source code on how to parse the contents of a TrueType
+ font. Although this particular example will open up the file
+ and locate the font name contained within the 'name' table, it
+ could be readily adapted to parse any other structure in the
+ file. This compressed zip file also contains many useful
+ include files which have pre-defined structures set up for the
+ internal tables of a TrueType font file. This code may be
+ useful for developers who wish to parse the TrueType data stream
+ returned by the GetFontData() API in Windows 3.1.
+
+ 4. tt-win.zip
+
+ A 31 page Word for Windows 2.0 document which is targeted for the
+ Windows developer who is interested in learning about some of the
+ capabilities TrueType adds to Windows 3.1. Contains many
+ illustrations.
+
+ 5. embeddin.zip
+
+ A text file which describes all of the information necessary for a
+ Windows developer to add TrueType font embedding capabilities to
+ their application. Font embedding allows the application to
+ bundle the TrueType fonts that were used in that document and
+ transport it to another platform where the document can be
+ viewed or printed correctly.
+
+ 6. tt-talk.zip
+
+ The TrueType Technical Talks 1 and 2. These text files describe
+ some of the things that are happening with TrueType behind the
+ scenes in Windows 3.1. The first document walks the reader
+ through all of the steps that occur from when the user first
+ presses the key on the keyboard until that character appears on
+ the screen (scaling, hinting, drop out control, caching and
+ blitting). The second talk describes one of the unique features
+ of TrueType called non-linear scaling which allows the font
+ vendor to overcome some of the physical limitations of low
+ resolution output devices.
+
+ 7. lucida.zip
+
+ This text file contains useful typographic information on the 22
+ Lucida fonts which are contained in the Microsoft TrueType Font
+ Pack for Windows. It gives pointers on line-layout, mixing and
+ matching fonts in the family and a little history on each
+ typeface. This information was written by the font's designers,
+ Chuck Bigelow & Kris Holmes."
+
+Subject: 1.22. Unicode
+
+ [ed: This is a summary of the Unicode info I've gleaned from the net
+ recently, the whole Unicode issue needs to be addressed better by the
+ FAQ...someday... someday...I'll get to reorganize the whole thing]
+
+ What Is Unicode?
+ ================
+
+ Charles A. Bigelow notes:
+
+ The authors of the Unicode standard emphasize the fact that Unicode is a
+ character encoding, not a glyph encoding. This might seem like a
+ metaphysical distinction, in which characters have some "semantic"
+ content (that is, they signify something to literates) and and glyphs
+ are particular instantiations or renderings of characters--Plato talked
+ about this kind of stuff--but in practice it means that most ligatures
+ are not represented in Unicode, nor swash variants, nor figure variants
+ (except for superior and inferior, which are semantically distinct from
+ baseline figures), and so on.
+
+ For further information, consult The Unicode Standard: Worldwide
+ Character Encoding Version 1.0, Vol. 1 (alphabets & symbols) and Vol 2.
+ (Chinese, Japanese, Korean characters), by The Unicode Consortium,
+ Addison Wesley Publishing Co, 1991, ISBN 0-201-56788-1, 0-201-60845-6.
+
+ What is the Unicode Consortium?
+ ===============================
+
+ The Unicode Consortium is an international body responsible for
+ maintaining the Unicode standard. Their email address is
+ <unicode-inc@unicode.org>
+
+ To obtain more information on Unicode or to order their printed material
+ and/or diskettes contact:
+
+ Steven A. Greenfield
+
+ Unicode Office Manager
+
+ 1965 Charleston Road
+
+ Mountain View, CA 94043
+
+ Tel. 415-966-4189
+
+ Fax. 415-966-1637
+
+ Unicode Editing
+ ===============
+
+ James Matthew Farrow contributes:
+
+ I use `sam' for all by text editing. It is X editor based on an editor
+ for the blit called jim. Papers describing sam as well as a
+ distribution of sam itself are available for ftp from research.att.com.
+ The sam there is a Unix port of the Plan 9 version. Plan 9 is a full
+ unicode operating system, even around before NT! The libraries sam is
+ built upon therefore support 16 bit wide characters. The graphics
+ library, supplied with it at present does not. However they may be
+ planning to distribute a new version which does soon. The library just
+ plugs in replacing the library that comes with sam. No modification is
+ necessary. Character are stored using the utf-2 encoding.
+
+ All of the files I had before I started working with sam were 7 bit
+ ascii so no conversion was needed. Now I have ditched xterm in favour
+ of 9term: a terminal emulator in the style of 81/2 (the Plan 9
+ interface). This lets me type Unicode characters on the command line,
+ as part of filenames, in mail, wherever and most Unix utilities cope
+ without modification. This is about to be released. I'm looking for
+ beta testers. ;-)
+
+ Is a special keyboard required?
+ -------------------------------
+
+ No. ASCII Characters are typed as normal. Common characters above
+ 0x7f are typed using two letter abbreviations. The table is similar to
+ the troff special character codes, e.g, Alt-12 gives you a 1/2, Alt-'e
+ gives you e acute, Alt-bu a bullet and so on. This table is hardwired
+ into the library at present but is trivial to change. Other codes are
+ accessed by typing their hex value, for instance the smiley is
+ Alt-X263a (0x263a being a smiley character in the Unicode character
+ set).
+
+ Is roman-to-Unicode conversion available?
+ -----------------------------------------
+
+ All normal 7 bit ascii characters are encoded as themselves so no
+ translation is needed. There are conversion routines in the library
+ (runetochar and chartorune) which will do the conversion and it should
+ be pretty simple to convert files already in another format. You would
+ have to write something to do the transliteration yourself. A small
+ patch to the system would let you enter different language `modes' for
+ text entry.
+
+ Are there PostScript or TrueType fonts available?
+ =================================================
+
+ Apparently there is a version of the Lucida fonts by Bigelow and Holmes
+ which support Unicode. This is the information I have on them.
+
+ [ed: quoting another source]
+
+ [Windows NT] will ship with a Unicode TrueType font containing
+ approximately 1,500 characters. The font is called "Lucida Sans
+ Unicode" and was specifically designed by Bigelow and Holmes for
+ Microsoft to contain the following Unicode sets:
+
+ ASCII
+ Latin 1
+ European Latin
+ Extended Latin
+ Standard Phonetic
+ Modifier Letters
+ Generic Diacritical
+ Greek
+ Cyrillic
+ Extended Cyrillic
+ Hebrew
+ Currency Symbols
+ Letterlike Symbols
+ Arrows
+ Mathematical Operators
+ Super & Subscript
+ Form & Chart Components
+ Blocks
+ Geometric Shapes
+ Miscellaneous Technical
+ Miscellaneous Dingbats
+
+ The bitmap fonts which comes with the utf version of the libXg graphics
+ library (the library upon which sam is built) support a sparse subset
+ of the full character set. That is, only a few of them have glyphs at
+ present. A font editor such as xfedor would let you add more. The list
+ of those currently available is pretty much as the above list.
+
+ I use 9term and sam as a matter of course now and have for several
+ months. I enjoy the convenience of putting special characters and
+ accented characters in my mail as well as being able to do some
+ phonetic work all in the one terminal/editor suite.
+
+Subject: 1.23. Can I Print Checks with the MICR Font?
+
+ This comes up all the time: standard ordinary laser toner is magnetic
+ and will be read by the banks. The gotcha is that standard laser toner
+ rubs off in the *very* high-speed sorting equipment that are used, and
+ this makes read rates drop low and the banks will hate you.
+
+ I researched check printers for a customer, and was surprised to find
+ this. The Troy(tm) printers he bought are basically stock Ricoh
+ engines that have slightly tighter paper handling (for registration),
+ plus they add a proprietary Teflon-type powder coating on the output
+ path to coat the checks.
+
+ I saw some examples of checks printed with and without this special
+ coating after running through something like 40 passes through check
+ processing equipment, and the one without the coating was a mess. These
+ require special handling that the banks do *not* like. Apparently,
+ they go after companies that issue these kinds of checks with special
+ processing fees.
+
+Subject: 1.24. Rules of Thumb
+
+ It is difficult to set out guidelines for font usage, because almost
+ any rule can be brilliantly broken under the right circumstances.
+
+ * General guidelines:
+
+ * Never lose track of the kind of work you're doing. An effect
+ that would ruin a newsletter might be just the thing for a
+ record cover. Know when you can safely sacrifice legibility
+ for artistic effect.
+
+ * Keep in mind the final reproduction process you'll be using.
+ Some effects (like reversed type, white on black) can be hard
+ to read off an ordinary 300-dpi laser, but will work if
+ finals are done on a high-resolution printer, such as a
+ Linotronic. Will the pages be photocopied? Offset? Onto rough
+ paper, shiny paper? All these factors can and should
+ influence your choice of fonts and how you use them.
+
+ * Running some comparative tests is a good idea. Better to blow
+ off a few sheets of laser paper now than to see a problem
+ after thousands of copies are made.
+
+ * No one can teach you font aesthetics; it must be learned by
+ example. Look at beautiful magazines, posters, books with
+ wide eyes, so that you can see how it's done. Examine ugly
+ printed matter critically and consider why it's hard to read.
+
+ * Good rules of thumb:
+
+ * If you need a condensed font, find one that was designed that
+ way, rather than scaling an existing font down to a
+ percentage. Any scaling distorts a font's design; excessive
+ scaling interferes with legibility - this goes for widening
+ as well as narrowing. Extended faces do exist, although they
+ aren't as common as condensed ones.
+
+ * Many people feel that bold or italic type, or type in ALL
+ CAPS, is more legible: "This is the most important part of
+ the newsletter, let's put it in bold." In fact, legibility
+ studies show that such type is actually harder to read in
+ bulk. Keep the text in a normal style and weight, and find
+ another way to emphasize it - box it, illustrate it, run it
+ in color, position it focally.
+
+ * Too much reverse type - white on black - is hard on the eyes.
+ It can be a nice effect if used sparingly. Don't reverse a
+ serif font, though - its details will tend to fill in. Stick
+ to reversing bold sans-serifs, and remember to space them out
+ a bit more than usual.
+
+ * It is always safest to use a plain serif font for large
+ amounts of text. Because Times is widely used, it doesn't
+ mean it should be avoided. Fonts like Palatino, Times,
+ Century Old Style are deservedly popular because people can
+ read a lot of text set in such faces without strain.
+
+ Don't expect anyone to read extensive text set in a condensed
+ font.
+
+ * As point size gets bigger, track tighter, and (if the
+ software allows) reduce the spacebands as well. A spaceband
+ in a headline size (anything over 14 point) should be about
+ as wide as a letter "i".
+
+ * If you only have a few large headlines, hand-kerning the
+ type, pair by pair, can make the end result much more
+ pleasing. Besides, working with fonts this closely makes
+ them familiar.
+
+ * Column width and justification are major elements in design.
+ The narrower the column, the smaller the type can be; wide
+ rows of small type are very hard to read. Often it's a better
+ idea to set narrow columns flush left rather than justified,
+ otherwise large gaps can fall where hyphenation isn't
+ possible.
+
+ * Use curly quotes.
+
+ * Don't put two spaces at the end of a line (. ) instead of (.
+ ) when using a proportionally spaced font.
+
+ This is Info file compfont.info, produced by Makeinfo-1.55 from the
+ input file FAQ.texinfo.
+
+Subject: 1.25. Acknowledgements
+
+ The moderators would like to express their gratitude to the whole
+ community for providing insightful answers to innumerable questions. In
+ particular, the following people (listed alphabetically) have
+ contributed directly to this FAQ (apologies, in advance, if anyone has
+ been forgotten):
+
+ Masumi Abe <abe@keleida.com>
+
+ Glenn Adams <glenn@metis.COM>
+
+ Daniel Amor <daniel.amor@student.uni-tuebingen.de>
+
+ Borris Balzer <borris@boba.rhein-main.DE>
+
+ Charles A. Bigelow <bigelow@cs.stanford.edu>
+
+ David J. Birnbaum <djbpitt@pitt.edu>
+
+ Tim Bradshaw <tim.bradshaw@edinburgh.ac.UK>
+
+ Morgan S. Brilliant <???>
+
+ Arlen Britton <arlenb@mcad.edu>
+
+ Stan Brown <brown@ncoast.org>
+
+ Scott Brumage <brumage@mailer.acns.fsu.edu>
+
+ Lee Cambell <elwin@media.mit.edu>
+
+ Terry Carroll <tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com>
+
+ Gerd Castan <G.Castan@physik.uni-stuttgart.de>
+
+ Ari Davidow <ari@netcom.com>
+
+ Eve Damaziere <bortzmeyer@cnam.fr> (c/o Stephane Bortzmeyer)
+
+ Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@waikato.ac.nz>
+
+ Pat Farrell <pfarrell@cs.gmu.edu>
+
+ James Matthew Farrow <matty@cs.su.oz.au>
+
+ Stephen Friedl <friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US>
+
+ Peter J. Gentry <peter@utas.artsci.utoronto.ca>
+
+ Yossi Gil <yogi@techunix.technion.ac.IL>
+
+ Timothy Golobic <an314@cleveland.Freenet.EDU>
+
+ Kesh Govinder <govinder@ph.und.ac.za>
+
+ Piercarlo Antonio Grandi <pcg@decb.aber.ac.uk>
+
+ Robert Green <rag5@cornell.edu>
+
+ Rick Heli <Rick.Heli@Eng.Sun.COM>
+
+ Jeremy Henderson <jeremy@castle.ed.ac.uk>
+
+ Henry ??? <henry@trilithon.COM>
+
+ Gary <Gocek.Henr801C@Xerox.COM>
+
+ Berthold K.P. Horn <bkph@ai.mit.edu>
+
+ Peter Honig <peterh@macsch.com>
+
+ Don Hosek <dhosek@quixote.com>
+
+ Bharathi Jagadeesh <bjag@nwu.edu>
+
+ Chang Jin-woong <jwjang@krissol.kriss.re.kr>
+
+ Darrell Leland <dleland@nmsu.edu>
+
+ David Lemon <lemon@adobe.com>
+
+ Jon <jgm@cs.brown.EDU>
+
+ ??? <vkautto@snakemail.hut.FI>
+
+ ??? <robertk@lotatg.lotus.COM>
+
+ Otto Makela <otto@jybox.jyu.fi>
+
+ David Mandl <dmandl@bilbo.shearson.com>
+
+ Kate McDonnell <C_MCDON@pavo.concordia.ca>
+
+ George Moore <georgem@microsoft.com>
+
+ Robert Morris <ram@claude.cs.umb.EDU>
+
+ Stephen Moye <SMOYE@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
+
+ Erlend Nagel <error@stack.urc.tue.nl>
+
+ Terry O'Donnell <odonnell@mv.us.adobe.COM>
+
+ Rick Pali <Rick_Pali@f328.n163.z1.jammys.net>
+
+ Sean Palmer <sean.palmer@delta.com>
+
+ Jon Pastor <pastor@VFL.Paramax.COM>
+
+ PenDragon <REGY116@cantva.canterbury.ac.nz>
+
+ Stephen Peters <speters@us.oracle.COM>
+
+ Bill Phillips <wfp@world.std.com>
+
+ Thomas W. Phinney <75671.2441@compuserve.com>
+
+ Jim Reese <Jim.Rees@umich.edu>
+
+ Bill Ricker <wdr@world.std.com>
+
+ Liam Quin <lee@sq.com>
+
+ Henry Schneiker <?>
+
+ Tom Scott <tims@megatek.com>
+
+ Bill Shirley <bshirley@gleap.jpunix.COM>
+
+ Cameron Smith <cameron@symcom.math.uiuc.edu>
+
+ Daniel S. Smith <dsmith@jericho.mc.com>
+
+ Frank F. Smith <ffs1@cornell.edu>
+
+ Werenfried Spit <SPIT@vm.ci.uv.ES>
+
+ Anthony Starks <ajs@merck.com>
+
+ Ike Stoddard <stoddard@draper.com>
+
+ Danny Thomas <vthrc@mailbox.uq.oz.au>
+
+ Anders Thulin <ath@linkoping.trab.se>
+
+ Ian Tresman <72240.3447@compuserve.com>
+
+ Bill Troop <biltroop@ix.netcom.com>
+
+ Erik-Jan Vens <E.J.Vens@icce.rug.nl>
+
+ Amanda Walker <amanda@visix.com>
+
+ Jason Lee Weiler <weilej@nuge110.its.rpi.edu>
+