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diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/plain/typespec/TypeSpec.tex b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/plain/typespec/TypeSpec.tex new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..5b2f19781c1 --- /dev/null +++ b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/plain/typespec/TypeSpec.tex @@ -0,0 +1,255 @@ +\hsize4.5in +\hoffset6.5in +\advance\hoffset-\hsize +\divide\hoffset2 + +\def\ob{\tt\string{} +\def\cb{\tt\string}} + +\footline={\ifnum\pageno=1 \else \hss\folio\hss\fi} + +\chardef\other=12 +\def\deactivate{% +\catcode`\\=\other \catcode`\{=\other +\catcode`\}=\other \catcode`\$=\other +\catcode`\&=\other \catcode`\#=\other +\catcode`\%=\other \catcode`\~=\other +\catcode`\^=\other \catcode`\_=\other} + +\def\makeactive#1{\catcode`#1=\active \ignorespaces} + +\def\LaTeX{L\kern-.26em \raise.6ex\hbox{\fivei A}% +\kern-.15em TeX}% + +{\makeactive\^^M % +\gdef\obeywhitespace{\makeactive\^^M % +\let^^M=\newline % +\aftergroup\removebox % +\obeyspaces}} + +\def\newline{\par\indent} +\def\removebox{\setbox0=\lastbox} + +{\catcode`\|=\active +\gdef\verbatim{% + \par\begingroup\deactivate\obeywhitespace\tt + \catcode`\|=\active + \def|{\endgroup\par}}} + +\clubpenalty10000 +\widowpenalty10000 +\raggedbottom +\interlinepenalty10000 + +\def\section#1\par{% +\medskip +\noindent\llap{\raise1.25pt\hbox{$\diamond$\enskip}}{\bf#1}\par\nobreak\noindent} + +\section Introduction + +I use a lot of type. I also use \TeX~--~what better medium can there be for showing off type?~--~in +its Macintosh incarnation as Textures. I need samples that I can show clients, and that I can +refer to for the technical details of the typeface. The results are the type specimens you see +here. The code itself has some annotations that you might want to read. The macros are not +complex~--~I don't have time to decode clever macros, and I may need to alter them for unusual +situations as they arise. You are encouraged to do the same. The current distribution of these +specimens includes: This introduction; eight type specimens; an Acrobat PDF file with typeset +examples of the specimens and this introduction. + +Some of the fonts in these examples (particularly {\it Centaur} in {\tt TypeSpc8.tex}) were made \TeX-ready +by using Alan Jeffrey's {\tt fontinst}. The {\tt fontinst} package is discussed in considerable detail in Alan +Hoenig's new book {\it\TeX\ Unbound:\ \LaTeX\ and \TeX\ Strategies for Fonts, Graphics \& More} (Oxford 1998), which +discusses {\tt fontinst} over the course of several chapters and works through numerous examples. If you deal at all with +fonts and +\TeX\ you will need this book. + +Clearly, these specimens will be most easily produced on systems that use outline fonts +as opposed to bitmaps. I have used these specimens on a Mac with Textures using both PostScript and TrueType, and on a PC +with PC\TeX using TrueType. Textures (now at version 2.0) is interesting in that it can create font metrics +``on the fly'' from the Mac's bitmap files. For more demanding work, you will, however, want to stick with {\tt fontinst}. + +\section A word about color + +Blue Sky Research {\it Textures} is a wonderful implementation of \TeX\ that has a very convenient +way to use color through the {\tt\string\special} mechanism. I'm going to describe it so that if +you use a different implementation that can take advantage of color, you will understand the +macros here. Color is invoked by: + +\verbatim\special{color rgb 1.0 0.0 0.0}| + +\noindent This tells \TeX\ to trun everything red from this point on. This specification could +also have been given by: + +\verbatim\special{color cmyk 0.0 1.0 0.1 0.0}| + +\noindent as red in the CMYK model is 100\% of magenta and yellow. To jump back and forth between +colors, Textures has a color stack and you can push colors onto the stack and pop them off. So, a +typical use of color might be something like this: + +\verbatim\special{color push}% Puts current color (black) on stack| +\verbatim%%% Calls red and puts it on stack:| +\verbatim\special{color rgb 1.0 0.0 0.0}| +\verbatim Some text in red.| +\verbatim\special{color pop}% Pops red off stack, restores black| +\verbatim More text in black.| + +\noindent Simple. You can also define a color for later use: + +\verbatim\special{color define red rgb 1.0 0.0 0.0}| + +\noindent and summon it by calling: + +\verbatim\special{color red}| + +\noindent The advantage of this is that you can call colors that downstream processors (separation +software, or a printer) can use to identify color use. You can even screen the color for tints: + +\verbatim\special{color red .5}| + +\noindent which would give a 50\% tint of red, or pink. + +\section TypeSpc1.tex, TypeSpc2.tex, TypeSpc3.tex + +These are essentially variations on a theme, differing only in the display type at the top of the +page. TypeSpc1 has a selection of telltale characters. The top of the {\it A\/} often has a distinctive +treatment; the lower half of the {\it G\/} and the tail of the {\it Q\/} also tend to +be distinctive; the shape and size of the enclosed +areas of the lowercase {\it a\/} and {\it e\/} are also +telltale, and important in that very small such spaces +are likely to close up under less than ideal printing +conditions; the ampersand frequently has a good deal of +creativity lavished upon it. TypeSpc2 sets the +uppercase and lowercase of each letter next to each other. TypeSpc3 has a line of uppercase +characters (not good design, but some people like or expect it) followed by a line of lowercase characters. + +\section Selecting the type + +At the beginning you can insert three items of information: the \TeX\ name of the font; the name +of the font that will appear as the `title' of the specimen; and any comments that you wish to +have at the end of the chart. I like this specimen because the chosen typeface is used for the +whole specimen, including annotations. Clearly, these specimens and macros are more suited to +PostScript and TrueType fonts than bitmaps -- proceed accordingly. + +\section Column width + +Under normal circumstances, a column of type should be about 70 lowercase characters (about 2.5 +lowercase alphabets) in width, or about 4.5 inches in width, which ever comes first. Much longer, and the eye tires, and +loses its place when moving to the next line; much shorter and you increase the level of visual +noise such as hyphenation and highly variable word spacing. This sample shows 10pt type at the +width of 2.5 lowercase alphabets, and calculates the size of type necessay to set 70 characters +to a measure of 4.5 inches. Interestingly, 10pt type +usually comes very close to fitting 4.5 inches with 70 +characters. One of the most common signs of uninformed typography is +column width that pays no attention to the realities of +type and reading. + +\section Leading + +The calculation of leading~--~{\tt\string\baselineskip} in \TeX~--~is based purely on the +physical realities of the type being set. The maximum height and depth of the typeface's characters is found, and then a +percentage of that amount is added to itself to arrive at the leading. The x-height of the font +is also given some influence over the leading. + +\section Choice of text + +I have provided three sample texts in token registers. The first is a simple piece of English +prose. The second is a collection of {\it pangrams}~--~sentences using all twenty-six letters of the alphabet~--~from the large +collection of David Lemon of Adobe Systems, Inc.; so you get to see all of the letters of the alphabet in +use. The third is an amalgam of Latin and semi-Latin texts. In the first place, Latin~--~as +Beatrice Warde pointed out~--~has fewer descenders so the text sits more cleanly on the baseline; +second, as W.\ A.\ Dwiggins pointed out to Beatrice Warde, it is good to have a sample of text in +a language the reader does not read~--~in this way the reader looks at the type itself, and not +through the type to the information it conveys. + +\section Type factor + +The type factor is basically an extension of the the characters per pica concept, but scaled to +the size of the typeface. It is based on a sample of type in which $f=(c\,t)/m$ where $f$ is the +typefactor, $c$ is the number of characters in the sample, $t$ is the type size in points, and $m$ +is the total horizontal width of the sample. The formula can be put to some good use. For +instance, characters per pica, $p$, can be obtained from $p=h/f$ where $h$ is the size of the type +in points; the size of the type, $h$, necessary to place $n$ characters on a column width of $w$ +(in picas) is: $h=(fw)/n$. I have used a sample based on the relative frequency of letters in +English. This gives excellent agreement with published figures, particularly those in {\it Brown's +Index}. It is best not to take figures like characters-per-pica or type factors too seriously. They are very useful for +judging the relative characteristics of typefaces. Before computer typesetting they were far more useful when the actual +typesetting of material was costly and time-consuming. Computers allow us to be able to change typesetting parameters +interactively and quickly, relieving us from having to know precisely ahead of time how the material is going to layout. + +\section The ratio of the x-height to the ascender height + +This is an important characheristic of type. As x-height increases, type tends to look darker, or +more crowded on the page. The antidote to this is to increase the leading slightly. {\it See above.} + +\section TypeSpc4.tex -- a mini-specimen + +The principal attraction of TypeSpc4 is the +{\tt\string\makefontbox} macro which gives a kind miniature specimen that can be as little or as +large as you like. In the examples I give, the grid is certainly optional as is the use of color: +They are merely suggestions to get you started. The five arguments to {\tt\string\makefontbox} are +as follows: + +\medskip + +\vbox{\raggedright\parskip3pt + +\itemitem{\#1}\TeX's name for the desired font + +\itemitem{\#2}The name font name as you want it to print + +\itemitem{\#3}The name of the type's designer, or other salient + piece of information that lends itself to display + +\itemitem{\#4}The size of the type inside the box + +\itemitem{\#5}The overall desired width of the box} + +\section TypeSpc5.tex -- by the numbers + +It is very often useful to know where the characters of a typeface are, and to gain an overall +impression of all of the characters of a font. This specimen is simply an enumeration of the +characters with respect to their character numbers. The macro to notice is +{\tt\string\lineofchars}. You can specify how may characters are to be in the line, and what the +numerical starting point will be. Numerous other design variables can be specified, and they are +discussed in TypeSpc5.tex. + +\section TypeSpc6.tex -- for florid fonts + +There are times when you simply have to see a font in all its splendor. You don't need it at every +imaginable size. And in the case of ornate calligraphic fonts, it does not make any sense at all +to shove uppercase letters together for any reason, not even for display. + +\section TypeSpc7.tex -- homage \`a Caslon + +This ornate example is meant to be both fun and useful. It was inspired by the specimen sheets of +William Caslon. The names of the type sizes~--~Ruby, Minion, Brevier, etc.~--~are traditional and +could be replaced with sizes in points. This is a useful sample for PostScript typefaces which are +often packaged as a family of four fonts: roman, italic, bold and bold-italic. The principle fonts +are the roman and italic, however, and these are the fonts primarily featured in this specimen. The +sample text is in a token list and can be changed at will~--~just make sure that there is enough +of it. + +\section TypeSpc8.tex + +This specimen uses techniques that we have established in earlier samples. Again, this is suitable +for typefaces that exist in pairs (or pairs of pairs) of fonts: roman and italic, bold and +bold-italic. There is also a macro for a single, centered paragraph that could be used, say, for +small caps. The type size, leading and type factor are given for each font. + +\section TypeSpc9.tex + +I combined two formats here to show off the principal characteristics of the roman along with the +fonts of the family as used for text. + +\section TypeSp10.tex + +Another variation using one sample per line. Also notice the very beautiful typeface. + +\bigskip +\hrule + +\section Stephen Moye, 23 IV 1998 + +Stephen\hbox to .5em{\hrulefill}Moye@brown.edu\hfill\break Brown University Graphic Services + +\bye
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