#PP4.0 Fonts query
8 messages in this thread
Help please.
I have just installed PPage 4.0 and cannot seem to get it to recognize
the standard Amiga Fonts. If i set FONTS=ALL in the PPage Icon all I get
is the CG fonts. If I set FONTS=AMIGA after PPages scans the Fonts:
directory it tells me i can find no fonts! I cannot find any obvious
errors.
I really wanted to see if I could use the Workbench CG fonts in PPage,
and this also does not appear to work, even though CG_update goes and
looks for them in the Fonts:_Bullet etc Directory. Should I be able to
access the Workbench CG Fonts?
Regards Leaonrd.
Leonard,
PPage can't use the Workbench Compugraphic fonts directly. In addition to
the CG .type (aka .lib) files in FONTS:_Bullet_Outlines, PPage requires a
.dat file for each font and a .metric file for each font family.
TypeSmith, Soft-Logik's new font editing software, can create the .dat and
.metric files if you feed it a CG font or use it to convert to CG from
another format. I've found that fonts converted to CG from Adobe Type 1
format degrade significantly in quality. Even CG fonts just loaded and
then saved out again degrade. This isn't a problem with TypeSmith; the CG
format doesn't lend itself well to editing or conversion.
With PPage 4.0, Gold Disk provides a utility to generate .lib, .dat and
.metric files from fonts stored in Agfa's FAIS format. But the fonts in
_Bullet_Outlines aren't in FAIS format, so the utility is no help here.
PageStream 2.2 can use the Workbench CG fonts without hassle.
Sorry, no happy news….
-Dave (via AutoPilot)
David,
re PPage 4.0 and WB's CG FONTS. I ask the question about PPage using
the WB fonts because the CG_UPDATE program goes in and has a good look at
the FONTS:_Bullet… files and builds some references in the IF.FNT file
in CGFONTS:. Why? (possibly only for PDraw which does seem to be able to
use them!)
My second problem is why can't PPage find/use the standard bitmap fonts
on my system? I know its a very open question, but just possibly someone
else has had the problem. PPage goes and checks all the entries in FONTS:
on startup but then will not list them.
A couple of puzzels for this weekend.
Regards Leonard.
Leonard,
You're right…PPage does build references to FONTS:_Bullet_Outlines in
the if.fnt file. Seeing as it can't use the Workbench CG fonts, I wonder
why? PPage's method of handling CG fonts is strange anyway. The .dat and
.metric files are redundant; the info each contains is also kept in the
corresponding .lib files. At least we don't have to deal with font caches
anymore.
Regarding your bitmap font problem, have you checked PPage's FONTS
tooltype to make sure it's set to ALL (as in FONTS=ALL)? I can't think of
anything else that would cause the fonts to not show up. If the tooltype
is set properly, try running FixFonts and see if that helps.
-Dave (via AutoPilot)
David,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes PPage 4.0 tootype is set FONTS=ALL,
Yes I have run Fixfonts,
Yes I have run CG_Upgrade,
all to no avail, the Bitmap fonts don't want to be known on my system.
I have not heard from Gold Disk re why the if.fnt file (half) points to
the workbench CG fonts, but it does and PPage still cant get at them. I
hae some true BOLD and ITALIC versions of Times etc, but they are of no
use. (From AGFA for workbench.) Maybe one day soon!
Regards Leonard.
Leonard,
Since you mention the Bold and Italic versions of Times…. PPage's method
of handling font families is odd. If you use Soft-Logik's TypeSmith or
Gold Disk's own CreateFont utility to convert a Type 1 font family (say
Adobe Caslon Regular, Italic, Bold and Bold Italic) to Compugraphic
format, you end up with different listings in PPage's Typeface submenu for
each member of the family. In this case you'd have four different Caslons
listed. If you choose Caslon Regular as your font and then choose Italic
from the Style submenu, you won't get Caslon Italic…you'll get a
PPage-generated oblique version of Caslon Regular. You have to go back to
the Typeface submenu and explicitly choose Caslon Italic to get the
italicized version. This can be a real pain with imported text from a
wordprocessor; all italics in the text are converted to the fake oblique.
Then there's the fact that the CG format is strange, and fonts converted
to CG from other formats look goofy. But I won't go on. 😉
Regarding your bitmapped fonts, I assume other applications *can* get at
them, yes? When I had PPage 4.0A on my system, my bitmapped fonts showed
up in the Typeface submenu. Don't think I ever tried to use any of 'em,
though. Maybe the problem is specific to your model of Amiga. Which
Amiga(s) do you have?
-Dave (via AutoPilot)
David,
Re my PPage 4.0 bitmap font problem. Yes other programs (DPAINT etc)
can access the bitmap fonts without trouble.
My configuration, is a B2000, 2 meg chip, GPV 030 33mhz, 4 meg 32bit, 4
meg fast on a Microbitics 8up card.
The truth be known I don't actually need the bitmap fonts in PPage, I
just happened to be testing the upgrade out and looking to see it it would
support the Workbench CG fonts. And of course neither show up in the font
selection list. In fact if FONTS=AMIGA is selected PPage, after scanning
the directory, announces that no fonts could be found!
Weird!
Regards Leonard.
Leonard,
That is bizarre that PPage 4 can't find your bitmapped fonts in FONTS:. It
must be a configuration-dependent bug; like I've said, it didn't show up
on my A3000 or my A1200.
Wish I had the time to be a beta tester….
-Dave (via AutoPilot)