#Screen fonts for…
25 messages in this thread
What would be great is if people wouldn't worry so much about the screen
fonts, and would just convert the damn width tables.
If there was a conversion program for converting Adobe AFM's to the width
tables that PageStream uses, I could care less what the fonts displayed on
my screen as, though some simple rules would be nice — if the font is a
serif font then show Times Roman, or Palatino (Times is probably better of
the two), and if the font is a sans serif font, then show Helvetica, in
both cases unless a second file that contained the actual information for
the font is available, in which case that file is used, and the actual font
is displayed.
That is how things work on the PC with programs like Ventura Publisher (I
loaded only the display fonts, and Times/Helvetica, hmm, might have loaded
Palatino as well, since its a very common font), and also in Windows and
PageMaker, where I did the same thing.
As long as the widths are right for justification, I could care less what
it looks like on the screen (within reason of course), but I need to be
able to reference the font by name, and have it come out on the printer.
I don't that much about how PageStream does this, but I don't imagine its
as simple as I want it to be.
In connection with your desire for AFM-to-PageStream conversion, I'd like
to point out that our PostScript Series of fonts come with the proper
metrics for PageStream support (along with screen reps) so that you can get
accurate page layout as well as PostScript printing.
We are looking into how to furnish Amiga support for Adobe fonts. We
certainly see the potential value to Amiga DTP users.
Justin, I hope that "furnishing Amiga support for Adobe fonts" includes the
fontdownloader program and printer hard disk support, being able to list
the directory of fonts on the printers disk, display sample text of each
font on screen or output, font conflict utility, etc.
I can understand your interest in hard disk support, etc., but we have
tried to produce a PostScript printer utility that will meet the needs of
the more typical Amiga PostScript printer owner. You have to remember that
the Amiga DTP market is much smaller than the Mac DTP market (though we're
growing), and Pixelations can't afford to narrow the focus too tightly.
Your wish list is a good one, though, and we sure hope the market will be
strong enough that we are able to justify a more powerful utility to meet
the needs of Amiga-based service bureaus!
Justin, without those utilities, amiga-based service bureaus will not
exist. Right now we're considering buying another MACinslosh <choke> 'cause
the stuff available for Amiga right now won't cut the mustard. I need some
stuff now to keep my amiga working and not rebooting on me! ProPage and PxS
aren't it that's for sure!
Can your fonts also be used with Professional Page??
Our fonts work with Professional Page, PageStream, excellence!, City Desk,
ProWrite (with ProScript), Laserscript, and even Shakespeare. Remember,
these are PostScript fonts – you'll need a PostScript printer or
PixelScript to take advantage of the outlines (of course the bitmaps work
as bitmaps anywhere).
Justin:
{Warning: Dumb question follows:} What is the main difference
between Postscript fonts, and Compugraphic fonts?
-Mike
Not a dumb question! The world of fonts is quite complicated, and it's
probably only going to get worse before it gets better. In Pro Page 1.3,
the disk holds a Compugraphic outline font, which is data in a format
easily used to generate any size of bitmap font (for either on-screen
display or dot matrix printer output). A PostScript font is actually a
PostScript program that gets sent to a PostScript printer to teach it how
to draw characters of any size. In other words, it's just another format
of essentially the same information; the outlines of the letters. One
format is for screens and dot matrix type printers, the other is a special
format for PostScript printers.
So Amiga screen fonts are another font format… specialized for storage
on disk, at a certain fixed size, and for use on bitmap screens.
Mike,
Our PostScript fonts are hinted (using Nimbus-Q technology) and work with
any PostScript device (including low-cost interpreters, like our own
PixelScript which runs on the Amiga).
I haven't got my Compugraphic fonts for ProPage 1.3 yet, so I don't what
they'll be supplied with, but our PostScript fonts come with metrics for
ProPage, PageStream, excellence!, Prowrite/proScript,
Pagesetter/Laserscript — so they'll work with any DTP software on the
Amiga.
I also don't know what the price of Compugraphic fonts will be.
Justin
So Justin, Do I just put Pixelscript's fonts in the font: directory and
each program will find what it needs? Or do I have to put specific fonts in
the directories that each program looks at for its font info?
chris
Chris,
Sorry to say, you have to keep the fonts separate due to the varying
requirements of the DTP packages. Unfortunately there isn't a standard way
of handling fonts for the Amiga (despite a standard bitmap – which
PageStream doesn't use).
The FontInstaller should let you set up a location for each style, the
first font you install. After that it will remember where you keep your
ProPage fonts, your PageStream fonts, etc., etc. It was the most
reasonable compromise we could come up with.
Justin
Justin:
Are the .metric files different for ProPage, than say ProScript or
Pagestream?
-Mike
Mike,
The character sizes, etc, are compatible of course, but the PageStream
format is totally different.
Justin
Justin, I expect to buy a HP Laserjet IIP very shortly, and will probably
get one of the cheap 2meg ram boards for it. I currently have one piece of
PostScript software; Excellence!. However, I mostly use Pen Pal for my
word processing needs.
I'm considering getting a PostScript cartridge for the IIP. I will use
the printer for printing things like committee minutes, letters, resume's,
envelopes, some graphics including designing forms for an organization, and
for printing from my BridgeBoard, including a fax board. Would you suggest
I get the cartridge, or your software, and why? Or neither? Thanks much!
Ron
Ron,
Obviously, I think our software is a pretty good buy! But if you do a lot
of PostScript printing, you'll want the added performance that the hardware
will give you. basically it comes to $$$ versus time (doesn't it always?)
Justin
Justin,
I received my copy of the Compugraphics Outline Fonts package from Gold
Disk today, 09 March 1990. I ordered it way back when (my records indicate
that I sent for it on 29 November 1989). The package includes the
following:
Two programs,
CreateFont – a program to generate Amiga fonts, Professional Draw
outline fonts, and downloadable PostScript fonts. Download – a program
to download PostScript fonts to a laser printer
or Lasertypesetter.
and Thirty-five outline fonts,
Triumvirate (Helvetica) Triumvirate Bold Triumvirate Oblique Triumvirate
Bold Oblique Triumvirate Condensed (Helvetica Condensed) Triumvirate
Condensed Bold Triumvirate Condensed Oblique Triumvirate Condensed Bold
Oblique Times (Times Roman) Times Bold
<continued>
<continuation>
Times Italic Times Bold Italic Courier Courier Bold Courier Oblique Courier
Bold Oblique ITC Bookman Light ITC Bookman Light Italic ITC Bookman Demi
ITC Bookman Demi Italic ITC AvantGarde Book ITC AvantGarde Book Oblique ITC
AvantGarde Demi ITC AvantGarde Demi Oblique Palacio Roman Palacio Roman
Bold Palacio Italic Palacio Bold Italic ITC ZapfChancery Medium Italic New
Century Schoolbook Roman New Century Schoolbook Bold New Century Schoolbook
Italic New Century Schoolbook Bold Italic ITC ZapfDingbats Symbol
<continued>
<continuation>
It is distributed on five diskettes.
The above information comes direct from the 14-page manual that is included
with the package. (I haven't had a chance yet to try out the fonts on
either the HP Laserjet or my Xerox 4020.) I sent in my order after
receiving the upgrade from PPage 1.2 to PPage 1.3. At the time, Gold Disk
was offering the fonts package for $99.00; I don't know what the current
price is for these fonts.
Wayde
Let us know how it works. Do you have the Laser IIP? i have one as well as
Propage. I bought a Postscript Card for the Laser IIP and more Ram. I just
need more programs that can do Postscript. Can't find a Postscript driver
either. I migth have to get the Fonts disk you just got, it sounds good!
Enjoy!!
Thanks! Jamie
Jamie:
Trying to find a "postscript driver" may be a bit hard, if you are thinking
in terms of a printer driver. Postscript is an interpreted page
description language that is independent of either the creating device or
the output (printing) device.
What that mouthful means is that a postscript file is an ascii text
description of a page of text and graphics in a special language that's a
lot like BASIC. If you were to read a postscript file (which you can do
with any text reader or text editor), you would see a bunch of commands.
Some tell the output (printing) machine what font and font size to use,
where to position the next action on the page (i.e. moveto type commands),
wheter to draw a line, fill an area, write text there, etc. If there's a
bitmap graphic in the file, it tells the output machine where the uppoer
left hand corner is, and how big the "box" is for the graphic, and then has
a series of HEX codes describing each dot in the picture.
So, if you have software that will create a postscript file describing a
page in that language (which you can do on your own, BTW, with any ascii
text editor if you know the language — it's just a hassle to do it that
way, instead of using somthing like ProPage), you can then have the file
printed by ANY device which can read postscript files, and the output will
be in the highest resolution that device can print. You see, any
postscript device has, built in, an internal computer programmed to
"interpret" the
<continued>
<continuation>
postscript command file, and to tell its particular printing engine what to
do. A 300 dpi laser printer will print at 300 dpi. The same file fed into
a 2400 dpi Linotype will print at 2400 dpi.
On the Amiga, the closest thing we have to a psotscript "driver" is a
commercial product called, I believe, PixelScript. It takes a postscript
file from any source, reads it and interprets it IN YOUR AMIGA, and then
uses the Amiga's printer drivers to output to your particulat printer. If
you have a postscript printer, you don't need PixelScript.
If, otoh, you are looking for something that will take normal text files
and convert them into postscript code so they will print out on your
postscript printer, then you need ProWrite and ProScript (I think I got
those names correct — check over in Amiga vendor. One of the suppliers
there handles these programs). ProWrite is a wordprocessor. ProScript is
a companion program which takes ProWrite files, and translates them into
postscript files so they can be output on a postscript printer.
Does any of this make sense? If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Ray Lewis
Jamie,
No, I have a HP Laserjet series II with 2MB. I haven't had time to play
around with the fonts yet. Real soon now.
Wayde
Wayde,
Let us know how the FONTS work out. I am really in deep with this
stuff. I love the HP's!
Thanks! Jamie