Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!mr2t+
From: mr2t+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Tod Rose)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Font Definition (was Re: Adobe Type Manager)
Message-ID: <cZAyiJm00WBLM2epx_@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: 12 Oct 89 01:40:37 GMT
References: <265@axecore.UUCP>,
	<110300013@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>
Organization: Class of '91, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 28
In-Reply-To: <110300013@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>

In <110300013@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>, Doug McDonald
<mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu> writes:

>Incidentally, what size IS Adobe's Times Roman intended for - 
>all the different sizes it prints out are just scaled versions of
>what presumably originated as a copy of one particular size of
>a genuine (metal) Times Roman font. The letters of real (metal) 
>fonts are usually shaped differently (not scaled versions of one 
>another), at least a little, for each font (size of type).

One of the big selling points of Adobe's fonts is the hinting technology
that they engineer into their faces.  It basically enables the kind of
thing you're talking about -- the 24 point Times Roman is not shaped
exactly like the 12 point Times Roman, and neither is quite like the
16-point Times Roman.  This is the trick that Adobe worked on for such a
long time, and it's this trick (along with superior typeface design)
that makes Adobe faces worth the extra-high prices.

Of course, now that Adobe is publishing their Type 1 (hinted, encrypted,
compressed) font definition, everyone can produce nicely hinted fonts in
their basement... ;-]

I'm sure that Brian Benzason (sp?) of Adobe will have something to add
here... BTW, kudos to Brian for a championship job of answering
inquiries on ATM here on comp.sys.mac; speaking for a potential ATM
customer, we do appreciate the sincere (and honest) support.

-mike