Xref: utzoo comp.lang.postscript:5670 comp.sys.mac.system:961 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!barnett From: barnett@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett) Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.sys.mac.system Subject: Re: PostScript vs TrueType? Message-ID: Date: 2 Aug 90 21:19:00 GMT References: <1100.26af57d3@waikato.ac.nz> <1990Jul26.135834.9874@tsa.co.uk> <862@grenada.UUCP> Sender: news@crdgw1.crd.ge.com Reply-To: barnett@crdgw1.ge.com Followup-To: comp.lang.postscript Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY Lines: 46 In-reply-to: roger@grenada.UUCP's message of 1 Aug 90 00:01:27 GMT In article <862@grenada.UUCP> roger@grenada.UUCP (Roger Corman) writes: >The second reason had to do with the future of the font technology. In >order to get better rendering results, the low-level hinting >method probably would require upgrading the fonts themselves (where the >rendering hints are). With Adobe's approach, improved rendering >engines can get better results with the same old font libraries. Printers >being mechanical, and tied to microprocessor technology, are likely to >be upgraded every few years, with newer and better rendering engines. >Customers expect this. Customers don't expect to have to buy new fonts. >The high-level hinting approach appears to give Adobe fonts more long term >value. A good example of this is the new HP LaserJet III, which is 300 DPI, but uses variable size dots to get effectively 600 DPI. I doubt TrueType will look as nice as PostScript fonts on this device. Also - Font designers say it takes a year to design a decent font. I don't know how long it would take to convert it into the proper data for PostScript or TrueType, but I doubt it's trivial. How can you design low level hints in the fonts, when the output can be on 72, 200, 300, 600, 1200, or 2400 DPI machines? Do you only load the "hints" for the output devices you will drive? Getting a 10 point font to look decent on a 72 dpi screen is easy. Getting a 5 point font to look good on paper is something else. Given a screen that has QuickDraw/TrueType and a PostScript printer and typesetter, what will people do to get good output? Will they have to buy a QuickType (that's QuickDraw and TrueType) Laser Printer and Typesetter? (Bad answer - why buy more equipment?) Will QuickType be converted into PostScript? (Another Bad Answer - it won't be WYSIWYG) Will TrueType fonts be downloaded into the typesetter? (Another Bad Answer - I doubt TrueType will look as good as PostScript at 1270 or 2400 dpi). -- Bruce G. Barnett barnett@crd.ge.com uunet!crdgw1!barnett