Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.misc:1898 comp.sys.mac.programmer:16377 comp.sys.mac.system:946
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!shelby!neon!kaufman
From: kaufman@Neon.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: QuickDraw problem with drawing certain fonts
Message-ID: <1990Aug1.200516.16644@Neon.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 1 Aug 90 20:05:16 GMT
References: <1990Aug1.154901.14781@ra.src.umd.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
Lines: 44

In article <1990Aug1.154901.14781@ra.src.umd.edu> josip@ra.src.umd.edu (Josip Loncaric) writes:
>I have had a bizarre problem with a font of special math symbols which came 
>with my Textures program (from Blue Sky Research, currently v1.2).  Certain 
>characters in CMEX10 font at 50pt (prints as 12pt size on 300dpi devices) are 
>not rendered on the screen or printed properly...

>In article <15235@reed.UUCP> barry@reed.UUCP (Barry Smith) writes:
>	...........
->The problem is, as far as we can determine, due to errors in
->the Macintosh system software, specifically the QuickDraw
->graphic display language.  In certain cases, especially with
->larger point sizes, fonts that contain characters that differ
->from ``normal'' placement are drawn incorrectly or
->incompletely...

->It is our belief that our fonts are well-formed, and that the
->problems you (and we) are experiencing are entirely due to
->errors in the Apple system software...

>What I'd like to know is the following:

>(1) How come Apple has not yet fixed this known problem?  Will it ever be fixed?

I don't want to be an apologist for Apple's Quickdraw, but I find myself
confused by this thread of articles.  I have already responded to the use of
0x20 as a graphic character, but the above quotes leave many questions.

First, is it the case that CMEX10 *NEVER* prints correctly?  If so, why in the
world was it released, and how can the vendor claim that the font is "well
formed"?  Quickdraw does strange things sometimes, but I would claim that the
operational definition of "well formed" is that Quickdraw renders the font
properly.  If there are SOME applications that render the font properly, and
SOME applications that do not, then I would be more apt to point an
extremity at the Application -- I would not be surprised to find that some do
not deal properly with the full glory of Quickdraw fonts.  Even if the FONT is
correct, is the FOND properly formed?

Would the font manufacturer care to post a subset font that fails to draw but
is declared to be "well formed" for the edification and amusement of Usenet
readers? [you only need to post a half dozen of the problem characters -- we
aren't going to steal your entire typeface...].  Be sure to post the FONT and
the FOND as a proper Font/DA Mover file.

Marc Kaufman (kaufman@Neon.stanford.edu)