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From: josip@ra.src.umd.edu (Josip Loncaric)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: QuickDraw problem with drawing certain fonts
Message-ID: <1990Aug2.163757.19572@ra.src.umd.edu>
Date: 2 Aug 90 16:37:57 GMT
References: <1990Aug1.154901.14781@ra.src.umd.edu> <1990Aug1.200516.16644@Neon.Stanford.EDU>
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Organization: Systems Research Center, University of Maryland, College Park
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In article <1990Aug1.200516.16644@Neon.Stanford.EDU> kaufman@Neon.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman) writes:
>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?
>
>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?
>
>Marc Kaufman (kaufman@Neon.stanford.edu)

A brief clarification: CMEX10 prints correctly in all sizes when using
PostScript-based printers.  Sizes smaller than 50pt (=12pt on 300dpi devices)
are rendered correctly by QuickDraw (and Textures application). The 50pt
size and larger have problems with certain large characters (86pt size has
more problematic characters than 50pt) when rendered via QuickDraw.  Again,
the "0x20=space" anomaly is not the problem, since other character codes
are affected as well.  Finally, ResEdit correctly renders all 50pt characters
in its edit window, where QuickDraw is not used to draw character glyphs,
while the "normal size" views on the right (where QD is apparently used) fail
to show characters.

My theory (confirmed by Textures developer) is this:  Apple's published
specs on FOND/FONT resource interpretation do not correspond to what
QuickDraw does.  These "undocumented features" are bugs, plain and simple.
Apple, please fix this....  and if anyone on this net has a QD replacement
which interprets FOND/FONT resources correctly, please let me know....




--
Josip Loncaric / SRC / U. of Maryland, College Park, MD 20745