Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!allred
From: allred@ut-emx (Kevin L. Allred)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: converting fonts to Windows format
Keywords: converting fonts windows format
Message-ID: <37185@ut-emx>
Date: 14 Sep 90 05:15:05 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, Texas
Lines: 53

There have been plenty of questions raised about fonts and windows.  I
personally have a deskjet plus printer, and have sympathized greatly
with others suffering the frustration of finding out that windows
won't print bitmapped fonts on a PCL printer (only windows vector
fonts and resident printer fonts).  I have a 256K ram cartridge, so I
am able to download softfonts to the printer (converted from laserjet
fonts).  The PCL printer driver has an option to install fonts
(cartridge or softfonts); so that windows can understand how to use
them ("Windows here are the softfonts ...  Softfonts meet windows"
:-).  The installation procedure provides the option to match a
softfont with a windows screen font family.  I was able to match
softfont versions of the Computer Modern Roman and Sanserif fonts (from
the TeX-Metafont package) to Times Roman and Helvetica screen fonts.
Some other softfonts had no screen equivalents; so I just matched them
with what seemed to be an acceptable fixed/proportional font.  I use
Write, when I don't use TeX, and it seems to do okay with the fonts
(the screen spacing sometimes looks very strange -- suggesting that a
true screen version of the font would be much better).

Now for the programming challenge, there are lots of softfonts out
there that would make great windows printer fonts if we could simplify
the conversion process.  I had to use a binary editor to add
information to the softfont header by trial and error to get the
correct point size information into windows -- not a good way to
proceed :-(  It would be nice if there was some sort of utility that
would make a best guess screen font rendition of any softfont; so that
the screen would at least look like the printout (remember the idea
behind WYSIWYG :-)

Perhaps a more important resource than just plain PCL softfonts is
Metafont and the many font descriptions it can use to generate fonts
in any pointsize.  A utility that would take fonts generated by
Metafont and turn them into screen fonts and printer font families
would be a wonderful blessing for everyone.

Anyone willing to take up the gauntlet?

The alternative is to wait until True Type becomes a reality, and buy
the upgrade (There's nothing like holding your breath for vaporware :-(
).  Frankly, I would rather not wait that long when lots of wonderful
font families are available in the public domain just waiting for
someone to convert them to windows & suitable printer font format.

	Kevin Allred

P.S.  If there is interest, I will upload the CMR/CMS deskjet fonts
that I fixed to work with windows to an FTP site.  Remember that a
Deskjet RAM cartridge is required to use the fonts.  Also I could only
get them to work when permanently downloaded.-- 

	Kevin Allred
	allred@emx.cc.utexas.edu
	allred@ut-emx.UUCP