Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!jarthur!linus.claremont.edu!dhosek
From: dhosek@linus.claremont.edu (Don Hosek)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts
Subject: Re: Optima
Message-ID: <1991Jan12.224657.1@linus.claremont.edu>
Date: 13 Jan 91 06:46:57 GMT
References: <1991Jan12.001000.11113@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> <42430@ut-emx.uucp>
Sender: news@jarthur.Claremont.EDU
Organization: Harvey Mudd College
Lines: 44

In article <42430@ut-emx.uucp>, clouds@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Kathy Strong) writes:
> In article <1991Jan12.001000.11113@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> sms16@po.CWRU.Edu 
> (Steven M. Schwartz) writes:

>>     Wondering if anyone out there is familiar with the history of typesetting
>>and fonts, particularly "Optima".  This is for a graphics project; Optima will
>>be used on Aldus Pagemaker.  The layout must be done in Optima and describe the
>>history of its development.  Optima was designed by Hermann Zapf if that helps 
>>any.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated... time is of the essence.

> Hmmm, that name sounds vaguely familiar ...   :-)
> 
> I popped out of usenet and onto the University of Texas on-line library catalog,
> where I found 21 books by Hermann Zapf, including several copies each of
 
> About alphabets: some marginal notes on type design (Z250 A2 Z3613 1970)

This book has about a page or two on the creation of Optima.
Another place to look for information would be the Adobe Type 1
font format book (some brief notes on the problems of digitizing
the font). (As another aside, the version Xerox sells for its
printers does some really interesting things with bitmaps to get
a decent appearance.)

> Hermann Zapf and his design philosophy (Z250 A2 Z379 1987) (yes, he wrote it)

Never seen this so I can't comment.

A good general outline of type history is in _An Atlas of
Typefaces_ (forget the author), although I suspect this volume
may be out of print. Unfortunately, it does not cover Optima
directly, but the development of letter forms is well described.

-dh

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