Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!ico!rcd
From: rcd@ico.isc.com (Dick Dunn)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts
Subject: Re: fonts with numeric characters of varying widths?
Summary: yes, in display faces
Message-ID: <1991Feb27.221652.2471@ico.isc.com>
Date: 27 Feb 91 22:16:52 GMT
References: <6904@mace.cc.purdue.edu>
Organization: Interactive Systems Corporation, Boulder, CO
Lines: 33

nvi@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Charles C. Allen) writes:
> I was very surprised to find that the Tekton font from Adobe has
> numeric characters of varying widths.  This renders it useless for
> many intended uses here.  It is the first font I've run across where
> this happens.  Do other people have comments on this?  Should I be
> surprised?

It's not surprising to find it in a display face.  I suppose you've hit the
problem because you wanted it as a text face rather than a display face?

It's a type-designer's tradeoff:  It's unnatural to make the figures
uniform width, the "1" being particularly unpleasant.  However, if you
don't, you can't set columns of figures which align properly.  Therefore
the normal decision is to have uniform widths for faces intended for text
use, otherwise possibly not.  I did a quick check on the Adobe faces I've
got; the ones which have non-uniform-width figures are:
	Boecklin
	Cottonwood
	Fette Fraktur
	Freestyle Script
	Trajan
	VAG Rounded Bold
...all display faces.  Curiously, good ol' Zapf Chancery Medium Italic has
uniform-width figures.  I wonder if that was an Adobe change to the face
back in the earlier days of their work.

Some typeface designs have two sets of figures--lining and non-lining (cf
my question last week on readability).  Adobe has this in at least one
"expert collection" I've looked at.  I'd assume that in such a font, the
lining figures would be uniform width and the non-lining wouldn't.
-- 
Dick Dunn     rcd@ico.isc.com -or- ico!rcd       Boulder, CO   (303)449-2870
   ...But is it art?