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From: minich@unx2.ucc.okstate.edu (Robert Minich)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: YAQOTT
Message-ID: <1991Mar27.165700.5267@unx2.ucc.okstate.edu>
Date: 27 Mar 91 16:57:00 GMT
References: <41465@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Oklahoma State University Computer Center
Lines: 40

by sanglee@.Berkeley.EDU (Sang-Ho Lee):
| Yet another question on TrueType: on style variations of common fonts:
| 
| Suppose the sfnt versions of Times, Times italic, Times bold, Times bold
| italic are installed in the System.  The bitmap versions (NFNT) of a few
| sizes of Times (plain) are also installed in the System.  
| 
| If you select Times Italic at a size for which the bitmap of Times (plain)
| is installed, the latter will be slanted instead of the sfnt of the true
| italic being invoked.  The same thing happens with other styles or other
| faces.
| 
| Is this intentional?  Why?

  The easiest and probably best solution is to remove the bitmaps of
Times from your system, assuming your Times bits look like mine
(standard stuff with Apple's sys software), which DO NOT seem to match
the TrueType fonts spacing and sizing. I find the TT just as readable at
the same size, so I use that instead.
  Is this intentional? I don't know. Here is my guess for the day: using
the bitmap fonts, you can override TT if you like. If you don't want the
oblique (QuickDraw just shears the fonts) then get rid of the bitmaps.
If you want the bitmaps for other reasons (speed, teeny sizes) then you
should get your hands on real italic bitmaps as well. (I don't know
where they are since I don't feel the need.) If QuickDraw used TT for the
italic and the bitmap for the plain, the fonts I have wouldn't match very
well. The same also applys to bold and bold italic also.
  As a side note, it appears that TT fonts undergo something more
elaborate than just a shear of a bitmap. I'm guessing that it slants the
outline and then rasterizes that. It looks much better than plain
shearing to me. Compare the old Helvetica bitmap sheared for italics with
the TT version. The bitmap was sheared to with a "nice" offset per line
so it's diagonals are regularly spaced. The TT version uses a nasty angle
that doesn't look very good in small to medium sizes on screen. (I don't
know how it looks on a medium resolution, like the ImageWriter.)
-- 
|_    /| | Robert Minich            |
|\'o.O'  | Oklahoma State University| "I'm not discouraging others from using
|=(___)= | minich@d.cs.okstate.edu  |  their power of the pen, but mine will
|   U    | - "Ackphtth"             |  continue to do the crossword."  M. Ho