Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!ntg!dplatt From: dplatt@ntg.uucp (Dave Platt) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: Four TrueType Fonts placed in ftp archive... Message-ID: <62@goblin.ntg.uucp> Date: 13 Apr 91 20:08:56 GMT References: <1991Apr12.131846.27155@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Reply-To: dplatt@snulbug.mtview.ca.us (Dave Platt) Organization: New Technologies Group, Inc. Palo Alto CA Lines: 99 In article <1991Apr12.131846.27155@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> gaynor@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Jim Gaynor) writes: > Please note that I'm interested in any other PD/SW TrueType >fonts that are available, and would -love- to speak to anyone who has >Metamorphisis, FontMonger, or some other Type 1 -> TrueType conversion >utility. I bought a copy of FontMonger this week (ordered it from MacConnection the same day they got their first shipment... it's serial number 26!). Overall, I'm quite pleased with it. It does a very nice job of converting both Type 1 and Type 3 PostScript fonts into TrueType format. The conversion process requires between 30 seconds and two minutes per font on my IIfx, depending on the complexity of the fonts. FontMonger translates Type 1 hints into TrueType hints, and it automatically generates hinting for Type 3 fonts. The gentlemen at Ares to whom I spoke said something on the order of "If you convert a Type 1 font to TrueType, and print them out, I don't believe you'd be able to see any difference." FontMonger also allows one to customize a font. You can rearrange characters, create composite characters, and perform some basic scaling and shearing operations on individual characters (or create new font- styles which apply a transformation to all characters in the base style). You cannot, however, edit the outlines or hints of the individual characters. FontMonger's user interface is quite functional and is in general easy to use. It has one definite quirk that I'm not so crazy about... font selection (suitcase file, individual font, and style) is implemented using a movable dialog box which _looks_ like Standard File, but isn't. This has two disadvantages: [1] it uses a System 6 standard-file layout, and doesn't track the changes to this interface in System 7, and [2] all of the wonderful Standard File accelerators such as Super Boomerang, HFS Navigator, Shortcut, SFVol INIT, and so forth are _completely_ inert, absent, and nonfunctional in this dialog! This is seriously annoying... especially when one attempts to use the "Create batch" command to bulk-convert a whole bunch of fonts from within different folders... one must navigate from one place to another via the Smith Barney method (the old-fashioned way ;-). Bummer. I'm going to write Ares a note about this... Also... the program doesn't do an effective job of converting stroked Type 3 fonts into either Type 1 or TrueType... the letters come out filled with solid black. The manual warns that this is the case, and suggests contacting the author/publisher of the font for an outline version. It would be nice if the converter would put up a dialog box warning that the font was in stroke format (I assume that this is possible, but I don't know for sure). So far, I've converted to TrueType format a whole bunch of PD/shareware Type 1 display and text fonts I downloaded from the DTP Exchange BBS, and a half-dozen Type 3 fonts from the BMUG CD-ROM. Results have been good... I particularly like the freeware Thomas font (which resembles an older style hot-metal typefont). I've also played around with FontMonger's ability to create a new font, and import EPS files generated by Freehand and Illustrator into individual character-slots. Results have been mixed, depending on the quality and format of the EPS image... once again, stroked images look bad, and well-formatted outlined images can look very nice indeed. All in all, I consider FontMonger to be a good-to-excellent value ($99 list; I paid $63 plus shipping), especially for a first release. It hasn't crashed or burped or done anything inurbane during the time I've used it. The startup dialog-box is almost worth the price of admission alone. -- Hmmm... I may be letting myself in for a deluge of work, but I'll make an offer (good until rescinded)... I'll use my copy of FontMonger to perform conversions to TrueType format of interesting PD/shareware PostScript fonts for people who have the fonts and want them converted. Here's how I'd prefer to go about it: if you have such a font and would like to have it converted, send me an email message (NOT the font itself!) to me at "dplatt@snulbug.mtview.ca.us". Tell me the name and size of the font, and its status (public domain, freeware, shareware... I will _not_ accept or convert commercial fonts). If I haven't already received a copy of this font (or have it on disk) I'll ask you to send it to me (the complete font... PostScript files, Font/DA Mover bitmaps, documentation, shareware notices, etc... the whole kit & kaboodle). I'll mong up a TrueType version, merge it into the original distribution, and send the whole thing back to the submitter, as well as to the moderators of an archive or two. The first person to offer a specific font to me (as dated by the message's arrival on my system) will get the converted font back via email. Everyone else will have to dig it off of an archive or BBS somewhere... I don't want to overwhelm my domain-server site with zillions of copies of individual fonts. -- Dave Platt VOICE: (415) 813-8917 UUCP: ...apple!ntg!dplatt USNAIL: New Technologies Group Inc. 2468 Embarcardero Way, Palo Alto CA 94303