Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!casseres@apple.com
From: casseres@apple.com (David Casseres)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Font Naming Substitution (was Mac Draw Problem)
Message-ID: <13396@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 8 May 91 16:55:08 GMT
References: <1991May3.190653.29002@sctc.com>,<13326@goofy.Apple.COM> <009480F2.1F0C0720@uclapp.physics.ucla.edu> <6361@crystal9.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@Apple.COM
Distribution: usa
Organization: Apple Computer
Lines: 36

In article <6361@crystal9.UUCP>, derosa@motcid.UUCP (John DeRosa) writes:
> 
> Trivia - how are these font names related to each other?
> 
> New York -> Times  (New York Times, the Newspaper)
> Geneva -> Helvetica (Helvetica is the Greek word for Switzerland)

Actually, Times is short for Times Roman, the name of a very famous
type design named after the new York Times.  Helvetica is the name of
another very famous design which comes from Switzerland much used in
advertising.

And yes, you can add

Monaco -> Courier

where Courier is the name of a famous typewriter-type design done by IBM.

New York, Geneva, and Monaco are types designed for the 72-dot/inch
Macintosh screen, and intended as "substitutes" for Times, Helvetica,
and Courier.  Since these were designed specifically for the Mac screen,
they are highly readable on the screen, and therefore very popular.

When the first LaserWriter came out, the convention of "font substitution"
was invented.  Text in New York is printed in Times Roman, so it will
look good on paper and the user isn't required to change his document
to Times Roman on the screen, reformat the document, and lose readability.
Likewise, Geneva is printed as Helvetica and Monaco as Courier.

The trouble with this is that the character spacing for New York has to
be used even though Times Roman characters are printed, and although this
looks "nicer" than printing New York with jaggies, it is bum typography.
Same goes for the Geneva->Helvetica conversion (Monaco->Courier works
better because both are monospaced anyway).

David Casseres