Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site uw-beaver Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!laser-lovers From: laser-lovers@uw-beaver Newsgroups: fa.laser-lovers Subject: Character spacing Message-ID: <1109@uw-beaver> Date: Mon, 29-Apr-85 20:15:27 EDT Article-I.D.: uw-beave.1109 Posted: Mon Apr 29 20:15:27 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 30-Apr-85 07:47:38 EDT Sender: daemon@uw-beaver Organization: U of Washington Computer Science Lines: 30 From: Les Earnest Responding to Ed Tafts's Apr. 27 message, I agree that "there is no single `correct' approach to character scaling and spacing" but some approaches are better than others. Straight geometric scaling, which is the P*stscrpt default, is the simplest to program but the rounding errors produce variable intercharacter spacing. That is why P*stscrpt print samples show a given pair of characters properly spaced in some places and running into each other in other parts of the page. Given Mr. Taft's statement that Adobe can also do "typographic" spacing, I look forward to seeing some print samples that exhibit this property. peter gross's message of the same day says that "I can vouch that the Imagen also does not do inter-character spacing right either". I would point out that the Imagen also doesn't do it wrong -- it just does what it is told. Mr. gross is using Computer Modern fonts, courtesy of a fellow down the hall named Don Knuth. Some people like CM fonts; most typographers don't; in any case the credit/blame belongs to Prof. Knuth. Imagen *can* take the credit/blame for some new fonts that are being released for their 8/300, 12/300, and 24/300 printing systems, including Lucida*, Helvetica*, and Times Roman* (the latter two in beta test only). Les Earnest Stanford A.I. Lab. (& Imagen shareholder) * Footnote: Lucida is a trademark of Bigelow & Holmes. Helvetica and Times Roman are trademarks of Allied Corporation.