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From: jpm@calmasd.CALMA.UUCP (John McNally)
Newsgroups: net.graphics
Subject: Raster versus vector text fonts
Message-ID: <2101@calmasd.CALMA.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 31-Oct-86 16:58:44 EST
Article-I.D.: calmasd.2101
Posted: Fri Oct 31 16:58:44 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 3-Nov-86 20:55:56 EST
Organization: G.E. CALMA R&D, San Diego, CA
Lines: 30
Keywords: text fonts, raster, vector


Can anyone give me pointers on methods of handling dual font
representations in raster and vector?  For example, is there
available any software or algorithms for converting a raster font
definition into an efficient vector representation?

Does anyone have any experience in this problem area?  If so, how
have you handled the problem?  We would like to use raster font
definitions because of their flexibility in defining unique fonts
and their speed in rendering text on raster displays.  However,
not all software and/or hardware we must interface with can
support raster text rendering.

The approach we are probably going to take is to define fonts in
raster and associate with them a vector representation.  The
vector representation could be manually defined or generated from
the raster definition.  Device drivers would access the definition
they need for the particular device.  If one representation or the
other is missing, then any attempt to use a device that requires
the missing representation would fail.

Any comments on this?  Any suggestions for alternatives?

Respond by e-mail and I will summarize for the net, if interest
warrants it.

Thanks in advance,
-- 
John McNally  GE/Calma  9805 Scranton Rd. San Diego CA 92121
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