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From: dhosek@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (D.A. Hosek)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts
Subject: Re: Wanted: a metafont program for a "callibration" font
Keywords: metafont, mf, font
Message-ID: <3681@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 31 Dec 89 02:06:20 GMT
References: <886@per2.UUCP>
Organization: Pitzer College, Claremont, CA 91711
Lines: 39

In article <886@per2.UUCP> dag@per2.UUCP (Daniel A. Glasser) writes:
>Is there a metafont description for a small (few characters) font
>which is specificly designed for assisting in determining the values
>for the printer specific variables for a new printer?  Such a font
>along with a TeX file to create a test page would be quite useful.

>I've discovered that simply using a single font from the cm family
>does not produce a sufficient representative sample.  I've been
>using cmr10, cmbx10, cmsl10, cmss10, cmr8, cmmi10, and cmti10, but
>these take too long to run through mf each time and also may not be
>sufficent.

>If there is no "printer mode calibration" font, I will create one and
>post it to the net, but I'd rather be lazy and get one from someone
>else (also, I'm a novice at metafont, I would think an expert would
>do a better job).

Well, the cold hard truth of the matter is that it really isn't possible
to produce such a "printer mode calibration" font. The concept of the
mode_def is a rather limited one and at resolutions typical of most
printers used for TeX output (200-400dpi), a single mode_def is usually
inadequate for the generation of all fonts. If you have a write-white
printer, the situation gets worse (to get decent results out of a Xerox
87xx/97xx/4050 printer takes no fewer than 10 mode_def's!). If you don't
get TUGboat, you should subscribe. Information on mode_def's is carried
there. Also, Doug Henderson, who is currently working at Blue Sky Research
(makers of Textures) coordinates mode_def's and would be glad to discuss
the matter with you.

[Moderator: could you toss in the 800 number for Blue Sky and the 
address for TUG here... I don't have them handy and don't care to go 
back to my apartment to get them just now.]

-dh
-- 
"Odi et amo, quare id faciam, fortasse requiris?
   nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior"          -Catullus
D.A. Hosek.                        UUCP: uunet!jarthur!dhosek
                               Internet: dhosek@hmcvax.claremont.edu