rommel@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Kai-Uwe Rommel) (04/08/91)
I have a question. In case it does not belong to this newsgroup, please point me to the correct one. During the last time, the Adobe Type Manager (ATM) has become very popular. It uses Adobe Type 1 fonts as input. ATM is available for Microsoft Windows and is included with each copy of OS/2 1.3 free of charge. Now the problem: ATM for Windows uses the .PFB and the .PFM files from the Type 1 fonts but ATM for OS/2 uses the .PFB and the .AFM files. Currently, because Windows is more popular than OS/2, there appear many free Adobe Type 1 fonts which only contain the .PFB and .PFM files but not the .AFM file. I cannot use these fonts with ATM for OS/2. As I understand, both the .PFM and .AFM files contain font metrics information, but in different format. Is this true? If so, can the .PFM files be converted to .AFM versions? Is there a utility available for this purpose? Thanks in advance, Kai Uwe Rommel /* Kai Uwe Rommel, Munich ----- rommel@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de */ DOS ... is still a real mode only non-reentrant interrupt handler, and always will be. -Russell Williams (MS)
timur@seas.gwu.edu (The Time Traveler) (04/08/91)
In article <1991Apr7.200742.5025@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE> rommel@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Kai-Uwe Rommel) writes: >As I understand, both the .PFM and .AFM files contain font metrics >information, but in different format. Is this true? If so, can the .PFM >files be converted to .AFM versions? Is there a utility available for >this purpose? > Adobe has a fileserver that (I think) contains files like these. The only problem is that they probably contain the data for the fonts that they produce ONLY. Someone posted the address some time ago. Try looking through an old article. It's something like: postscript-server@adobe.com ----------------------------------------------------------- The Time Traveler I used to love her a.k.a. Timur Tabi But I had to kill her Internet: timur@seas.gwu.edu I had to put her six feet under Bitnet: HE891C@GWUVM And I can still hear her complain - Guns 'n Roses
orthlieb@adobe.COM (Carl Orthlieb) (04/09/91)
The PS-File-Server is an automatic mail-response program. That means you
mail it a request, and it mails back the response. It is not accessible
via anonymous FTP.
To get in touch with the server, send a message to the appropriate address,
either:
uucp: {sun,decwrl}!adobe!ps-file-server OR
internet: ps-file-server@adobe.COM
containing the word "help" in either the Subject: field or the message body.
It will reply with a message on how to use the available services.
There are many items available from the server; Documents (as PostScript
files), program sources, Adobe Font Metrics files, PostScript Printer
Description files, and other itmes.
You might send a separate message containing the word "index" to save some
time once you get the help message.
The file server does not respond to requests from users named "root",
"system", "daemon", or "mailer". This is to prevent mail loops from bounced
messages.
Note: If you do not receive help from the server within a day or so, it is
probably because the server's mail to you has bounced. You can try again
and use the "path" command within your message specifying a known return
path that the server should use. For example:
path pyramid!rutgers!zakkaroo!jj
(substitute whatever address is appropriate)
If you have any problems contacting the server, or you have any suggestions,
please send a message to the moderator (ps-file-person@adobe.COM).
Carl 8-) manis@cs.ubc.ca (Vincent Manis) (04/10/91)
As it so happens, I called Adobe with exactly this question myself this morning. The answer I got was, `No, there is no program which does the conversion. We will be happy to send you AFM files for any fonts you may have bought, if you will send in your registration card.' I asked about the AFM files available from Adobe's server, and was told `No, the AFM's we'll send you are different.' I didn't understand the difference. For the record, when I interrogated the server a few weeks ago, it didn't claim any knowledge of a document about PFM file formats. My suspicion is that PFM stands for something like `Packed font metrics', and that the conversion between AFM and PFM formats is pretty trivial. If, that is, one could find out the format. *sigh* -- \ Vincent Manis <manis@cs.ubc.ca> "There is no law that vulgarity and \ Department of Computer Science literary excellence cannot coexist." /\ University of British Columbia -- A. Trevor Hodge / \ Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1W5 (604) 228-2394
orthlieb@adobe.COM (Carl Orthlieb) (04/11/91)
PFM stands for Printer Font Metrics. These are files created by Microsoft for Windows and contain text metrics for 'soft' fonts. The installation programs that come with our fonts know how to create these .PFM files for use under Windows. Microsoft has allowed us to distribute the 'Printer Font Metrics Files' specification as hard copy (we don't have an electronic version) and this is available to all of our registered developers. You can also call Microsoft and ask for document number SY0329c-300-R00-1089. This document is shipped out as part of the documentation for the Microsoft Windows Device Development Kit (DDK). Chapter 4 of this document discusses .PFM files for PostScript Printers. Hope this helps, Carl 8^)
leslie@book.dle.dg.com (Leslie French) (04/11/91)
I succeeded in extracting most of the information from the .PFM file
assuming it was basically the same as a Windows Font-file (as per the
MS Windows SDK Programmer's Ref). It contains ONLY the width
information for the mapped characters. You don't get any kerning or
composite data (unless someone out there can find it, I can't).
Leslie French