[comp.lang.postscript] Downloaded Times?

tgaucha@watcsc.waterloo.edu (Terry Gauchat) (12/14/90)

I use an HP IIP with ImageScript cartridge.

It's not bad, but for some reason, the Times fonts are horrible
at size 12 and below.

Is there a downloadable Times available?  Free?

Thanks.

clewis@ecicrl.UUCP (Chris Lewis) (12/16/90)

In article <1990Dec14.155205.9319@watcsc.waterloo.edu> tgaucha@watcsc.waterloo.edu (Terry Gauchat) writes:

>I use an HP IIP with ImageScript cartridge.

Is this a Postscript cartridge?

>It's not bad, but for some reason, the Times fonts are horrible
>at size 12 and below.

>Is there a downloadable Times available?  Free?

I'm not quite sure what you mean, though, I would assume that
since ImageScript has "Script" in it's name, you're looking
for downloadable Postscript fonts, not HP SFP's.  But, there
is a way to use SFP's and TeX PK, and there are some cheap SFP's and
PK's available.

Psroff 2.0 has a set of utilities for converting TeX PK's and SFP's
into Postscript fonts (pk2ps).  As well as a reasonable Times Roman,
Times Italic and Times Bold font at 10 points.  The fonts produced
are bitmap fonts without any hinting, so scaling the fonts in Postscript
is not recommended (they work, but may look pretty awful at anything
other than a scaling of 1.0).  This is UNIX software (main purpose of
Psroff is to drive Postscript or HP Laserjets from UNIX CAT troff). 

    HP (true SFP's):
	> I just received a notice in the mail from HP, announcing
	> that they are about to discontinue the following soft
	> fonts:

	> 	TmsRmn/Helv	Roman 8		(33412AD)
	> 	TmsRmn/Helv	Roman 8		(33412AF)
	> 	TmsRmn/Helv	Ascii		(33412AE)

	> Together, the first two sets provide Times Roman and
	> Helvetica SFP fonts, including bold and italics, from
	> 6 to 30 points.  They can be ordered from HP Direct
	> (800/538-8787). [ on floppy.  Note from ron@mlfarm]

	To my eye, these fonts are VERY good - the best I've seen on
	a Laserjet - FAR better than the TeX cmr fonts.  Not free.
	Not too unreasonable tho.  Use pk2ps to convert these to
	Postscript.

    TeX: the cmr or amr fonts.  Usually in a copy of TeX.  PK format.
	Essentially free.  Font encoding is different from Postscript
	and SFP's.  Psroff 2.0 can produce reasonable Roman, Italic and
	Bold fonts from 6 point thru to 36 (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16,
	18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 36), tho, some of the sizes are a bit off.
    
    Jetroff: (The comp.sources.unix release (jetroff@pcrat.uucp for
       information about anon-uucp access)).  These are PK format too,
       but they're a better fit than a standard TeX release.  Jetroff
       2.0 (commercial but inexpensive) have superior fonts compared to
       the Shareware version), precise sizes from 6 to 36.

Of course, the SFP's or PK's can also be used on a HP Laserjet running
native mode instead of Postscript.
-- 
Chris Lewis, Phone: (613) 832-0541
UUCP: uunet!utai!lsuc!ecicrl!clewis
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