greid@adobe.com (Glenn Reid) (06/18/89)
In article <81398@ti-csl.csc.ti.com> martin@m2.UUCP (Steven Martin) writes: >I am using a TI OmniLaser 2106 with a Macintosh. One of the resident >fonts is named improperly. While the Mac generates >Helvetica-Narrow-BoldOblique, the resident font name is >Helvetica-Condensed-BoldObl. The Narrow/Condensed problem was easy These are DIFFERENT FONTS. It is not just a naming problem. The Helvetica-Narrow family is algorithmically derived from Helvetica by changing the FontMatrix. It is otherwise the same font as Helvetica, and you can get an equivalent font with the "makefont" operator. It was put there because it is easy to derive it from Helvetica, and the Condensed font did not yet exist. The Helvetica-Condensed font family is designed to be narrow. The characters are individually designed, and it is just a different font from Helvetica. It basically looks better than Helvetica-Narrow, because some attention was paid to the letters, they weren't just squashed. So consider yourself lucky to have the better font :-) If you substitute one for the other, be advised that you will not get perfect compatibility, because the widths of the characters are different. They are close, but not the same. Your best bet is to get a copy of the screen fonts for Helvetica-Condensed and use that on the Macintosh end, rather than trying to coerce the printer fonts into being fonts that they aren't. I believe you can get a copy of the screen fonts from Adobe by calling 1-800-344-8335. Glenn Reid Adobe Systems Developer Tools & Strategies
batcheldern@icosa.dec.com (Ned Batchelder) (06/20/89)
It looks to me like you did just the right thing. In fact, you are taking up very little extra memory, since almost all of the data for the two fonts is shared. One point though: the difference between Helvetica Narrow and Helvetica Condensed is not merely one of name: they are different fonts. The Narraw font is actually normal Helvetica shrunk in the x direction. Condensed is a whole new set of outlines. Narrow came out first. Another solution to your problem would be to find out what the x shrink is for Helvetica Narrow, and actually define it yourself in your printer to be the way the LaserWriter Plus has it. Then you Mac will actually be getting what it asked for. Of course, the match between the two may be good enough, and the design of the Condensed nice enough that your solution is preferable. Ned Batchelder, Digital Equipment Corp., BatchelderN@Hannah.DEC.com
amanda@intercon.UUCP (Amanda Walker) (06/20/89)
Well, one major problem is that Helvetica Condensed and Helvetica Narrow
are *not* the same font. I'd suggest either:
- getting the real Helvetica Condensed screen fonts from Adobe or SUMEX-AIM
or
- define the Helvetica Narrow fonts. They are simply Helvetica with a
modified transformation matrix.
Here is some PostScript to do this (at least, it works for me):
------------------
% Helvetica Narrow PostScript font
8 dict begin
/FontType 3 def
/FontMatrix [.00082 0 0 .001 0 0] def
/FontBBox [0 0 1000 1000] def
/Encoding StandardEncoding def
/BaseFont /Helvetica findfont 1000 scalefont def
/String 1 string def
/BuildChar {
exch begin
String exch 0 exch put
BaseFont setfont String stringwidth
newpath 0 0 moveto String false charpath flattenpath pathbbox
setcachedevice
0 0 moveto
String show
end
} def
currentdict
end /Helvetica-Narrow exch definefont pop
------------------
The same can be done for the other fonts in the family. I've gone one step
further and made four Macintosh PostScript font files that I've stuck into
my system folder. This way they are as easy to use as any other downloadable
fonts.
--
Amanda Walker <amanda@intercon.UUCP>
--
"Some of the worst mistakes in history have resulted from trying to apply
methods that work fine in one field to another where they don't." -James Hoganmartin@m2.csc.ti.com (Steven Martin) (07/22/89)
I am using a TI OmniLaser 2106 with a Macintosh. One of the resident
fonts is named improperly. While the Mac generates
Helvetica-Narrow-BoldOblique, the resident font name is
Helvetica-Condensed-BoldObl. The Narrow/Condensed problem was easy
enough to fix by modifying the FOND resource but the
BoldOblique/BoldObl problem is a little more difficult since the
Omnilaser uses Bold and Oblique seperately but combines them as
BoldObl, he Mac font system can't handle it. My current solution is
to execute the following code (from page 98 of the Red Book):
/Helvetica-Condensed-BoldObl findfont
dup length dict /newdict exch def
{1 index /FID ne
{newdict 3 1 roll put}
{pop pop}
ifelse
} forall
/Helvetica-Condensed-BoldOblique definefont pop
This creates a new copy of the font and then defines it with my new
name. Is this the best way to do this? Is it taking up too much
memory? I'm on my second day with the Red and Blue Books, I'd
appreciate any advice.
Steve Martin USENET: {ctvax,im4u,texsun,rice}!ti-csl!martin
ARPANET: SMARTIN@CSC.TI.COM COMPUSERVE: 72727,1471
GENIE: S.MARTIN8 PHONE: (214)-995-0698, 404-1061
What I am is what I am, are you what you are or what?hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Robert J. Hammen) (08/03/89)
In article <81398@ti-csl.csc.ti.com> martin@m2.UUCP (Steven Martin) writes: >I am using a TI OmniLaser 2106 with a Macintosh. One of the resident >fonts is named improperly. While the Mac generates >Helvetica-Narrow-BoldOblique, the resident font name is >Helvetica-Condensed-BoldObl. Nonono. Helvetica Narrow and Helvetica Condensed are NOT the same font. Helvetica Condensed is a "true" font, whereas Helvetica Narrow is simply Helvetica scaled at 82% of its width. Two possible solutions exist to this problem: 1) Get the Macintosh screen fonts for Helvetica Condensed. They are at sumex-aim.stanford.edu in the info-mac/fonts/adobe directory (as well as most of the other Adobe screen fonts for the Mac - the ones that could be distributed, in any case). 2) Get a copy of the PostScript code which defines Helvetica Narrow from Helvetica for all four variants. I have it, and it's readily available on CompuServe and elsewhere, but I wouldn't risk Adobe's wrath by posting it. I think your best bet would be #1, since a)downloading the PS code to the printer every time it is started up is a pain, and b)Helvetica Narrow is ugly (IMHO). Helvetica Narrow first surfaced when Apple introduced the LaserWriter Plus. Most of the third-party lasers that have been introduced since then don't include the "narrow" version, opting instead for the real Helvetica Condensed font. I wish that printer manufacturers would mention the differences between Helvetica Narrow and Helvetica Condensed in their manuals - I mean, it's not like people don't buy third-party laser printers for their Macintoshes... Robert /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// / Robert Hammen | Service Bureau Manager and Macintosh Consultant / / Bulfin Printers | 1887 N. Water | Milwaukee WI 53202 | (414) 271-1887 / / hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu | uwmcsd1!uwmcsd4!hammen | Delphi: HAMMEN / / CI$: 70701,2104 | GEnie: R.Hammen | MacNet: HAMMEN | BIX: rhammen / /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// note: csd4.milw.wisc.edu becomes csd4.csd.uwm.edu after August 13...