[comp.fonts] PostScript conversions -- info plus questions

lee@sq.sq.com (Liam R. E. Quin) (05/17/91)

I have seen PostScript files in the following formats (both type 1 and 3).
The names below are as they appear on Unix, since that's what I have:

ATM (dos)

name.pfb
name.pfm

Mac:

name.hqx -- hex encoded
name.sit.bin -- binary StuffIt archive
name.rsrc, name.data, name.info -- binary mac files

Unix:

FullName.ps
FullName.atm

For TeX there's also FullName.tfm, and for troff there's an XX.out file.

So, how do we go from one to another?

DOS.pfb -> Unix.ps with pfb2ps (from alt.sources recently)
    This ignores the pfm file, and does not generate the afm file.

Mac.sit.bin --> Mac.rsrc with unsit, but then the resulting file contains
    encrypted binary data after the "eexec", and can't be sent to a printer.
    Any ideas?

Mac.sit.bin --> MacFont with NCSA ftp and a Macintosh computer
    MacFont --> Unix.ps with UnAdobe (on the mac) and NCSA ftp
    But this requires a mac, and pointing and clicking, and isn't automatic.

Unixfont.ps --> MacFont with Fontographer (?)

Unixfont.ps --> Unixfont.afm with getafms.ps and a PostScript printer.
Unixfont.ps --> Unixfont.afm with getafms.ps and a PostScript Interpreter,
    such as GhostScript (type 1 or 3) or OpenWindows (type 3 only)

In a table:

		PC/ATM		Mac		Unix

PC/ATM		---		?		pfb2ps

Mac		?		---		UnAdobe+ftp

Unix		fontographer??	ftp or		---
				fontographer


I could add other font formats to this table, but I rather need to
improve this one first!  I have a larger table including HP, TeX, X11 and
Xerox formats, and some others, but it isn't as useful as I'd like.

If there's interest, I'll build and post a larger table and include
archive sites, etc.

Help!

Lee

-- 
Liam Quin, lee@sq.com, SoftQuad, Toronto, +1 416 963 8337
the barefoot programmer

grdetil@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Gilles R. Detillieux) (05/17/91)

In <1991May17.075033.20859@sq.sq.com> lee@sq.sq.com (Liam R. E. Quin) writes:

>I have seen PostScript files in the following formats (both type 1 and 3).
[stuff deleted]
>So, how do we go from one to another?

>DOS.pfb -> Unix.ps with pfb2ps (from alt.sources recently)
>    This ignores the pfm file, and does not generate the afm file.
A few others asked questions about how to get afm files from pfm files.
I still haven't found a way myself, other than running getafm.ps on the
font.  Anyone?  (I'd like to be able to get the kern pairs, if present in
the .pfm file.)

>Mac.sit.bin --> Mac.rsrc with unsit, but then the resulting file contains
>    encrypted binary data after the "eexec", and can't be sent to a printer.
>    Any ideas?
The sonata.cc.purdue.edu ftp site has a "Mac Font Resource Converter" program
(mfrc.c) to do this.  At the time I got it, it was under
next/source/mac-font2next.shar.Z (I think), but the source directory has
since been split up, so you'll have to look around for it.  Although written
on and for a NeXT, I think it'll work on other Unix boxes.  (NeXT PS fonts
are in plain ASCII files.)

-- 
Gilles Detillieux			<Gilles@scrc.UManitoba.CA>
Spinal Cord Research Centre		or <grdetil@ccu.UManitoba.CA>
Dept. of Physiology, U. of Manitoba
770 Bannatyne Avenue, BMSB 401		Phone:  (204)788-6766