[comp.fonts] what font editor to use

haccme@milton.u.washington.edu (Thomas Ridgeway) (04/30/91)

In article <15365@life.ai.mit.edu> cbwood@churchy.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Clifton B. Wood) writes:
>OK, I'm finally fed up with searching for fonts that apparently don't exist
>anywhere where they can access them, and I have too many ideas for fonts right
>now that I have decided to MAKE MY OWN now the question is:
>
>	HOW DO I GO ABOUT DOING THIS?
>
>Any information on where I can find a decent font editor (one that allows you
>to edit the actual APPERANCE of the characters. ZSoft's SoftType doesn't allow
>you to do this at all) then any locations of available public domain software
>or marketing information on commercial software would be GREATLY appreciated.
>
>Prefered font editors are: Postscript (obviously) or URW. Thanks.


  Since you mention Softtype, you are presumed to be interested in DOS
  software; you have probably heard of Publisher's Type Foundary (since
  it is also a Zsoft product).  PTF will indeed allow you to change the
  shapes of characters (and so forth).  I believe (believe != know_for_a_fact)
  Softtype will convert URW outlines to OTL outlines which PTF can use;
  PTF includes software to convert its OTL outlines to various forms
  including type 3 PostScript.  You will not likely succeed in getting
  any existing Postscript font read into PTF however (unless you write
  some clever conversion software yourself--- PS fonts are usually
  encoded so as to make such things hard to do).

  I have, of course, no connection with Zsoft . . . etc. disclaimers

cheers,
Tom