elric@imryrr.Sun.COM (Rick Heli) (03/10/90)
Here's some information on how you can use the recently announced F3 format OpenFonts with the MIT sample server: Anyone running OpenWindows has access to 57 F3 format fonts which can be used to create MIT X11 format bitmap fonts. The procedure described here will also work for any of the 627 F3 format fonts available from vendors as well (possibly subject to licensing restrictions -- check with vendors). To do this, you'll need any F3 format font (available from font vendors, see attached message, or on the Sun OpenWindows tape) makeafb and convertfont (binaries available with Sun OpenWindows) bdftosnf (utility shipped with MIT X11) OpenFonts may be transformed into a format appropriate for the MIT sample server using the OpenWindows utilities makeafb and convertfont. The OpenFont file (with suffix .f3b) needs to be converted into a font binary or font metric file. Use makeafb, e. g.: % makeafb /home/openwin/lib/fonts/AvantGarde-Book.f3b This will create several Adobe format bitmap font files (.afb) and/or Adobe format metric files (.afm) with point sizes 6,8,10,12,14,16 and 18. (Note that if you are starting with .afb or .fb files, you can skip this step.) To convert these files to X format (.bdf), use convertfont: % convertfont -x Av*.afb This will create a .bdf file for each .afb. Convert each to a .snf file (such as the sample server uses) via bdftosnf, e. g.: % bdftosnf -t AvGBk14.bdf > AvGBk14.snf Use xset to tell the server about these new fonts: % xset +fp `pwd` % xset rehash The fonts are now available to any client wishing to use them. You can use xlsfonts or inspect the .bdf files to discern the actual font names. For those unfamiliar with F3 fonts, a recent press release, minus most of the marketing hype: MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --March 5, 1990-- Sun Microsystems today announced that 627 F3(TM) format fonts are available to Sun workstation users as part of Sun's OpenFonts(TM) font technology. At the heart of OpenFonts is F3, an open, intelligent outline font description. These fonts are automatically created with Sun's TypeMaker(TM) software, then generated as bitmaps for any raster device -- from computer screens to typesetters -- at any resolution by TypeScaler(TM) software. OpenFonts includes such easy-to-use tools that more than 600 F3 fonts have been created in a year. ... "There should be well over 1,000 F3 fonts available within 10 months." Software developers using OpenWindows can create applications that utilize F3 fonts. Users of Sun workstations can also get OpenFonts as part of OpenWindows. While 57 resident fonts are included in OpenWindows, developers and end users can acquire many more at low cost from type suppliers. Rick Heli Internet: rheli@sun.COM UUCP: ...!sun!rheli
tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu (Ted Kim (Random Dude)) (03/10/90)
In article <132747@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> elric@imryrr.Sun.COM (Rick Heli) writes: >Here's some information on how you can use the recently announced F3 >format OpenFonts with the MIT sample server: > > [ how to do it deleted ] It should be noted though, the following limitations exist with the X11 fonts generated by this procedure: 1. The XLFD attributes are not generated in this process. So you end up with fonts called "Helvitica-8" not "-adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--8-80-75-75-p-46-iso8859-1" 2. None of the font properties (eg QUAD_WIDTH) are generated. 3. The fonts all come out as if designed for 72 dpi. (not 75 dpi or 100 dpi) 4. The Symbol and Zapf Dingbats fonts require special handling, due to their use of a special character encoding. Anyone know how to overcome these limitations? -ted Ted Kim UCLA Computer Science Department Internet: tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu 3804C Boelter Hall UUCP: ...!{uunet|ucbvax}!cs.ucla.edu!tek Los Angeles, CA 90024 Phone: (213) 206-8696
tp@mccall.com (03/13/90)
In article <132747@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>, elric@imryrr.Sun.COM (Rick Heli) writes: > For those unfamiliar with F3 fonts, a recent press release, minus most > of the marketing hype: > > MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --March 5, 1990-- Sun Microsystems today > announced that 627 F3(TM) format fonts are available to Sun workstation > users as part of Sun's OpenFonts(TM) font technology. > > At the heart of OpenFonts is F3, an open, intelligent outline font > description. These fonts are automatically created with Sun's > TypeMaker(TM) software, then generated as bitmaps for any raster device > -- from computer screens to typesetters -- at any resolution by > TypeScaler(TM) software. Can anyone at Sun that I haven't already talked to, or any of their sublicensees, that can license me the source code to TypeScaler for anything remotely resembling an END USER PRICE (i.e. a strictly in-house, not for sale, application) PLEASE contact me as soon as possible! (Note: I MUST have outlines, because I need arbitrary sizes and rotations of text.) > "There should be well over 1,000 F3 fonts available within 10 months." ... > OpenWindows, developers and end users can acquire many more at low cost > from type suppliers. Similar plea for help. Assuming I can get TypeScaler, I need a nice sans serif (the bosses will want samples to choose from), a sans serif cyrillic, and the one that has been a REAL problem: Kanji. Anyone care to post/email me suppliers of any and all of these in F3 format? Please? I know this isn't the first whiney message I've posted here, but I'm not much closer to solving my problems, and it is rapidly going to be holding back my project. Final note: I'm not using OpenWindows (or Sun, for that matter). I'm running on a VMS system and need to drive a Versatec electrostatic plotter. I'll do any porting needed, but if anyone out there has a package for VMS, let me know. I can pay money for this stuff, but OEM prices are painful (can't say how painful, of course, because of non-disclosure agreements). -- Terry Poot <tp@mccall.com> The McCall Pattern Company (uucp: ...!rutgers!ksuvax1!mccall!tp) 615 McCall Road (800)255-2762, in KS (913)776-4041 Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
elric@imryrr.Sun.COM (Rick Heli) (03/14/90)
In article <32751@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> tek@cs.ucla.edu (Ted Kim (Random Dude)) writes: >In article <132747@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> elric@imryrr.Sun.COM (Rick Heli) writes: >>Here's some information on how you can use the recently announced F3 >>format OpenFonts with the MIT sample server: >> >> [ how to do it deleted ] > >It should be noted though, the following limitations exist with the >X11 fonts generated by this procedure: Thanks for bringing up some of the nitty-gritty details of this process. I can offer some, if not complete, assistance. > >1. The XLFD attributes are not generated in this process. So you end > up with fonts called "Helvetica-8" not > "-adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--8-80-75-75-p-46-iso8859-1" The XLFD names for those fonts supplied with OpenWindows can be found in $OPENWINHOME/etc/NeWS/fontsyns.ps (you'll need to set pixel size, point size, resolution and maximum width). The names would then need to be changed in the .bdf files (by changing the "FONT" line) or by creation of a fonts.alias file in the directory holding the fonts. This file would contain a line with the short name and XLFD name for each font, e. g.: Helvetica-8 -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--8-80-75-75-p-46-iso8859-1 >2. None of the font properties (eg QUAD_WIDTH) are generated. These properties are not part of OpenFonts and, if desired, would need to be added by hand. >3. The fonts all come out as if designed for 72 dpi. (not 75 dpi or > 100 dpi) Allowing makeafb to take a dpi argument is under consideration for a future release. Unfortunately, it does not permit this at present. >4. The Symbol and Zapf Dingbats fonts require special handling, due to > their use of a special character encoding. I can send the appropriate encoding files for these fonts for anyone who is interested (send mail) or if I get enough interest, simply post them to the net. Rick Heli Internet: rheli@sun.COM UUCP: ...!sun!rheli