me@spirea.UiB.NO (My Account) (02/13/91)
Hi. I know this is maybe not the best place for this - please forgive any transgression... I'm running OS/2 1.3 (yeah, I know - boo, hiss, yechh ;-) and they've included Adobe Type Manager (oh Boy!). What I'm trying to do is use NeXT and Mac Adobe fonts (type 1) with OS/2. It says quite clearly in the manual that I need _both_ the *.AFM and *.PFB files for each font type. Unfortunately, all the fonts I've seen for the Mac and NeXT in the PD (ShareWare too) include an *.AFM file and maybe a bitmap file (*.bmap on NeXT, dont know what it is/if it is on Mac), but no *.PFB. Do any Adobe gurus out there know what I have to do to use these fonts? (besides scrapping the PC and scoring a NeXT/Mac, I mean - I'm already working on that one :-) Thanks alot! -- Thor-Lee Legvold | ppstl@nobergen.earn (or .bitnet) University of Bergen | ppstl@cc.uib.no NORWAY | and now on NeXT... Hvor mye for datter'n din...? | me@fiol.uib.no
paul@u02.svl.cdc.com (Paul Kohlmiller) (02/19/91)
I think I know what the confusion is. On a Mac (on weird systems, who knows)
ATM wants the laser font file (what I think you call the PFB file) and the
font metrics file (AFM). The bitmap version is another file. The implication is
that ATM only works on laser fonts. It doesn't help with fonts that are
bitmapped only. There are a lot of shareware laser fonts but there are even
more bitmap-only fonts and ATM won't help with those. Also, a lot of laser
fonts do not have AFM files and I'm not sure what ATM does if the AFM file is
missing.
I hope this helps.
--
// Paul H. Kohlmiller // "Cybers, Macs and Mips" //
// Control Data Corporation // Internet: paul@robin.svl.cdc.com //
// All comments are strictly // America Online: Paul CDC //
// my own. // Compuserve: 71170,2064 // clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu (Chaz Larson) (02/19/91)
paul@u02.svl.cdc.com (Paul Kohlmiller) writes: >I think I know what the confusion is. On a Mac (on weird systems, who knows) >ATM wants the laser font file (what I think you call the PFB file) and the >font metrics file (AFM). The bitmap version is another file. The implication is >that ATM only works on laser fonts. It doesn't help with fonts that are >bitmapped only. There are a lot of shareware laser fonts but there are even >more bitmap-only fonts and ATM won't help with those. Also, a lot of laser >fonts do not have AFM files and I'm not sure what ATM does if the AFM file is >missing. ATM needs the bitmap file and the outline file. It doesn't need AFM files. AFM files aren't even included on the ATM master disk. ATM works with Type 1 PostScript fonts. Many PD/Shareware laser fonts are Type 3, and will not be enhanced by ATM. However, more and more Type 1 fonts are becoming available, and many of the PD/shareware fonts are being revised to Type 1 format. The only program I am aware of that uses AFM files is PageMaker. QuarkXpress may use them as well. chaz -- Someone please release me from this trance. clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu AOL:Crowbone
ogawa@orion.arc.nasa.gov (Arthur Ogawa) (02/24/91)
In article <3299@ux.acs.umn.edu> clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu (Chaz Larson) writes: |paul@u02.svl.cdc.com (Paul Kohlmiller) writes: |>I think I know what the confusion is. On a Mac (on weird systems, who knows) |>ATM wants the laser font file (what I think you call the PFB file) and the |>font metrics file (AFM)... [...] |ATM needs the bitmap file and the outline file. It doesn't need AFM files. |AFM files aren't even included on the ATM master disk. [...] |The only program I am aware of that uses AFM files is PageMaker. QuarkXpress |may use them as well. For the record: TeX uses font metric information derived from the AFM file. Presumably, the Radical Eye TeX on the NeXT has .tfm files corresponding to all of the fonts distributed standard on the NeXT, but if you buy a type ! font from Adobe or whoever, and you want it to work with TeX, you must also obtain the AFM file (unless the font comes with a tfm). The application AFtotf will convert the AFM to a tfm file. After that, you may delete the AFM file. The common wisdom among those knowledgeable about font metrics is that the AFM has information (kerning, ligatures) that is not available in any other form, so if your application does not use the AFM directly or indirectly, the type you set will not be as good as otherwise. I was unaware that PMaker used AFMs. Is this also the case on the Mac?