sullivan@msor.exeter.ac.uk (Rob Sullivan) (02/21/91)
Fellow TeXers, Following my recent request on the net for information re. a script font for use with TeX, I am disappointed to have to report to the many people who showed a similar interest that I have met with no success whatsoever. I have heard that the AMS uses fonts from Autologic to obtain a script character set. I would be very grateful if anyone could send me details re. these autologic fonts and any other commercial fonts suitable for use with TeX. A rough idea of the cost of these fonts would be especially useful. I am rather confused that such a commonly used font is not included in AMSfonts2.0. Considering the obvious demand for such a script font, it seems a little strange to enlist the talents of Mittelbach and Zapf in the design of fonts which although useful, are not in my opinion (and I'm by no means alone in this) nearly so essential as a simple script font (commonly found on the most basic of wordprocessors). The claim of TeX to be designed specifically for technical typesetting seems severely flawed when such a simple task of 'curly' H is beyond its grasp. Rob. -- - - - - Robert Sullivan JANET : sullivan@uk.ac.exeter.msor Theoretical Physics Dept. UUCP : sullivan%msor.exeter.ac.uk@ukc.uucp University of Exeter BITNET : sullivan%msor.exeter.ac.uk@UKACRL England. Internet : sullivan%msor.exeter.ac.uk@cunyvm.cuny.edu EX4 4QL Tel : +44 392 264198 "One must be open-minded -- --but not so open-minded that one's brains fall out."
ogawa@orion.arc.nasa.gov (Arthur Ogawa) (02/22/91)
In article <SULLIVAN.91Feb20184846@msor0.msor.exeter.ac.uk> sullivan@msor.exeter.ac.uk (Rob Sullivan) writes: |Fellow TeXers, | | Following my recent request on the net for information re. a |script font for use with TeX, I am disappointed to have to report to |the many people who showed a similar interest that I have met with no |success whatsoever. I have heard that the AMS uses fonts from |Autologic to obtain a script character set... I apologize for not getting off my duff earlier. Here is my contribution: The following fonts are available from Adobe Systems: Fraktur: Fette Fraktur (90) Gothic: Wilhelm Klingspor Gotisch (149) Script: Adobe Garamond Expert (alternate italic) (101) Kaufmann (63) Kuenstler Script (115) Linoscript (94) Medici Script (110) Minion Expert (144) Nuptial Script (110) Park Avenue (25) Shelley (136) Snell Roundhand (147) ITC Zapf Chancery Medium Italic (3) |Considering the obvious demand for such a script font, it seems a |little strange to enlist the talents of Mittelbach and Zapf in the |design of fonts which although useful, are not in my opinion (and I'm |by no means alone in this) nearly so essential as a simple script font |(commonly found on the most basic of wordprocessors). As professional typesetters and typesetting consultants, I and my associates have been engaged for years in closing the gap between public-domain TeX and the needs and requirements of our author and publisher clients. We find that commercial font vendors do a great deal to close said gap. Our approach is to simply work together with the designer and the author to make a selection of the most appropriate font from the available alternatives. With such a large number of fonts available even for this rather corner-case application, and given several other font vendors (for PostScript devices) with large type libraries, we find that it is generally possible to achieve satisfaction. |The claim of TeX |to be designed specifically for technical typesetting seems severely |flawed when such a simple task of 'curly' H is beyond its grasp. At first blush, TeX _is_ well suited to technical typesetting. As one delves into real publishing projects, however, inevitable shortfalls appear. This is only natural, since, in the final analysis, TeX is a system made for typesetting Don Knuth's books. The amazing thing is how well-suited it is to general typesetting, technical typesetting, and fine typesetting simultaneously. It is truly a mitzvah, and is best received as such.
jg@prg.ox.ac.uk (Jeremy Gibbons) (02/22/91)
> I have heard that the AMS uses fonts from > Autologic to obtain a script character set. I would be very grateful > if anyone could send me details re. these autologic fonts I suspect the Autologic fonts in question are native to the AMS' APS5 (ie if you don't have that particular phototypesetter, tough). > ...and any > other commercial fonts suitable for use with TeX. Bitstream Fontware fonts can be converted from their proprietary format using a program COtoPX sold by Personal TeX Inc. These were reviewed in Tugboat V9 N2. Bitstream's library consists about 40 fonts. We have their Times, Baskerville, Goudy and Palatino, and the fonts are very nice. Spacing is not all it could be on a phototypesetter, but at 300dpi it's as good as CM. The only script fonts in the catalogue that leap to the eye are Coronet Bold and Brush Script; you can get these (along with Hobo, Blippo Black, Windsor, Zapf Chancery Med It, Clarendon, Clarendon Bold, and Futura Light, Light Italic, Medium Condensed and Extra Black) as their Flyers Collection, for (I think) about 200 pounds, plus another 150 or so for PTI's package (which comes with either Times or Helvetica). (Oh, I've just seen another script font, Park Avenue.) There are, of course, any number of PostScript scripty fonts which you can use with a PS printer and most good drivers. > Considering the obvious demand for such a script font, it seems a > little strange to enlist the talents of Mittelbach and Zapf... Sorry? Mittelbach isn't a font designer. He *has* codesigned a LaTeX font selection scheme, but that's another matter altogether. And Zapf? You don't *enlist* Zapf, you very humbly ask if you may work with him. :-) And you don't tell him what to design either, I suspect. > The claim of TeX > to be designed specifically for technical typesetting seems severely > flawed when such a simple task of 'curly' H is beyond its grasp. But there is, of course, a script font in the AMS collection, designed by Zapf himself. Two, in fact: eusm and eusb (Euler Script Medium and Euler Script Bold). They only have capital letters in, though (and some oddities like curly brackets, for some reason). And of course, there's Neenie Billawalla's calligraphic capitals. Jeremy *-----------------------------------------------------------------------* | Jeremy Gibbons (jg@uk.ac.oxford.prg) Funky Monkey Multimedia Corp | *-----------------------------------------------------------------------*
teexdwu@ioe.lon.ac.uk (DOMINIK WUJASTYK) (02/23/91)
In article <SULLIVAN.91Feb20184846@msor0.msor.exeter.ac.uk> sullivan@msor.exeter.ac.uk (Rob Sullivan) writes: >The claim of TeX >to be designed specifically for technical typesetting seems severely >flawed when such a simple task of 'curly' H is beyond its grasp. I don't recall TeX making any claims. It is unfailingly modest and even apologetic when it speaks to me. About your curly "H", I assume you've tried $\cal H$? Finally, the fact that TeX etc. is generally found to be such a rich environment is that when people need something specific and find it is unavailable, they knuckle down and produce it. For example, Neenie Billawala made the curly H that you get from the above command (and the rest of the calligraphic upper case alphabet). The tools are all there! Metafont is calling you! Let us have your calligraphic font soon! Dominik