Chapter 6 & 7 Summary

There are three major categories of font formats:

·      PostScript

·      TrueType

·      OpenType

“PostScript fonts consist of two files: A bitmap screen font component for onscreen display and a printer component that contains PostScript instructions for actually printing the character.” Both components are essential. The bitmap is made entirely of pixels and, for this reason, cannot supply the necessary resolution for output. Accordingly, the printer font alone doesn’t have the necessary information a system requires. However, after a font is activated, current operating systems are able to rasterize the printer font for onscreen display.

TrueType format was created through a partnership between Apple and Microsoft. Unlike PostScript fonts, TrueType fonts have only one file. Early on RIPs weren’t able to process TrueType, which required the fonts to be converted to a PostScript font, and compromised the expected outcome of the overall design. However this is no longer a current problem, as RIPs are easily able to interpret TrueType fonts.

OpenType fonts, like TrueType fonts, have only a single file. Additionally, they are cross platform compatible. That is, “the same font can be used on a Mac or on a PC with no special handling.” Furthermore, OpenType fonts have over 65,000 glyphs (Postscript fonts are restricted to 256 characters). A glyph is any distinct letter element—letter, number, etc. While the OpenType format has numerous benefits, its primary motivation was providing multilingual support.

With Macintosh OS X, Apple introduce the fonts Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, and Times Roman. These fonts are generally referred to as dfonts and often regarded as problematic. This is because their names are the same as their PostScript equivalent, which allows for the possibility of fonts to be substituted if multiple people are working on the same file but using different versions of the font. Additionally, the Mac operating system Leopard requires some fonts to always be available and doesn’t allow them to be deactivated.

Multiple Master fonts, by Adobe, enabled users to start with a single PostScript font and then make various weights, angles, and widths. This idea never really took off because how to create the font variations, and collect and print them correctly was never fully understood. Consequently, it has been phased out and is now used minimally, if at all.

While many people don’t realize it, fonts are distributed and licensed like software. They have End User License Agreements (EULAs) that give instruct what is and is not acceptable use of the fonts. These agreements include parameters that extend from whether or not a print service provider can legally print your document you send to converting text to outlines.

In the early 90s, everyone in graphic arts was using a Mac. Today, however, PCs are also used and the main applications used in graphics are virtually identical across platforms. Though, there are still issues concerning the operating systems. One major problem is file naming. While both operating systems have come a long way from the “eight-dot-three naming conventions,” there are still some discrepancies that can causes issues when sharing files between a Mac user and PC user. Some of these issues include: acceptable characters, prohibited names (PC), and inclusion of extensions. Some characters, such as the forward or backward slash, are allowed in file names on Mac OS but prevented on Windows. Therefore, a file name containing a slash would not open on a PC. Furthermore, Windows has letter and number combinations (i.e., com1) that cannot be a file name because they are used for PCs’ communication ports. Another common difficulty is the inclusion of file extensions (.pdf, .tif, .indd, etc.)—PCs require it, Macs don’t. File names including the extension are essential to cross platform compatibility. They are also just helpful in general. Thus, it’s good practice to get in the habit of including the file extension regardless of whether or not it’s required by the operating system. As long as the file name includes an extension, every graphics format (EPS, AI, PDF, etc.) are cross platform compatible.

Source: Real World Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications