a basic course in font wranglingesl6835.cias.rit.edu/archive/font/23_lehman_print09.pdf · 2016....

Presentation © 2009 Erich S. Lehman.

A Basic Course in Font WranglingSession 23 – Saturday, September 12, 2009

Erich S. LehmanPremedia Facilities Coordinator

School of Print MediaRochester Institute of Technology


Everything you wanted to know . . . How to recognize fonts and font types

Where fonts live in Mac OS X

How OS X recognizes fonts

How to handle OS X based font solutions, aka “resources you didn’t even know you had”

Third-party font managers

Font Licensing and Font Troubleshooting

Handy resources for font issues.

1

2


All about the fonts . . . Fonts and the OS that loves them.


Let’s start with the basics.

Types of fonts and how to identify them in OS X

Unicode

Where fonts live in OS X

3

4


Types of Fonts


Font Types: PostScript

Also known as Type 1 or Type 3

Two parts required (third is optional*)Printer font (LWFN)Screen font - (FFIL)AFM (Adobe Font Metrics) file* – not always present.

Work great with RIPs

5

6


Font Types: TrueType

Apple and Microsoft collaboration

All data in one file

Added “hinting”

Have many extra features that aren’t utilized


Font Types: Multiple Master

A flavor of PS fonts; contains multiple character outlines

Can be interpolated to create variations (think Gutenberg)

Can vary sizes, weight, serifs, stance, etc.

Causes problems – lots of problems

7

8


Font Types: dfont

Datafork TrueType font

Apple proprietary

All font suitcases can be stored in data fork


Font Types: OpenType

Hybrid font from Adobe and Microsoft

True cross-platform

One file for all info, best of both PostScript and Truetype worlds

Can contain over 65,000 characters and multiple languages in one file

9

10


Font Types: ClearType

Microsoft proprietary format

Subpixel Rendering technology; focused on LCD screen display

Technological benefits do not carry over to print output

Effects only seen in Microsoft operating systems


Font Types: CID fontsFonts whose glyphs have no names, just numbers.

They are described in relation to other characters and glyphs in a character collection

Typically for Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.

Need at least two files to be complete:

CMap (character map)

CIDFont

11

12


Font Type Identification


ASCII vs. Unicode

ASCII was the original standard, but Unicode trumps it

ASCII is limited; Unicode extended characters into the millions

Most Unicode fonts are “double-byte fonts”

Most modern OS’s fully supports Unicode

13

14


Font Encoding Issues

Why older Mac & PC fonts don’t play well together:

With ASCII, first 128 characters were standard

Second 128 (high-bit) are different on Mac and PC, hence, character substitution often occurs

These encodings are called MacRoman and Win ANSI


Where Fonts Live

15

16


With OS X, things got crazy.

There can be up to 8 different places where fonts live

OS X is a multi-user environment

Allows high degree of customization, but also frustration


Font HierarchyApplication

Font Book Libraries (showed up in Tiger)

User: ~/Library/Fonts

Local: /Library/Fonts

Network: /Network/Library/Fonts

System: /System/Library/Fonts

Classic: /System Folder/Fonts

Third Party Font Manager (local)

17

18


Cleaning HouseIt pays to be a neat freak.


Minimize

What do you actually need?

What is your most basic, standard set?

What fonts can you eliminate? (always save them somewhere!)

Get clean, uncorrupted versions of the fonts you use most

19

20


Cleanse

Use a utility to validate your fonts to make sure they are not:

Corrupt

Duplicates

Missing pieces, etc.


Organize

How do you want to group your typefaces?

Client

Foundry

Style

21

22


Manage

Font Book or third party font manager

Locally hosted or server based

Who approves? Who adds?


Font Cleanup LinksApplehttp://www.apple.com/support/ Search “Font Handling”

Design Geek: http://www.senecadesign.com/designgeek/fonts-osx.html

Extensis Best Practices: http://doc.us.extensis.com/Fonts-Best-Practices-in-OSX.pdf

Ideas Traininghttp:// www.ideastraining.com/PDFs/OSX_FontManagement.pdf

23

24


Taming the BeastTools we can use to take control of our fonts.


OS-X based Font Solutions

25

26


Font Book

Since OS 10.3

Free font manager

Font verification

Powerful but limited


Font Panel

Integrated into Cocoa apps

Tied to Font Book

For apps that don’t have type menu like higher-end apps(aka InDesign, QuarkXPress)

27

28


Typography Palette

Nested feature in Font Book and Font Panel

Allows for automatic substitution and advanced typographic features

Dynamically changes based on font features/character set


Character PaletteInvaluable

Only way to input many Unicode Characters

Multiple views

Tricky to get used to, powerful after that

Accessed via the International System Preferences pane.

29

30


Keyboard Viewer

Like KeyCaps on steroids

Unicode enabled

Reflects Input Source

Accessed via the International System Preferences pane.


Third Party Solutions

31

32


Linotype Font Explorer

Multiple versions

Detailed font info

Clean font caches

Standalone and Server

http://www.fontexplorerx.com


Alsoft Master Juggler

Solid, easy to use solution

Written in Cocoa

Integrated tab functions

Font Guardian

http:// www.alsoft.com

33

34


Insider Font Agent Pro

User-friendly, all in one app

Built-in validation

Mac and Win

Stand-alone or Server

http:// www.fontagent.com


Extensis Suitcase Fusion 2Melds Suitcase andFont Reserve technologies

Assign & search by attributes

Font Vault & Font Sense

OS X single user; no server

Mac and Windows

http:// www.extensis.com

35

36


Extensis Universal Type Server 2

Intel-native type solution

Melding of all that camebefore

Lite (


Fonts in ProductionTroubleshooting fonts and font problems.


Font Ownership and Licensing

What does the license allow?

How many licenses/devices?

Who “owns” the font? Does the service provider have to buy?

Can I embed in a PDF? Flash?

39

40


Missing/Conflicts/Substitutions

Probably the most common problem(s)

Multiple fonts with the same name

Font Substitutions

Usually same name but different metrics

Font is missing, you might see Courier


Corrupt Font Cache Files

File that keeps track of your fonts

Application and System level

Has to be deleted to clear the problem

Many utilities and font managers now address this

41

42


Random Font Issues

Rogue/unlicensed fonts

Finder file flags

Font file ID number conflict

Font file or suitcase is locked


More Random Font Issues

Font file structure

Missing bitmap fonts

Missing PostScript fonts

Old style FONT bitmap fonts

43

44


Font UtilitiesHandy software to help you get by.


Font Doctor X

Robust repair and diagnostic tool

Ships with Extensis Suitcase or available separately

View and edit font suitcase files

Font file converter

http://www.extensis.com

45

46


Insider Smasher

Separate and Streamline fonts

View and edit font suitcase files

Clear font caches

http://insidersoftware.com/


Unicode Font Info

Like Character Palette, but in a far more user-friendly format

http://www.versiontracker.com

47

48


dfontifier

Converts dfonts into OS9 TrueType fonts and vice versa

Shareware

http://homepage.mac.com/mdouma46/


Font Finagler

Cleans out font caches via interface

Shareware

http://homepage.mac.com/mdouma46/

49

50


Font Nuke

Removes corrupt font caches

Easy to use

Freeware!

http://www.jamapi.com/pr/fn/


Font Apps on the iPhoneUseful apps appearing on the iPhone

Typography

What the Font?

Font Size

FONTS!

Many more each day

51

52


Font Creation, etc.

Font Lab: http://www.fontlab.com/

Font Editors: FontLab, Fontographer, Type Tool

Font Converters: TransType, ScanFont

Font Utilities


Contact InformationErich LehmanPremedia Facilities CoordinatorSchool of Print Media – Rochester Institute of Technology

[email protected]: 585.475.2766

http://esl6835.cias.rit.edu/FONT

53

54

a basic course in font wranglingesl6835.cias.rit.edu/archive/font/23_lehman_print09.pdf · 2016....

Documents