User manual MACROMEDIA FONTOGRAPHER

Fontographer User's Manual Contents Introduction: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been Introducing Fontographer How to get the most out of your Fontographer materials Tips icon Before you begin Getting started Read me... Registering your software to receive technical support Network Copy Protection Chapter One: Modifying Your Fonts Steps to modifying your font Opening a font Changing the character's weight Naming your font Saving your work Generating your font Installing the font Using the font Creating an oblique font Skewing multiple characters Creating a fraction using composite characters Unlinking a reference character Table of Contents Page #1 Fontographer User's Manual Creating a ligature Changing the character width Creating a condensed character or font Setting the basepoint Chapter Two: Creating New Fonts Autotracing Tracing an image Advanced tracing options Curve fit Allow curve fit errors Balance lines Eliminate close points Make straight lines Look for cusps Treat nearly flat paths as straight lines Find extrema points Transformation options Flip Move Rotate Scale Scale uniformly Skew Multiple transformations 3-D transformations using the Transform dialog Guidelines Setting guidelines Setting guidelines from the Font Info dialog Adding new guidelines Hiding guidelines Snap to guides Table of Contents Page #2 Fontographer User's Manual Creating a stroked font Outline vs. stroked characters Setting stroke attributes End caps and joins Expand stroke Clean Up Paths Creating calligraphic characters Calligraphic tutelage from Judith Sutcliffe Creating variable weight characters Blend Fonts to create new fonts When things go wrong... Jonathan Hoefler sez... Chapter Three: Altering Outlines Altering a logo Pasting EPS outlines from the clipboard Paths and points Closed paths Path direction and fills Normal fill Even/odd fill Correct path direction Reverse path direction Types of points Curve points Corner points Tangent points Selecting multiple points Changing a point type Inserting points Duplicating points Table of Contents Page #3 Fontographer User's Manual Power duplicating Removing points Splitting a path Splitting line segments Joining points Adding Serifs Merging points Moving a point Demagnified move Keyboard commands to move points: Accurate point placement Point and path preferences Path display Point display Show and hide control points Editing and placing BCPs BCP principles Dragging a control point's BCPs Dragging a curve point's BCPs Dragging a corner point's BCPs Dragging a tangent point's BCPs Retracting BCPs Auto Curvature Chapter Four: Editing Bitmaps Using the Bitmap Window The Bitmap Window Editing a bitmap The central edit area Ascent and descent values Offset and width values Visible layers Tools in the Bitmap Window Table of Contents Page #4 Fontographer User's Manual Undo and Redo Changing bitmap views Enlarging using the View Menu Switching characters in the Bitmap Window Next and previous character Next and previous point size When should you recalculate bitmaps? Preserving your original bitmaps Chapter Five: Metrics: Spacing and Kerning Spacing Pair kerning Auto Spacing Auto Kerning The Metrics Window Character display The spreadsheet area Importing Metrics Clearing kerning pairs Exporting Metrics The Fontographer Metrics file Copying widths More powerful spacing and kerning commands Set Width Equalize Sidebearings Advanced Metrics operations Set Metrics Assisted Metrics Table of Contents Page #5 Fontographer User's Manual Metrics Assistance Kerning Assistance Advanced Auto Spacing Advanced Auto Kerning Chapter Six: Printing Sample text Sample file PostScript file Key map Kerning pairs Characters The print header Chapter Seven: Generating and Exporting Fonts Before you do anything... Easy or Advanced? Macintosh fonts PostScript Type 1 The PostScript ID Field TrueType Include vertical and horizontal hints Include diagonal hints Dropout prevention Character mapping PostScript Type 3 Other Type 3 Formats None Encoding Options When should you use Hints? A word about Flex A special note to designers of nonRoman Macintosh fonts! Table of Contents Page #6 Fontographer User's Manual Windows fonts PostScript Type 1 Other Options Overwrite existing files Output AFM file Output PFM file Output INF file The CFG file TrueType for Windows Symbol Encoded PC fonts PostScript Type 3 NeXT and Sun PostScript fonts Pack your Suitcase: Bitmap fonts Bitmaps vs. Outlines Adding bitmap sizes Deleting bitmap sizes Bitmap format None NFNT BDF FON The ID Field The menu name Creating bitmaps for cross-platform use Exporting files Exporting EPS files Exporting Macintosh PICT Exporting Encoding Chapter Eight: Creating a Font Family Families: Windows, SUN, NeXTSTEP Font families on the Macintosh Table of Contents Page #7 Fontographer User's Manual How Style Merger works Things you should know about Style Merger Adobe Type Reunion (ATR) compatibility Chapter Nine: Installing and Removing Fonts Installing Macintosh PostScript fonts Installing PostScript fonts in System 6 or earlier Installing PostScript fonts in System 7.0.x Installing PostScript fonts in System 7.1 or later versions Installing PostScript fonts with Suitcase or MasterJuggler Macintosh TrueType font installation Installing TrueType Installing TrueType fonts in System 7.0.x Installing TrueType fonts in System 7.1 or later Installing Windows fonts Installing PostScript fonts in Windows 3.x or higher with Adobe Type Manager 2.x Windows TrueType and .fon installation Installing TrueType and .fon fonts in Windows 3.1 or later versions Installing TrueType Fonts in Windows 95 Transferring Windows fonts from the Macintosh to your PC Transferring fonts from the PC to your Macintosh Porting NeXT PostScript fonts to NEXTSTEP From the Macintosh Installing PostScript fonts in NEXTSTEP Porting Sun PostScript fonts to the SUN Installing PostScript fonts Table of Contents Page #8 Fontographer User's Manual Installing Type 1 fonts in OS/2 Version 2.0 Removing installed fonts Removing a Macintosh font In System 6.0 In System 7.0 In System 7.1 or higher Removing a Windows font PostScript TrueType Removing fonts from the NEXTSTEP operating system Removing fonts from Solaris 2/Open Windows 3 on the SUN Removing fonts from OS/2 2.0 Chapter Ten: Expert Advice General preferences Options for Undo Using the keyboard to choose a character When reading an outline font Editing behavior Distances Behavior of Snap to Point When a path is clicked on Point display Windows and dialogs Window preferences Dialog box Defaults Font blending--the technical details The blending process Table of Contents Page #9 Fontographer User's Manual Font hinting Are you still with us? What is hinting all about? Hinting controls Autohint Editing hints in the Outline Window Removing hints Making new hints Selection Info for hints Hint type Apply to The buttons Vertical Alignment Zones Hint Parameters Hints to include Hint order Hint direction Common stems Changing the default What happens when Fontographer opens up PostScript Type 1 fonts What happens when Fontographer opens TrueType fonts Using a resource editor to tweak Fontographer 4.1 on your Macintosh Adding custom encoding vectors Creating the names resource Setting Developer IDs Customizing Sample Text printout Customizing Fontographer sounds on your Macintosh Customizing Fontographer sounds on your PC Chapter Eleven: Reference Section Windows Table of Contents Page #10 Fontographer User's Manual Font Window View by menu Outline Window Tool palette Layers palette Changing and hiding layers Magnification Switching characters Bitmap Window Tool palette Ascent/Descent/Offset/Width From outline Magnification Scrolling Switching characters Changing point sizes Metrics Window The keys to using the Metrics Window are: Kerning and sidebearing lines Key commands to change spacing and/or kerning: Kerning File Menus About Fontographer The File Menu New Font Open Font Close Save Save As Revert Table of Contents Page #11 Fontographer User's Manual Preferences Generate Font Files Import Export Print Quit/Exit The Edit Menu Undo Redo Cut Copy Paste Clear Copy Widths Copy Reference Unlink Reference Select All Duplicate Clone The View Menu Preview Show points Magnification Next Character Next Kerning Pair Next Point Next Point Size Previous Character Previous Kerning Pair Previous Point Previous Point Size Snap to Points Snap to guides Table of Contents Page #12 Fontographer User's Manual Snap to Grid The Element Menu Transform Flip Move Rotate Scale Scale uniformly Skew Arrange Font Info Selection Info Bitmap Info Auto Trace Change Weight Clean Up Paths Expand Stroke Recalc Bitmaps Remove Overlap Correct path direction Clockwise Counterclockwise Blend Fonts Multiple Master (Macintosh only) The Points Menu Align Points Align Points to Grid Merge Points Retract BCPs Split Points Auto Curvature Curve Point Table of Contents Page #13 Fontographer User's Manual Corner Point Tangent Point Set Basepoint Reset Basepoint The Metrics Menu Auto Space Auto Kern Kerning Assistance Metrics Assistance Set Metrics Set Width Equalize Sidebearings Clear Kerning Pairs The Window(s) Menu Open Outline Window Open Bitmap Window Open Metrics Window View Windows by Show Layers Palette Show Tool Palette The Window Choices Make Vertical Stem Make Horizontal Stem Make Vertical Serif Make Horizontal Serif Make Diagonal Hint Build Serif Split Serif Flip Hint Direction Hint Parameters Vertical Alignment Zones Autohint The Help Menu (PC Only) Table of Contents Page #14 Fontographer User's Manual Contents Keys How to Use Help About Fontographer Special keys Keyboard alternatives Appendix A: Tips Appendix B: Answers to commonly asked questions Appendix C: General information Type terminology Fontographer background Bitmap background PostScript background Filling techniques LaserWriter background Appendix D: A Short Bibliography of Typography and Allied Subjects Overviews of Printing Types Type Designs from Various Periods Typography Type Designers Typeface Reference Works History of Printing Electronic Typography Bibliographies Book Dealers/Publishers Specializing in Typography The Fontographer User Guide Bibliography Table of Contents Page #15 Fontographer User's Manual Glossary Table of Contents Page #16 Fontographer User's Manual Introduction What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been Introducing Fontographer How to get the most out of your Fontographer materials Before you begin by David Berlow They say that good things come in small packages. When it comes to Fontographer, this has never been so true. In 1985, I was working at Bitstream designing type on a large proprietary font design system. For those of you who don't know what this means, I'll tell you. Large means it wouldn't fit on a desktop because it was larger than a desk. We had workstations that were about six feet wide by six feet deep by four feet tall, with a 19" vector-monitor, a mouse with four or five buttons, and a keyboard with a few dozen extra keys. If you must know, this was trucktop publishing. Proprietary means that we developed the software and some of the hardware ourselves so no one else could use it, and there were only two or three engineers in the world who knew how to make changes, additions or fixes to the software and this happened quite infrequently and very slowly. In addition, proofing the fonts required a series of conversions, and mastery of a typesetting command language about as friendly as Kanji. Into this world, one day, came two visitors from somewhere down south. They carried a little box that, because it was so small, I thought was surely a kitchen appliance, a toaster or blender perhaps. But when they plugged it in there seemed to be type drawing going on inside of the little box. There were about ten Bitstream type designers in the room and we all gasped. I climbed upon the table to get a closer look and sure enough, there was a letter on that tiny screen. But Introduction Page #1 Fontographer User's Manual there were not enough points on the character and not enough buttons on the mouse and the screen was smaller than my face--how could this possibly work? Well, within two months I had a Mac Plus and Microsoft Word, so I could "correspond with our clients." I also purchased my first copy of Fontographer from Altsys. I played around and drew a few characters. It took a while to get the hang of the Bezier tools. At first I thought I had a tiger by the tail. But for me, used to the real estate of the big screen, and the point structures of Bitstream outline fonts, this "toaster" font design system was like painting a picture through a porthole. A bit later though, the Mac II came out. It didn't take me long to convince the powers at Bitstream that "corresponding with our clients" would be a lot easier if I had a more powerful machine and a bigger screen and a LaserWriter and a 300 dpi scanner. (I can't remember how I got the scanner, I think it had something to do with OCR.) The first upgrade of Fontographer also was bought and now I was able to cook. I started making characters that were much more complex than what we could make on our proprietary system and I was making them in much less time. But still I wasn't making fonts. I will never forget the first time I actually made a font on Fontographer. Roger Black, the well-known publication designer who worked at Newsweek back then, wanted a font for his redesign of California Magazine. Roger had visited the letterdrawing offices at Linotype where I worked in the 70's, and he had visited Bitstream as well in the 80's in several failed attempts to get Linotype and Bitstream to make custom fonts for him and his clients. When he came back to strafe us again in the winter of 1986, we were ready. Matthew Carter, Bitstream's VP of design, deflected him at me and I told Roger that we had never actually made a font with Fontographer and the Mac, but we would love to try. He sent me the artwork of a long neglected type from an Italian foundry which I scanned, and went to work on digitizing and spacing. I was totally stunned at how quickly it was done and the quality of the results. It was great, and Roger loved it as well. Most especially because it took less than a working week to accomplish. From the time we agreed to do the face to the time it appeared in the magazine was about a month! Introduction Page #2 Fontographer User's Manual By 1989, Fontographer was getting better and better. Things like remove overlap, correct path direction, merge point, the ability to generate Type 1 fonts and more, were all making it a pleasure to design fonts for the first time in my life. The Mac was getting more powerful and there were a lot of graphic designers, droves in fact, moving to the Mac. But they were constrained in their graphic design by the limited availability of fonts on the Mac. When Fontographer got hinted generation of Type 1 fonts into the market in 1990, the font world was truly changed. By this time I had left Bitstream to concentrate fully on The Font Bureau, the type design company I have founded with Roger Black. We released our first retail fonts that year. The general impression was that they were as good as any fonts available for the Mac. Needless to say, Altsys had become my best friend. Throughout these years, from 1985 to 1990, the most astonishing thing to me was that Altsys was constantly improving the features, performance and ease-ofuse of Fontographer in spite of the fact that there was no competition in the field for Fontographer. When competition and a larger user base developed, Altsys went into overdrive. Through Fontographer 3.0 and 3.5, TrueType and PC font generation, improved printing functionality, Multiple Masters, change weight, and all the rest--Altsys was always doing the right things at the right time for all the right reasons. Today, you have before you the next generation of this great tool. Macromedia Fontographer 4.1 is a truly revolutionary change in the quality and functionality of type design tools. Letter spacing is treated like a database, scaling, rotation, skewing and such are totally interactive functions, and autotrace is amazing! The Font Bureau tested and tempted itself with version 4 as soon as the specification came to us in 1991. Throughout our review and use of version 4, we had the feeling that we had only scratched the surface of what it can do for type designers like us. In the coming year we think we'll be finding out that we've got a tiger by the tail--again! Good luck to all, and thanks to the Fontographer team! Introducing Fontographer Welcome to Fontographer! First of all, thank you for buying our product. Second, thanks Introduction Page #3 Fontographer User's Manual First of all, thank you for buying our product. Second, thanks for opening this manual. We hope you're reading it not because you're having trouble, but because you want to learn more about this exciting program. Our manuals are written by people who actually use (and create) Fontographer and who have graphic arts and typography backgrounds. We've tried to be as informative as possible without being stuffy. We hope you'll find every aspect of this program easy: from our unique approach to learning, to the panoramic interface of the program itself, and finally, to the actual process of creating fonts. We want your experience with Fontographer to be so satisfying and painless that when you're through, you'll agree that this is the best font design program in the world! As a matter of fact, Fontographer has been the standard for professional typeface and logo design since its introduction in 1986. Before Fontographer, typed images could only be produced by using complex, expensive, and time-consuming procedures. With the advent of personal computers however, typography became attainable to everyone: from the graphic illustrator to the desktop publisher to the business executive. And now, Fontographer provides this capability to you. So, on with the manual--we hope you enjoy it. Fontographer 4.1 allows you to generate ATM-compatible Type 1 fonts, as well as Type 3 PostScript fonts, TrueType fonts, PICTs and multiple masters on the Macintosh, and Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files. You can import EPS files directly, and use their outlines in the drawing window. You can also use metrics information from a variety of sources, and export information to those sources, as well. Additionally, you can import kerning tables from Adobe Font Metrics (AFM) and other files. You can also take advantage of the PostScript graphics you create in Macromedia FreeHand and Adobe Illustrator by pasting them directly into your characters. Many dialogs in the program give you two options: Easy and Advanced mode--letting you have total control of the program if you want it, or allowing you to rely on its simple Introduction Page #4