Re: need font format clarification

"Postscript is not a font, like true-type.  It is actually a
printer
programming language and has been around the UNIX world for
quite awhile (in UNIX, you can actually start up a 'post
script' command prompt shell and 'talk' directly to the
printer - however it takes a lot of typing to get a minimum
if information out).  I believe Apple adopted it long ago,
and for a long time, if you wanted to buy an affordable
postscript laser printer, you had to buy an apple (HP had
their own printer language - which was not as full bodied as
post script - but they pushed it on all their lower priced
printers - again I don't know if this is still true )."

    Its basically correct, though a few details are
inaccurate (though I'm hardly crystal clear on it either).
Postscript is a printer language, and yeah theoretically you
could type at your printer, but thats sort of like hand
coding complex VRML worlds. Anyway I was under the
impression that Adobe pioneered the Postscript languages, or
at least the standard thats used right now, which is
basically how they got to where they are today. HP used to
use their own little language (everyone did actually) until
it became easier just to use the postscript spec.

"I believe post script fonts are just fonts that are written
using the post script language, and I doubt if you can use
them if you don't have a 'post script active' printer.  Most
UNIX on-line manual pages filter through a 'post scripting'
program, and you can do complete page layouts using post
script."


    Actually the Adobe Type/1 is a postscript font, it'll
load onto your postscript printer and convert the ascii text
into ascii text a la Bodoni Bold (for example). The
postscript is just the method of handling the computer to
print functions (TrueType for example is not, if you don't
have a printer that supports TT the computer spits it to the
printer as a bunch of bezier curves or a bitmap) - so you
can have the computer interpret it for display. If you want
to use these guys (Type/1 to Type/3) on your PC you have to
get a bridging program (Adobe Type Manager for example -
though I don't know if it handles Type/3 fonts).

"As with most languages, there are books available on post
script - however they are pretty esoteric."

    And very, very, dry. And if I got any of this wrong I
hope someone corrects me.

-----
Travis Wall, Graphic Designer
Defiance Visual Industries

travis(at)dvi-online.com
"Design is tribute art pays to industry"
-----               (Paul Finch)

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