At 09:16 31-12-99 , Write Now, Inc. wrote:
>I have a friend who is creating a web page and just 
>purchased a font from Adobe to make her buttons. 
>It is a postscript font, and she says that prints 
>clean but is fuzzy in the graphics.

>Can you use postscript fonts, or can you only use TrueType? 

Of course Postscript fonts can be used... the marketplace would hardly make
them as popular as they are were that not the case. <g>

The issue is whether and to the extent that the platform and software
applications that your friend is using support Postscript fonts.

Windows uses TrueType fonts as its native font technology, it is built into
the very core of the system. Windows also supports printing with Postscript
fonts to those printers for which Postscript is the native format. But,
given the choice, Windows would prefer to convert Postscripts fonts into
TrueType format, and then deal with them in that mater. (This is one of the
many things _not_ available in the toy (consumer-grade) versions of Windows
(95 and 98)).

My understanding of the Mac and UN*X/LINUX is that they are much more
accommodating of native use of Postscript fonts.

>Did I steer her wrong? I thought once the font was 
>captured in a graphic it didn't make a difference 
>what kind it was?

Perhaps, perhaps not. Perhaps, were you to not leave us guessing (or
speculating) as to what platform and application tools ~your friend~ is
using, we might be able to give other than a hand-waving answer.

Quality type fonts are far more commonly available in PostScript format,
and sometimes also available in TrueType. Much of this is history, since
PostScript font technology had to prove itself by its capability, long
before Microsoft decided to do things ~their way~ with TrueType technology.
Microsoft's claim that TrueType technology can do everything that
PostScript can (with more extensive hinting), but the typography industry
hardly seeming impressed.

I think the short answer is that if your friend is using professional
tools, things should be in good shape. However, if using consumer-grade
tools (toys), it is at best a crap-shoot. Some of them favor their own font
technology, a few favor PostScript, and others rely only on the native
(TrueType) technology.

Safe computing, and best wishes in the upcoming final year of this
millennium. 

/Harold

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Harold A. Driscoll                 mailto:Harold(at)Driscoll.Chi.IL.US
#include <std/disclaimer>                 http://Driscoll.Chi.IL.US

HWG: hwg-graphics mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA