Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 04:12:44 -0500 From: Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org> To: Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in> Cc: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>, James Howard <howardjp@well.com>, Joseph Mallett <jmallett@newgold.net>, chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: banner(6) Message-ID: <15068.2316.462237.389889@guru.mired.org> In-Reply-To: <20010417095140.A74385@lpt.ens.fr> References: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0104161028290.23302-100000@well.com> <20010416191256.R27477@lpt.ens.fr> <20010416193151.U27477@lpt.ens.fr> <4.3.2.7.2.20010416211727.045766e0@localhost> <20010417095140.A74385@lpt.ens.fr>
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Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in> types: > > "Fonts" is the correct term. A "typeface" is a design for a set of > > characters, regardless of size. A "font" is a typeface scaled to a > > specific size and density (e.g. 11 point bold). > > I think that needs clarification. Merely scaling a font (multiplying > by a factor x) doesn't create a new font. A scalable helvetica > postscript font is the same font at all sizes. If your postscript font merely multiplies by a factor of X, it's a pretty poor font. > Traditionally, when you scale a typeface (in particular, make it > smaller) you're supposed to change its appearance to improve > readability. But Knuth's Computer Modern is the only computer font > family I know of which actually does this. So Computer Modern 6pt > roman is actually different from 10pt roman in the same typeface. But > both are scalable -- for illustration, Knuth's TeXbook compares a 6pt > font scaled to 10pt, with the corresponding 10pt font. Correctly written PostScript fonts behave as you describe, maintaining density as you scale them. Try looking at a good commercial font - one that has an expert collection and a proper small caps font available - at both 6 and 10 points magnified to the same size. I tried it with Adobe's Garamond. > I have the impression that, traditionally (in the days of movable > type), a general design was (as you say) a "typeface" and a "font" was > a particular set of characters implementing a typeface. Or something > like that. In the computer age, "font" has acquired a slightly > different meaning. In the Adobe/Microsoft age, the distinction > between different sizes of the same typeface seems to have vanished. What Adobe markets as a "font" is a particular set of programs implementing a typeface. A PS font, unlike a type font, can be used to produce many different sizes of the typeface. You can buy different fonts from Adobe that implement the same typeface. They do tend to have different names denoting which foundry produced them, which was also true of type fonts. <mike -- Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org> http://www.mired.org/home/mwm/ Independent WWW/Perforce/FreeBSD/Unix consultant, email for more information. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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