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Q69087: Information on Windows 3.0 Font Scaling Technology

Article: Q69087
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0,3.0a
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 11-OCT-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows versions 3.0, 3.0a 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article contains information on third-party font scaling technology for
Microsoft Windows version 3.0.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Several manufacturers supply font scaling packages for the Windows 3.0. A font
scaling package uses a scalable font outline to produce various sizes of bitmap
fonts for the display and/or printer. This is a major advantage in that it is
only necessary to install a single font outline to produce a wide range of sizes
of a given typeface.

Windows screen fonts, the default fonts supplied with the Windows 3.00 package,
cover a useful range but are somewhat basic. These include Times Roman,
Helvetica, and Symbol at 8 through 24 point sizes; and Courier at 10 through 15
points. You may have found instances where Windows did not have a suitable
screen font to correspond to the printer font you chose. This prevents true
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) implementation.

The use of a font scaling package can greatly enhance both your printed output
and the WYSIWYG capability. This is especially useful when doing heavy word
processing or desktop publishing. There are two major types of font scaling
packages:

- The fixed-size font creation package

- The real-time font scaling package

The Fixed-Size Font Creation Package
------------------------------------

Examples of this type of package include Bitstream Fontware for Windows, Hewlett
Packard/Compugraphic Type Director, and ZSoft SoftType. These packages allow you
to create fixed-size downloadable fonts for Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet
compatibles, and fixed-size Windows screen font (.FON) files that may also be
used for dot-matrix or InkJet printing. Both LaserJet downloadables and Windows
.FON files are fixed-size bitmap fonts. Some packages are able to create
PostScript downloadable outline fonts as well, which, like all PostScript fonts,
may be scaled by the printer itself.

When using a fixed-size font creation package, you first install one or more
scalable outline fonts, usually in a format that is proprietary to the font
package manufacturer. You then choose specific fixed sizes of screen and printer
fonts to create. The package generates the requested bitmap fonts by scaling the
outlines to the appropriate sizes.

In the case of packages that support PostScript printers, the process is slightly
different. First, the proprietary outline font is converted to a downloadable
PostScript outline. Then, you may create specific fixed sizes of Windows screen
fonts to correspond to the PostScript font.

The fixed-size font creation package is best for situations that require a small
number of additional fonts in specific sizes. If you create a number of
fixed-size downloadable fonts and/or Windows .FON screen fonts, it's fairly easy
to consume a great deal of hard disk space. Also, downloadable fonts can be
difficult to manage in a network environment. On the plus side, fixed-size fonts
are very fast.

The Real-Time Font Scaling Package
----------------------------------

This fairly recent technology is represented by packages such as Adobe Type
Manager, Atech Publisher's Powerpak, Bitstream FaceLift, and Zenographics
SuperPrint. These packages provide true real-time screen and printer font
scaling. They are somewhat slower than the use of fixed-size fonts, but provide
the best WYSIWYG feature across a wide range of sizes and type styles without
consuming much disk space. For desktop publishing, such a package is quite
helpful.

Each real-time font scaling package accepts one or more scalable outline font
formats. At the time that you choose a given font, the package renders it as a
bitmap on the screen in real-time at whatever size you specified (up to 127
points, a Windows internal limitation). The same outline font can also be scaled
and sent to the printer, which produces a direct correlation between the screen
and printed output -- true WYSIWYG.

Some printers, such as the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet III series and PostScript
compatibles, include printer-resident font scaling technology. In such cases, it
is not necessary to have a software package provide this functionality. However,
real-time scaled screen fonts are still quite helpful. Some packages can provide
scalable screen fonts that correspond to the resident fonts of these printers.
In this case, the package does not do the printer font scaling. It allows the
printer to scale the printer fonts, while it scales only for the display. The
combination of hardware print scaling and corresponding scaled screen fonts is
an attractive solution.

Most real-time scaling packages will work with any display, and any printer that
can accept raster (bitmap) input (that is, almost anything but a plotter). This
means you can use your existing copy of Windows, with any Windows display or
printer driver, in combination with the package to produce a WYSIWYG
environment. However, some real-time scaling packages use their own display and
printer drivers. This is not much of a disadvantage as long as the drivers
support your hardware. Check with the package manufacturer to determine if your
desired printer and display are supported, before you purchase any package.

The products included here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft;
we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance
or reliability.

Additional query words: 3.00 3.0 3.0a 3.00a win30 3rdparty

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWin3xSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin300 kbWin300a
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,3.0a

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