Printing, pre-press, publishing and photography services – yesterday, today and tomorrow

Contents:

1. FONTS
2. FONTS AND TYPEFACES
3. PRINTER DRIVERS
4. PRINTER FONTS
5. THE WINDOWS APPROACH
6. TRUETYPE FONTS
7. FINDING YOUR FONTS
8. ENTER POSTSCRIPT
9. TYPE 1 FONTS
10. FONTS AND THE WEB
11. OpenType and TrueDoc
12. FOR MORE INFORMATION

Anyone who has ever used different fonts in creating a document knows what a difference the right typeface can make. As useful and essential as fonts are, the terminology and concepts involved with them can be confusing. This month we'll look at the history of fonts in the PC, what makes them work, and some of the changes that are brewing in the industry.

Users of Windows are fortunate in that they have an excellent set of fonts built right into the operating system. These are the TrueType fonts, which we'll talk more about later. They can be used by any Windows application, scaled to almost any size, and printed on almost any Windows-supported printer. In addition, the popularity and evolution of the Hewlett Packard LaserJet series of printers (and their innumerable clones), has made quality printing affordable for most organizations.

This combination of Windows-based fonts and printer support, together with modern printer technology, provides high quality output for all but the most ambitious printing and desktop publishing needs. Those doing graphics-intensive publications may eventually move to the next level of font technology, which includes access to PostScript printers and Type I fonts.