What are the different font formats?
How do I install fonts?
What font format should I use?
Where can I get Adobe Type Manager?
How many fonts should I have?
I've got more fonts than I know what to do with. Help!
What fonts should I use?
How can I find special characters?
What about using fonts on the Web?
I've got a Type 1 font, but I don't have the .pfb file - can I use it?
I've got a Type 1 font, but I don't have the .pfm file - can I use it?
TrueType fonts will work with Windows without any additional software, to use OpenType and Type 1 fonts you may require Adobe Type Manager:
| Format / Windows version | 3.1, 95, 98, ME, NT3 | NT4 | 2000, XP |
| True Type | Built-in support | Built-in support | Built-in support |
| Type 1 - Standard | Requires ATM | Converts to TrueType | Built-in support |
| Type 1 - Multiple Master | Requires ATM | Requires ATM | Requires ATM |
| OpenType | Requires ATM | Requires ATM | Built-in support |
That depends on the type of font and the version of Windows - see above for details. If the font format has built-in support in Windows do the following:
You can also temporarily install fonts with built-in support by double-clicking on their icon/name in Windows Explorer. This will open a preview window displaying a sample of the font; as long as this window stays open, the font will be available in most Windows programs.
Installing fonts with Adobe Type Manager depends on the version of ATM you have installed. Check the program's help files for details.
It depends on what you are using the fonts for. If they are getting no further then your own inkjet printer, then TrueType is probably the easiest option; it's built into Windows, and there are plenty of cheap fonts available.
If you are taking your documents to a service bureau for printing, then they will probably expect you to use Type 1 fonts - and if you are printing to a PostScript laser printer, Type 1 fonts should give quicker and more reliable results.
ATM Light is now available as a free download from Adobe's website, at http://www.adobe.com/products/atmlight/main.html for Windows 95 and above. A basic version of ATM is built in to Windows 2000 and above as standard.
ATM Deluxe is a special version of ATM that includes font management tools for both Type 1 and TrueType fonts. This has to be purchased separately, and is available for Windows 95 and above.
As many as you like - although versions of Windows prior to XP tend to have problems as you reach the 1000 TrueType mark, due to a technical limit in the way font names are stored. And the more fonts you have installed in ATM, the slower it becomes, although this can be overcome to a degree by increasing the Advanced/Font Cache setting.
If you download only a small proportion of the fonts posted on ABF you will
soon have an overwhelming number of fonts, which is where type management
software comes in.
Programs like ATM Deluxe and
Typograf allow you to sort fonts into
groups, which you can turn on and off as you need them, cutting the length of
those font menus. They also make it easier to print out samples of fonts so you
can find the font you need.
That's entirely up to you, but here a few guidelines that may be helpful:
As well as the normal letters and numbers you'd expect a font to have, many also have additional symbols and characters that you might find useful, but that don't have a dedicated key on your keyboard. To find these, you can use the Character Map application that comes with Windows (if it is not already installed, you can find it on your original disks).
Alternatively, follow the links below for reference charts of special characters:
Unless it's stored as a graphic, someone looking at your web page will only see the font you intended if they already have that font installed on their computer. Microsoft have issued a free pack of TrueType fonts precisely to address that problem.
HTML only offers basic measures to control typography, although this is being extended through Cascading Style Sheets.
Other options include WEFT, and Adobe's Acrobat (.PDF) format.
No. The .pfb file contains the actual descriptions of the shapes in the font, without it you can't use the font, even if you have the appropriate .afm and .inf files. Note: Multiple Master fonts have a .mmm file as well as a .pfb file
Possibly. If you have .pfb, .afm and .inf files for the font, you can recreate the .pfm file. To do so: