[XeTeX] XeTeX Linux and TTF fonts [was: Re: Problem with tremas]

[William Adams]

On Jun 6, 2006, at 7:38 AM, Marc Pautrel wrote:

> And another question about the Mac OS X fonts is : can XeTeX Linux
> (which I never tested) import and use TTF fonts ? for example : export
> Mac OS X font in TTF format (with Fondu, which convert dfont in ttf),
> re-import it in Linux, then use this font in TeX with XeTeX Linux ?
>
> Importing new fonts in LaTeX is complicated, and the cool feature of
> XeTeX for Mac is to use directly in TeX the Mac fonts.
>
> Installing a TTF font in Linux is really easy (KDE has a GUI for
> importing TTF fonts in the X server) and it would be a cool Linux  
> XeTeX
> feature to be able to use directly Linux fonts...

As Bruno and Jonathan have pointed out, this isn't allowed by Apple's  
license (actually, even the re-packaging probably isn't since the  
only copy you're allowed to make is a single backup copy).

However, it's also got a lot of technical difficulties, since AAT  
fonts tend to require various AAT-specific layout tables to work  
properly.

You can however make use of any .otf fonts which are provided w/ Mac  
OS X, and there're a couple of free OpenType fonts worth trying out  
(I posted a list of them to comp.text.tex a while back). Similarly,  
if you've got Windows you should be able to use Linotype Palatino  
which was used to good effect in _Digital Typography Using LaTeX_ by  
Syropoulos, Tsolomitis and Sofroniou.

And the new OpenType fonts are a lot nicer, much more capable and far  
less expensive than the old Type 1 main font / expert set pairs.

William
(who still has the disks, packaging and original Adobe Specimen book  
for the copy of Adobe Garamond (sets 100 and 101) back when it was  
the first (and only!) Adobe Original which he bought based on a  
review of it by Clifford Burke in a magazine)

-- 
William Adams
senior graphic designer
Fry Communications



This email message and any files transmitted with it contain information
which is confidential and intended only for the addressee(s). If you are
not the intended recipient(s), any usage,  dissemination, disclosure, or
action taken in  reliance on it is prohibited.  The reliability of  this
method of communication cannot be guaranteed.  Email can be intercepted,
corrupted, delayed, incompletely transmitted, virus-laden,  or otherwise
affected during transmission. Reasonable steps have been taken to reduce
the risk of viruses, but we cannot accept liability for damage sustained
as a result of this message. If you have received this message in error,
please immediately delete it and all copies of it and notify the sender.