[pdftex] Type1-font Helvetica

[Dok, D. van]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Aiko Huckauf [mailto:Aiko.Huckauf at epost.de]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 03:51
> To: pdftex at tug.org
> Subject: [pdftex] Type1-font Helvetica
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I try to produce a document (pure text, no formulas) using Helvetica
> as font for the text itself, the pagenumbers and the headings.
> I tried it in two different ways:
> 
> 1. I run LaTeX on my document, convert dvi into ps (using dvips) and
>    ps into pdf (using Ghostscript).
> 2. I run pdfTeX on my document and get the pdf file directly.
> 
> Now the point is: When I open the two pdf documents with Adobe Acrobat
> Reader, I get the same font information, "Helvetica", as expected.
> What I don't understand: Obviously the fonts in the two pdf-files are
> _not_ identical (the difference can best be seen at the capital "G").
> 
> I have the font definition files hv.pfb/pfm etc. for Helvetica, but
> how do I tell pdfTeX to use _this_ font instead of some
> Helvetica-substitute?

Helvetica is one of the 35 or so standard fonts that are built-in to acrobat
reader and all pdf/postscript interpreters, such as ghostview and PostScript
printers. So pdfTeX does the right thing to not include it with the PDF
file. I don't know why dvips behaves otherwise.

I've encountered funny things with standard fonts myself: when I print a
document typeset in Times Roman, I notice slight differences between the
printed result (on a PostScript printer) and within Acrobat Reader. Notably
the pilcrow sign is solid on screen, but hollow on the printer.

Dennis van Dok