Bickham Script Standard (OpenType) Font

[Christina Thiele]

Great info, Tom.

And yes, the Outline Font and Font Metricks Manipulation Package (no
wonder it's abbreviated to `FMP'!) does indeed have conversion
tools. Here's the list as I go through the first part of the manual:

   PFBtoPFA
   PFAtoPFB
   MACtoPFA
   PFBtoMAC
   AFMtoSCR
   SCRtoAFM
   AFMtoPFM  <-- here it is!
   PFMtoAFM
   AFMtoTFM  <-- another one you want
   TFMtoAFM
   TFMtoMET
   METtoTFM
   REENCODE
   PFAtoAFM
   SAFESEAC

Along with some auxiliary programs: MODEX, SERIAL, DOWNLOAD, NAMECASE
... hmmm ... the package sure seems to have lots of stuff. A few of
these also look familiar ...

I just checked on my machine and by gar! I've got afmtopfm -- it's in
c:\yandy\util. The \util folder seems to have a lot of .exe tools
... take a look! I think the Technical Manual is your best bet on
finding more details on how to use them.

Good luck. And let us know how things progress, because you surely
aren't the only person who's going to look at OpenType fonts.

Ch.

===================

Tom Kacvinsky writes:
>
> Hi,
>
> The "problem" with OpenType fonts and Y&Y TeX/DVIPSONE (ands not just
> those tools) is that OpenType fonts are self contained.  They contain
> the Type 1 outlines in what is called a CFF table (using Type 2 format
> for teh charstring byte code), the equivalent of an AFM file in yet
> another table, and enought enough information in other tables that when
> combined with the metrics information is enough to get a PFM.
>
> I would suggest trying out Eddie Kohler's *excellent* LCDF Typetools:
>
>     http://www.lcdf.org/type/#typetools
>
> which will make both a PFB and a TFM.  Getting a PFM file is another
> extra step, but I believe the Y&Y FMP has a tool for generating a PFM
> from an AFM file.  Getting the AFM file can be accomplished by using
> other tools out on the INternet (google is you friend).
>
> Let me know if you need further "assistance".
>
> Regards,
>
> Tom
>
> > Wei-Chau Xie writes:
> > >
> > > Dear Sir/Madam:
> > >
> > > I just purchased Adobe Birkham Script Standard (OpenType) font and
> > > installed it on my PC running XP Pro. I use Y&Y TeX Release 2.2. I could
> > > view the font on DVIWindo correctly. However, I could NOT use DVIPSONE
> > > to print the page to a Postscript printer NOR use dvips to generate
> > > postscript file--the system shows an error message saying that the font
> > > cannot be found. The font works fine on other software, such as
> > > Microsoft Word.
> > >
> > > I have various postscript fonts, including Mupltiple Master fonts
> > > (MinionMM), installed in the system and they run perfectly in Y&Y TeX.
> > > This is the first time that I use OpenType fonts in Y&Y TeX. Unlike
> > > postscript fonts, OpenType fonts do not come with .pfb and .pfm files.
> > > What files is DVIPSONE or dvips looking for? How can I generate them and
> > > where should I put them? Your help is very much appreciated.
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > >
> > > Wei-Chau Xie
> > > =================================================================
> > > ...
> >
> >
> > ...
> > for Y&YTeX.
> >
> >
> > As you mention, PS fonts are distributed with .pfb and .pfm files,
> > which don't come with OpenType fonts. PS fonts also come with .afm
> > files -- but you didn't mention if these are the format that OpenType
> > fonts use.
> >
> > What format file(s) do OpenType fonts then use? I guess we can't help
> > with info on generating the correct file formats if we don't know what
> > you're starting with ;-)
> >
> > On your machine, in c:\yandy\doc-misc, there's a file called
> > psfonts.txt, which has a comment to the effect that .afm files are the
> > `ultimate repository of metric information'. So it would seem that if
> > you have the .afm file, then you've got what you need to generate a
> > ..tfm file -- in the appropriate encoding. You'll need to check what
> > encoding (if not the default texnansi) is set up for your Y&YTeX
> > installation.
> >
> > IF we're lucky, and you have .afm files, then we're laughin', as they
> > say: in order to get the font to work with TeX, a .tfm file has to be
> > generated via the utility afmtotfm.exe. Details are in the smaller
> > manual (section 3.7.2 Installing and Using Fonts), and in various
> > places in the larger Technical Addendum.
> >
> > ====
> >
> > In the interim ... I've located a few documents and texts which might
> > also help provide useful information.
> >
> > Pp.4-5 of the Technical Manual provide a list of the main font file
> > formats, what each contains, and then which ones are needed by either
> > DVIWindo or DVIPSONE. The former uses both .pfb and .pfm files; the
> > latter accesses info only from .pfb files. Notice the final para. on
> > p.5 (before section 2.3): all of the files have to be consistent in
> > the choice of encoding schemes.
> >
> > You mention dvips -- my understanding (and it may be incorrect) is
> > that dvips will not yield you anything useful with Y&YTeX, which needs
> > its own driver, DVIPSONE, to function properly and fully.
> >
> >
> > I'm finding a lot of interesting and probably useful things on fonts
> > in the Technical Addendum -- much of it I don't understand, of
> > course. But the detail and trouble-shooting is not to be sneezed at
> > .... I think that someone who's patient enough to read through this
> > techno-font-babble (and I don't expect there's any easy way to really
> > discuss it) may well find the little tricks and details that need to
> > be checked out in cases where things go wrong: mis-matched encodings,
> > mis-match in font names (or `Font Names', as this seems to be a label
> > with a specific meaning attached to it), faulty or left-over font
> > names, and so on and so forth.
> >
> > Indeed, there are a lot of interesting .txt files in that
> > c:\yandy\doc-misc folder. Granted, many are old, but when they talk
> > about standard font file formats, I don't know that the info has
> > changed all that much.  OpenType clearly is new, though ... so I guess
> > we'll find out more as others post about their experiences.
> >
> > Oh, something else. You mention you're using XP and 2.2 ... on the
> > techsupport list, we've just been discussing the use of ATM to
> > _manage_ fonts (not _install_ then, which is not correct when it comes
> > to an XP or Win2000 machine). We're seeing some people say that ATM is
> > very helpful in making (some) fonts work/behave properly in Y&YTeX.
> >
> > If you aren't yet a member of the techsupport, I strongly urge you to
> > join, as there are others who may well have experience with OpenType
> > and XP and Y&YTeX (details under `Support', at www.yandy.com).
> >
> > I hope this helps you get started. Please sign up to `techsupport' and
> > post your messages there, as that's where I send all replies, to
> > ensure other users can also benefit from both queries and (efforts to
> > find) answers. And where my `impressions' are corrected by more
> > knowledgeable users ... ;-)
> >
> > Ch.
> >
> >
>