Re: [ft-devel] Understanding Type1 fonts

[Donn]

> Typos, sorry.
Okay, I do the same all the time :)

> [In the following, I assume that you want to get metrics, right?]
As a quick summary: Fonty Python is meant to, acting independently of 
fontconfig:
1. Let one browse to any folder and see (rendered via PIL) what fonts are in 
it. What is considered a font, right now, is based entirely on the extension 
of the filename. ".ttf",".otf",".ttc",".pfb" with ".pfa" in the works.
2. Allow one to 'collect' fonts into groups.
3. Allow one to 'install' the fonts in a group in one go. This is done by 
making soft links in ~/.fonts to wherever those fonts live.

So, from FP's pov the metrics are not important in as much as I leave all the 
font voodoo to PIL (which works via Freetype). But the metrics *may* be 
important to other apps (like Inkscape) which are run after FP is used and 
then pick-up the fonts in ~/.fonts for use.

This is why I am focused on file extensions and asking about what 'type' goes 
with what. I want to KISS because I will never savvy the deeper levels of 
what fonts are etc. It's not supposed to be Rocket Science 101 :D

> > 1. If I find a PFB file without an AFM, just use the PFB (i.e. link
> >    into ~/.fonts).
> > 2. If I find a PFB with a partner AFM file, use both (i.e. link both
> >    into ~/.fonts).
> > 3. If I find a PFA file without an AFM, just use the PFA.
> > 4. If I find a PFA with a partner AFM, use both.
> > 5. Ignore any and all PFM files.
> Step 5 could be: If there is no AFM file for this font, try to find a
> PFM file instead.
Right, this echoes what mpsuzuki said and I think I'll take it as a workable 
situation.

> Well, `PFA' and `PFB' are subsumed under `TYPE_1'.  However, it's just
> a MS-DOS/Windows convention that such fonts have either `.pfa' or
> `.pfb' as the extension.
Well, from FP's pov (right now) I will be relying on extensions - they seem to 
be all around and I am catering to the desktop graphic design users who lug 
vast collections of fonts around on drives and want to use them.

> It's *very* confusing, indeed.  It took me many hours to compile this
> small table, and to grasp the distinction between wrapper format, font
> format, and font type is nontrivial.
I hear you and want to avoid getting any deeper into the mire than I must!

Thanks,
\d

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