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Archive-name: fonts-faq/part11
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Subject: Chapter 9 

    Utilities

Subject: 9.1. Notes about the utilities 

    I have just started collecting information about font utilities. I
    will gladly add any information that you can pass my way. Please
    send your submissions to norm <walsh@cs.umass.edu>.

    I would appreciate it if you could include a paragraph or so of
    description and the appropriate site/filename for retrieval.

Subject: 9.2. PS2PK 

    PS2PK is a utility for converting Type1 postscript fonts into TeX
    PK files. The source code is distributed and it has been compiled
    for both *nix boxes and MS-DOS based machines.

    Here is the original announcement:

                            Ps2pk-1.2 available
                            -------------------
                                 (June 1992)

    Version 1.2 of ps2pk is now available on:
       ftp.urc.tue.nl (address: 131.155.2.79)
       directory:    /pub/tex
       files:        ps2pk12.README         (  1k)    This file
                     ps2pk12.tar.Z          (391k)    Sources
                     ps2pk386.zip           (232k)    MSDOS executables
                     utopia.tar.Z           (342k)    Adobe Utopia font family
                     courier.tar.Z          (207k)    IBM Courier font family

       For people having difficulties in handling UNIX `.tar.Z' format I
       have made some UNIX tools (only executables) available in:
       directories:  /pub/unixtools/dos
                     /pub/unixtools/vms

       See the system specific TARZ file for some help.

       Ftp.urc.tue.nl can not handle E-mail requests. But sites are free
       to put the ps2pk12 stuff on any server that can.

9.2.1. When do you need ps2pk? 

    Ps2pk is a tool that converts a PostScript type1 font into a
    corres- ponding TeX PK font. The tool is especially interesting if
    you want to use fully hinted type1 fonts in your DVI previewer
    (instead of the unhinted type1 fonts currently used in GhostScript)
    or on a printer that has no PostScript interpreter.

    In order to use the ps2pk generated fonts your driver and previewer
    need to support virtual fonts. The reason is that PostScript fonts
    and TeX fonts do have a different font encoding and handle
    ligatures in a different way. With virtual fonts the PostScript
    world (encoding + ligatures) can be mapped to the old style TeX
    world on which the current plain macro packages still are based
    (despite the fact that TeX3.0 can handle 8bits).

    It is also possible to use the ps2pk generated PK fonts directly

    In addition, a modified version of PS2PK exists on
    ibis.cs.umass.edu. I have added some hacks to better support
    really large renderings and a primitive ``range'' facility.

Subject: 9.3. TeX Utilities 

    There are many TeX font utilities. For TeX related questions, I
    direct you to comp.text.tex or the Info-TeX mailing list. I will
    happily list any utilities here that the comp.fonts public feels
    should be present. I am listing MetaFont because it is the obvious
    font-specific component of TeX and PKtoSFP because it allows anyone
    to use PS2PK to create LaserJet softfonts.

    Liam R. E. Quin <lee@sq.com> is the original author of the MetaFont
    section. It has been hacked at a bit by norm to make it fit the
    tone of the comp.fonts FAQ. Assume that norm is responsible for any
    errors, not Liam.

    * MetaFont

       * About MetaFont:

         Metafont is a programming language for describing fonts. It
         was written by Donald Knuth and is documented in

         Computers & Typesetting/C: The METAFONTbook

         Knuth, Donald E.

         Addison Wesley, 1986

         ISBN 0-201-13445-4, or 0-201-13444-6 (soft cover)

         Library access: Z250.8.M46K58, or 686.2'24, or 85-28675.

         A font written in MetaFont is actually a computer program
         which, when run, will generate a bitmap (`raster') for a given
         typeface at a given size, for some particular device.

       * What do you need in order to use the fonts:

         You cannot print the MetaFont fonts directly (unless you want
         a listing of the program, that is). Instead, you must generate
         a bitmap font and use that to print something.

         If you are using TeX, the sequence of steps is something like
         this:

         MF -> metafont -> GF        [ convert MetaFont program into bitmap font ]
                           TFM              [ and metric information ]

         GF -> gftopk -> PK          [ represent the bitmapped font efficiently ]

         TEX -> tex -> DVI           [ TeX -> device independent output ]
         TFM

         DVI -> dvi2xxx -> XXX       [ DVI -> output device format ]
         PK

         XXX -> printer -> hardcopy  [ print the output ]

         The above steps are idealized. In reality, you have to make
         sure that the fonts get installed in the correct places and
         you may have to adjust description files, etc. The friendly
         folks on comp.text.tex can probably get it staightened out for
         you if you can't find a local guru.

         If you are not using TeX, it's almost impossible to predict.
         At some point in the above sequence, you'll insert some other
         conversion program and proceed differently. Here, for example,
         is how you might use TeX fonts with WordPerfect and a LaserJet
         printer.

         PK -> PKtoSFP -> SFP           [ PK to LaserJet softfont ]

         SFP -> SFP2Auto -> TFM         [ Make HP AutoFont TFM file ]

         SFP -> PTR -> installation     [ Install the fonts into WP ]
         TFM

         Use WordPerfect as you normally would.

Subject: 9.4. MFpic 

    MFpic is a macro package for including pictures in TeX documents.
    The idea behind this package is to have Metafont do the actual
    drawing, and store the pictures in a font that TeX can include in
    the document. The macros have been designed so that the user should
    never have to learn Metafont to use these macros -- the TeX macros
    actually write the Metafont file for you.

Subject: 9.5. fig2MF 

    Briefly, fig2MF uses the mfpic macros to create formatted,
    commented MF code from the fig graphics language. This means that
    programs like xfig can be used as interactive font creation tools.
    I wrote fig2MF so that I could portably illustrate TeX documents,
    but I suppose one could use it to design letterforms as well.

    The package consists of a single C source code file, modified mfpic
    macros, documentation, and sample fig files. It is available at the
    shsu archives.

Subject: 9.6. GNU Font Utilities 

    Here is a brief description of the programs included:

    * imageto extracts a bitmap font from an image in PBM or IMG
      format, or converts the image to Encapsulated PostScript.

    * xbfe is a hand-editor for bitmap fonts which runs under X11.

    * charspace adds side bearings to a bitmap font.

    * limn fits outlines to bitmap characters.

    * bzrto converts a generic outline font to Metafont or PostScript.

    * gsrenderfont renders a PostScript outline font at a particular
      point size and resolution, yielding a bitmap font.

    * fontconvert can rearrange or delete characters in a bitmap font,
      filter them, split them into pieces, combine them, etc., etc.

    * imgrotate rotates or flips an IMG file.

    We need volunteers to help create fonts for the GNU project. You do
    not need to be an expert type designer to help, but you do need to
    know enough about TeX and/or PostScript to be able to install and
    test new fonts. Example: if you know neither (1) the purpose of TeX
    utility program `gftopk' nor (2) what the PostScript `scalefont'
    command does, you probably need more experience before you can
    help.

    If you can volunteer, the first step is to compile the font
    utilities. After that, contact me (karl@gnu.ai.mit.edu). I will get
    you a scanned type specimen image. The manual explains how to use
    these utilities to turn that into a font you can use in TeX or
    PostScript.

    You can get the source by ftp from prep.ai.mit.edu [ 18.71.0.38 ] :
    pub/gnu/fontutils-0.5.tar.Z.

    And also from these other sites around the world; please check them
    before prep.

  United States: wuarchive.wustl.edu   gatekeeper.dec.com:pub/GNU
                 uxc.cso.uiuc.edu      ftp.uu.net:packages/gnu

  Europe:        archive.eu.net        src.doc.ic.ac.uk:gnu    ftp.funet.fi
                 nic.funet.fi:pub/gnu  ugle.unit.no            isy.liu.se
                 ftp.diku.dk

  elsewhere:     ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp   utsun.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp:ftpsync/prep
                 archie.au:gnu

    You can also order tapes with GNU software from the Free Software
    Foundation (thereby supporting the GNU project); send mail to
    gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu for the latest prices and ordering information,
    or retrieve the file DISTRIB from a GNU archive.

Subject: 9.7. Font editors 

    * Editors for BDF fonts

      There is a bdf font editor that comes with HP/Apollo
      workstations. It's called 'edfont'. It's not the best but it
      works.

      Gary <Gocek.Henr801C@Xerox.COM> reports:

      The standard X distribution for X11R5 contains ``xfed'', which
      allows you to play with BDF fonts. ``xfedor'' has a more
      elaborate user interface, and is available on most contrib
      directories.

      The last time I tried:

      ``xfedor'' couldn't handle BDF files with more than 256
      characters.

      ``xfed'' aborts if the BDF file contains a COMMENT line with no
      other text. The workaround is to edit the BDF file, to put text
      after the word COMMENT. A single blank space is sufficient. For
      some reason, the standard BDF files included in the X release
      contain blank spaces on the otherwise empty COMMENT lines. It was
      probably easier to add the space to the COMMENT lines of every
      BDF file than it was to fix the lex code for xfed. :-)

    * Editors for PK fonts

      The GNU font utilities include an X-based editor called Xbfe
      which edits bitmapped fonts under X.

      Eberhard Mattes' emTeX includes PKedit.

Subject: 9.8. t1utils 

    This is a snippet from the README file for I. Lee Hetherington's
    <ilh@lcs.mit.edu> t1utils package:

    t1utils is a collection of simple type-1 font manipulation
    programs. Together, they allow you to convert between PFA (ASCII)
    and PFB (binary) formats, disassemble PFA or PFB files into
    human-readable form, reassemble them into PFA or PFB format.
    Additionally you can extract font resources from a Macintosh font
    file (ATM/Laserwriter).

Subject: 9.9. Where to get bitmap versions of the fonts 

    There are archives containing the bitmaps of many of these fonts at
    various sizes and resolutions. The fonts must have been generated
    for the correct print engine: e.g. write-white or write-black. The
    archives generally hold only the sizes used by TeX. These are
    `magstep' sizes, and are not exact point sizes. It is probably
    better to generate them from the Metafont sources yourself if you
    can.

    The best place to look for raster fonts was almost certainly:
    mims-iris.waterloo.edu

    but it isn't any more, the fonts have all gone. Let me know if you
    find them elsewhere. Most people seem to have moved to using
    PostScript fonts or Bitstream ones instead now.

    Some other sites are:

       ctrsci.math.utah.edu (128.110.198.1)
       science.utah.edu (128.110.192.2)
       ymir.claremont.edu (134.173.4.23)

    The occasional posting of ftp sites to comp.misc and comp.archives
    lists these and several other sites.

Subject: 9.10. Converting between font formats 

    Conversions to and from pbm and pk format were posted to
    comp.text.tex and to alt.sources on the 9th of August, 1990 by
    Angus Duggan (ajcd@cs.ed.ac.uk). The program is pbmtopk, and there
    are also at least two patches.

    Chris Lewis' psroff package includes a program to go from pk both
    to the HP LaserJet and to PostScript.

    John McClain (ophelp@tamvenus.bitnet) has some conversion programs
    for various graphics formats to/and from pk files.

    A PC program, CAPTURE, turns HPGL files into PK format, US $ 130
    from Micro Programs Inc., 251 Jackson Ave., Syosset, NY 11791
    U.S.A.

    Metaplot can take pen-plotter files and prouce metafont files.
    Note: Pat Wilcox is no longer at Ohio State.

    Kinch Cmputer Company sell .pk fonts derived from PostScript fonts.
    Kinch Computer Co., 501 S. Meadow St.Ithaca, NY 14850 U.S.A.
    telephone: +1 607 273 0222; fax: +1 607 273 0484

Subject: 9.11. Getting fonts by FTP and Mail 

    If you are using ftp, you will need either the name of the host or
    the Internet number. For example, to connect to ymir, listed as
    ftp: ymir.claremont.edu [ 134.173.4.23 ] you will need to type
    something like

    ftp ymir.claremont.edu

    If that doesn't work, try using the number:

    ftp 134.173.4.23

    If that doesn't work, on Unix systems you can use nslookup (it's
    usually /usr/etc/nslookup) to find the host number -- it might have
    changed. Type the entire host name, and after a few seconds
    nslookup will give you the address.

    Once you have connected, you will need to go to the appropriate
    directory, lists its contents, and retrieve the files.

    Most of the machines listed here run Unix, and you use ``ls'' and
    ``cd'' to list files and to change directories. Ymir runs VMS, and
    you will have to put square brackets around directory names, like [
    this ] .

    Remember that although Metafont sources are text files, pk fonts
    are not ASCII, and you will have to use binary mode for them. In
    general, use text mode for README files and *.mf files, and binary
    mode for other font files. Files ending in .Z are compressed binary
    files -- you will need to use binary mode, and then uncompress the
    files when you get them.

    You can get files from ymir by sending mail messages to

    mailserv@ymir.claremont.edu

    For example,

    send [ tex.mf.misc ] cmapl10.mf

    will get the file cmapl10.mf from the directory ``tex.mf.misc''.
    You can't get binary files in this way.

    There is an ftp-by-mail BITNET service, BITFTP, for BITNET users.

    Before getting large files by mail, please remember to get
    permission from all intervening sites. Ask your site administrator,
    who can send mail to Postmaster at each site on the way if
    necessary.

Subject: 9.12. Metafont to PostScript conversion 

    There are (I believe) two programs that perform this task. At least
    one of them is called ``mf2ps''. If you have any more information
    about these tools, please let me know.

    Chang Jin-woong reports that he found the ``mf2ps'' package with
    Archie. It is written by Shimon Yanai <yanai@israearn.bitnet> and
    Daniel M. Berry <dberry@cs.technion.ac.il>. The source programs are
    written in Pascal.

Subject: 9.13. How to use Metafont fonts with Troff 

    If, when you run troff, you get the message `typesetter busy', you
    have the original Ossanna-troff, also called otroff. Chris Lewis
    has a package which will let you use TeX fonts with troff -- it's
    called psroff, and comes with documentation.

       ftp: gatekeeper.dec.com (16.1.0.2) pub/misc/psroff-3.0
       ftp: ftp.cs.toronto.edu [128.100.1.105] pub/psroff-3.0/*

    If, when you run troff, you get something like this:

       x T 300
       x res 300 1 1

    you have ditroff. This is sometimes called titroff or psroff. In
    this case, you will probably need to do the following:

   1. convert the font to your printer's format

   2. generate a width table for the font

   3. add the font to the DESC file for the appropriate device

   4. arrange for troff to download the font

   5. tell troff about the font by running `makedev DESC' in the right
      place.

    If, when you run troff, you get something like this:

       X hp(SCM)(CM)(AF)(AD) 300 1 1
       Y P default letter 2550 3300 0 0 90 90 2460 3210

    you have sqtroff:

   1. convert the font to your printer's format

   2. generate a width table for the font

   3. add the font to the DESC file for the appropriate device

   4. put the font in the appropriate raster directory

   5. tell sqtroff about the font by running `sqmakedev DESC' or
      `sqinstall'.

    In each case, you should be able to get help from your vendor.

    Note that Chris Lewis' psroff package has software to make width
    tables for troff from pk files.

Subject: 9.14. PKtoBDF / MFtoBDF 

    From the SeeTeX distribution, programs to help previewers under
    X11.

Subject: 9.15. PKtoPS 

    Included in the psroff distribution, this utility converts PK fonts
    into PostScript fonts (bitmaps, I presume). If you have any more
    information about these tools, please let me know.

Subject: 9.16. PKtoSFP/SFPtoPK 

    Convert fonts from TeX PK format to HP LaserJet (bitmap) format.

Subject: 9.17. PostScript to Metafont 

    ps2mf started out as a way of creating bitmaps via MF for TeX.
    Only, when I had just finished it, Piet Tutelaers came with ps2pk.
    This was a far superior way runtime-wise. He uses the IBM X11-R5
    fontutilities library, which is extremely ugly code. But, it works.
    So, to generate bitmaps, I suggest everyone use ps2pk.

    To generate a MF outline description, ps2mf is *the* tool. Yannis
    Haralambous has just started a project where he wants to create
    meta-ized fonts for MF from Postscript descriptions. ps2mf does the
    basic conversion. This project wants to revive the use of MF for it
    is a truly beautiful program with enormous possiblities.

    The following information comes from the README file for ps2mf:

    This is pfb2mf. It is a copyleft program. See the file COPYING for
    more details. I suggest that for the translation of Type-One to
    readable PostScript you use I. Lee Hetherington's Type-1-Utils. You
    can find these somewhere on obelix.icce.rug.nl in pub/erikjan.

    If you find any bugs, please do report.

    If you have any complaints, please do report.

    Now for some info about the different stages. This package contains
    four programs:

    * pfb2pfa

    * pfa2chr

    * chr2ps

    * ps2mf

9.17.1. pfb2pfa 

    pfb2pfa will decompress an IBM (!) Postscript type 1 fontfile into
    readable and downloadable hexadecimal data.

    The resulting file still contains two layers of encryption:

    - eexec encryption

    - charstring encryption

9.17.2. pfa2chr 

    pfa2chr will do an eexec-decryption of a readable hexadecimal font
    file to a fontfile with encrypted charstrings.

9.17.3. chr2ps 

    chr2ps will perform a charstring-decryption of a font file with
    encrypted charstrings to fontfile with postscript commands for type
    1 fonts.

    With a ``-'' as filename, these programs will read from <stdin> and
    write to <stdout>. This way you can pipe the results, as in:

       pfb2pfa garmnd - | pfa2chr - - | chr2ps - garmnd

    This will create a <garmnd.ps> from <garmnd.pfb> without
    explicitely creating the intermediate files.

    These previous stages can be replaced by (when using Lee
    Hetherington's type-1-utils):

    t1disasm garmnd.pfb garmnd.ps

9.17.4. ps2mf 

    This last stage will convert to a MetaFont program with the use of
    the corresponding <.afm> file and a mapping configuration file. It
    can convert to an ordinary form with B'ezier controlpoints. It can
    also generate a curl specification. For this last option specifify
    -C.

Subject: 9.18. Converting Mac Bitmaps to BDF Format 

    I have posted a program which I hacked together for extracting all
    NFNT and FONT resources from a MacBinary form of a standard Mac
    file and dumping the fonts as Adobe BDF files. It has only been
    compiled and tested on a Sun system to date. It can be fetched from
    METIS.COM, /pub/mac2bdf.c.

    I wrote this tool to be able to use Mac Bitmaps under X Windows and
    OpenWindows (which take Adobe BDF format files).