🚀 go-pugleaf

It is even more stupid than you think.  The "old" Adobe fonts can be
made into files that can be downloaded from the non-mac host without
problem. ( We've been doing this for our linotron & laserwriter for
quite a while. )  In the name of improvement, Adobe changed to a non
copy protected version of the font, the old one was software limited
to installation on just one ( or 5 ) printer, not types of printers,
the Adobe install program did something with the printer serial number.

When we went out and purchased a new Adobe font a while ago ( Garamond,
if that is important, I don't think it is ), we found out that the
procedure had changed and now the non-copy protected fonts are binary
not ascii with no way to convert them, and transcript's communication
program, (pscom) cannot deal with binary font files.  After much
"discussion" with the person at Adobe tech support ( some of it quite
bitter from my end ), she agreed to swap my "new" font for an "old" font.

I don't know if this can be a standard procedure, they will run out
of "old" fonts someday. ( As it turns out, we did not go through 
with the swap, the Garamond was for a single job & it was not worth
the pain )

Andy are you listening? Can anything be done so that Adobe's fonts
can be used with Adobe's own program?

Scott Bradner
Harvard University

In article <1934@phred.UUCP> marcg@phred.UUCP (Marc Greisen) writes:
>...
>We also bought some fonts from Adobe that match what we currently use
>in our manuals.
>
>Heres the catch.  If we want to use the fonts we have to download them
>from a Mac.  Adobe only supports downloading of it's fonts from a Mac.

I'd be interested in knowing how they can sell fonts for PS printers
which don't do AppleTalk (or do they not sell such fonts?)  We have many
DEC ScriptPrinters (LN03R's) and a couple LPS40's, and I am trying to
convince some people to get Palatino for them.  But none of them speak
AppleTalk.  The LN03R's speak RS232, and the LPS40's speak DECNET.

Has anybody bought extra fonts for these printers?
----
John Kohl
MIT/Project Athena

Adobe fonts currently are distributed in two formats: MS-DOS and
Macintosh diskettes.  There is a slightly different file format for
each of these media.  The Macintosh font programs are in a format
designed by Apple:  they are stored as POST resources.  The PC format
is a fairly simple one that we designed at Adobe.  The fonts themselves
are largely hexadecimal data, and each of the file formats is designed
to permit this segment of the fonts to be compressed to binary in order
to save space.

Our original font offerings were copy-protected by a software mechanism
that produced fonts that would only work on a printer for which the
font was initialized.  This copy protection has been removed.  The
ability to produce portable (ASCII) fonts was also removed, to minimize
the ability to "port" these fonts to other systems, given that the
licensing agreement still enforces use on a specified number of
printers (either 1 or 5, I think).

The one fly in this ointment is that there exist people who only need
to use the fonts on a single printer, from a single host, but who
happen to need it on a system which is neither a Macintosh nor an IBM
PC (for example, a Sun or a Vax).

Adobe has produced a document describing the file formats of the
Macintosh and PC font products, and it is not terribly difficult to
write a utility to convert them for use on another system.  We do not
encourage this as a product offering because of the licensing agreement
for the fonts themselves.  However, for individual users, we are happy
to assist you in overcoming this hurdle so that you can use our font
products from other systems.

You can call Adobe technical support and ask for the document entitled
"Supporting Downloadable PostScript Fonts."  The number is 415-961-4400.
(I'd appreciate it if you don't ask for me directly--send me mail if you
want to contact me).

Glenn Reid
Adobe Systems
PostScript Software Support

The format of the binary font files is described in an Adobe document
which is part ofd the postscript developer's kit. This plus the red & blue
books should allow you to do what you want.  I don't have the documents
or books here at home so I'm not sure how much work would be involved.
I wouldn't be surprised if you had to write a bit of code, but it would
seem quite do-able.

Get the developer's kit and take a look.  It is available free from
Adobe.

add me to the list of people interested in downloading Adobe fonts
without using a Macintosh...  all of my Postscript printers are
attached via serial ports to time-sharing systems (Mac's don't qualify!!)

hello Adobe?  are you listening?

P.S.
how about an Adobe supplied controller that speaks Ethernet (and NOT Appletalk)
the only one out there now is on an LPS40 and THAT box exceeds
our budget by a significant amount

Eriks

-- 
Voice: Eriks Rugelis Ma Bell: 416/736-5257 x.2688 NetNorth: eriks@yulibra
Soon to be: eriks@libra.yorku.ca UUCP: seismo!mnetor!yunexus!eriks

In article <1934@phred.UUCP> marcg@phred.UUCP (Marc Greisen) writes:
>Heres the catch.  If we want to use the fonts we have to download them
>from a Mac.  Adobe only supports downloading of it's fonts from a Mac.
>I would like to have the fonts downloaded from the Vax after a reboot
>(the power often goes out here during the winter months).  I have
>talked with Adobe technical support and they do not seem willing to
>talk about working out a way I can download from my Vax.

From discussions I have had with Adobe there is a way to take the
fonts and make a "text" form of them. You do this on a Mac as you
initialize them for a printer, then you can take them to a PC or VAX
for downloading.

This may have changed but I haven't heard that it has.