🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <8905160047.AA12857@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>, mcdonald@UXE.CSO.UIUC.EDU ("J.D. McDonald ") writes:
> 
> I'll agree that 300 d.p.i. is not really publication quality.
> 
> But there seems to be another point too. The output that comes out
> of either HP LaserJets using the regular HP Times-like font,
> or the Times like fonts from Bitstream, or the output from an
> Apple Laserwriter using the built-in fonts, or the blurbs I got
> from our Printing Division which were printed on a Linotronic
> 300 (1270 or 2540 d.p.i. - who cares) just doesn't look like 
> a plain ordinary printed BOOK. Somehow, however good they look,
> they just don't look "right", by which I mean look like any
> ordinary high quality (technical) book printed before, say, 1982.
> The letter shapes just don't look "ordinary" and the spacings
> don't look "right".  Take, for example, "The C Programming
> ...
> Now for the question - WHY do the typical laser printers using the
> typical PC tools not look like books? Why have the typical fonts
> used been designed to look different from typical book fonts,
> even on the Linotronic. Is it intentional, and if so why? Are there
> ways to make things look like a book using desktop publishing tools?

1)  Times Roman is a condensed typeface that was apparently designed for
hot type (cast lead).  It does not work well on laser printers at
300 x 300.  It doesn't matter whose typefaces you use of even what
size type you use if it's less than about 14 point.  If you want
readable type use Century Schoolbook or Bookman in the
*conventional* postscript faces or Charter or Lucida which have been
specially designed for low resolution (300dpi) printers.

2)  If you are using Ventura (as the subject line says), you need to
make sure that the kerning is turned on.  In Ventura 2.0 it must be
turned on in each tag name, and in the Chapter menu as well.
(Chapter is an override.)  If it is off in either place, you will
get base spacing but no letter pair kerning.

3)  Other PC tools have other problems.  The primary need is to
understand how to operate the tools that you are using.  If you know
how to get Tex, use it.  But watch out for Times Roman -- it will be
okay at 1200 dpi, but at 300dpi it's a lousy face.

Jim Winer ..!lzfme!jwi 

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