🚀 go-pugleaf

I recently purchased the Adobe music font (Sonata) for my
personal use in producing music scores using Deluxe Music
Construction Set and my own Vax based programs.  When I received
my "single printer" package it took some hard thinking to decide
to keep it as I DON'T own a laser printer but was planning to
print on a QMS PS printer at work or a Laserwriter available for
$ per page printing at a local Apple dealer.  The Adobe
packaging, however, requires you to permanently initialize the
font for a single individual printer (in my case; you can buy a
"multiple printer" package for up to 5 printers for about twice
the cost).  The font info is obviously encrypted with the wired
in serial number of the printer.  This initialization process
must take place on a Macintosh that is connected to the printer
via an Appletalk network.  When you're done you get a font file
that can be downloaded from a Macintosh over Appletalk, or a
text file that you can download however you want (e.g., by
concatinating it in front of your postscript text when spooling
on a Vax).

I eventually decided that I wanted good quality music printing
enough to initiallize it for one of the printers at work and to
risk that printer being replaced or moved where I can't use it.
It does produce very nice scores.

My reason for sending this message is to let others know how the
Adobe fonts work and to possibly stir up discussion on how else
it might be done.  Obviously completely unproctected distribution
would be wonderful for the purchaser, but might be prohibitively
expensive.  It also seems somewhat reasonable that for customers
that own their own printers (as most of Adobe's customers probably
do) this mechanism may be reasonable.  For a specialty font like
Sonata, however, where individuals are buying other products (e.g.,
Deluxe Music Construction Set) because they are compatible with
the font, there needs to be some other option.  I have no problem
with never using my copy of the font on more than one printer at
a time, but Adobe can only take my word for that.  Does anyone
have any ideas on possible mechanisms?

---Paul Johnson