True-Type Fonts and Glyphs

[shaunpudwell]

Does anyone know how to use Windows true-type fonts from non Windows systems, e.g. DOS or a 68K based terminal.

The project I'm working on, requires the use of true-type fonts, even though I'm not working with Windows. Is there a way of processing true-type fonts outside of Windows?

Any sample source code or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Shaun Pudwell.

[jim mcnamara]

Truetype fonts depend on the GDI32.dll in Windows. They won't work outside of Windows. You need to look at Adobe Type Manager for unix. There used to be a DOS emulator for messing with fonts & graphics via Adobe.

Truetype fonts have their own associated vector graphics library which depends on kernel mode calls in Windows.

In Borland Turbo C for DOS you can run in graphics mode and draw your own fonts if you want.

Donald Knuth used to keep a site going for METAFONT - the forerunner of truetype. Try looking up METAFONT on google.

I do not know of any way to make TrueType fonts work outside of the MAC environment or the Windows environment.

What are you trying to do?

[shaunpudwell]

I'm working on a 68k based terminal and we are printing bitmap images onto cards. Some of the information printed, originates on a Windows database. I am trying to make the dynamic areas of the printed card, appear in the font that they were created via our Windows card design system. Its looking like I'll have to wade through the font glyphs and process all the spline curves myself. I was hoping to get my hands on some existing code, rather than having to do everything myself.

Don't get me wrong, I can do it but just don't have much time.

If you know of anyone, anywhere etc, please let me know.

Kind regards

Shaun Pudwell.

[jim mcnamara]

Put the whole image plus font text into one larger bitmap on Windows, then export it to your printing environment.

If you know how to handle the bitmaps already, buigger ones should not be that much more problem.

[shaunpudwell]

Yes, but...

We are currently sending the bitmaps in the correct font via modem. We are also using compression and the data also has to be converted to 7 bit. What we want to be able to do, to reduce modem time, is just send plain text with some font specification information and generate the font on the terminal. I've already written the code that merges a static bitmap from the terminal with dynamic bitmaps that originated on our database. Our system is all about speed of delivery and the longer the modem spends chatting, the less usable our system becomes. If I could process true type glyph information, the amount of modem time would be reduced. This is a per transaction reduction in modem time!!

Shaun.