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Support Understanding Font Formats for the Macintosh Bitstream sells fonts for the Macintosh in OpenType, PostScript Type 1, or TrueType format: We have detailed instructions on how to install fonts. We recommend installing only one format - OpenType, PostScript, or TrueType - of a font. Installing two or more formats of the same font may cause problems when you try to use, view, or print the font. An OpenType font has only one part. It combines the scren font information and the printer outlines into a single file. Bitstream OpenType fonts have 8.3 file names. The file name ends in .ttf. In most versions of Mac OS X, Bitstream OpenType fonts will be labeled with a TrueType icon, but this does not affect the functionality of the fonts. OpenType fonts work in Mac OS X only. The same OpenType font can be installed in Mac OS X and in Windows XP and Windows 2000. (Note that earlier versions of the Mac OS require fonts in PostScript Type 1 or TrueType format.) OpenType is the font format of the future. OpenType includes more features than standard TrueType and PostScript formats, including the ability to install the same font on different platforms, crucial for document portability. Because the font format is cross platform, the same OpenType font can be installed on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and Unix systems. A PostScript Type 1 font has two parts: a suitcase file and the printer outline. The suitcase file contains the information an application needs to display the font on screen. The printer outline contains PostScript information for printing a smooth-looking font at any size. Adobe Type Manager (ATM) also uses the printer outline to create smooth-looking fonts when you view them on screen or when you print to a non-PostScript printer. A PostScript Type 1 font uses a font suitcase and also requires one or more corresponding printer outlines, which are in the same folder as the font suitcase.
Your font files may include AFM files for the fonts. AFM files contain Adobe font metrics information. Unless your application tells you that you need the AFM files, you can ignore them. Installing them on your computer has no effect. A TrueType font has only one part. It combines the scren font information and the printer outlines into a single file. TrueType fonts are organized into suitcases. In general, a suitcase contains the individual fonts for a particular font family. For example, a suitcase for Swiss 721 can contain Swiss 721 regular, italic, bold, and bold italic.
TrueType fonts work in Mac OS X or earlier. |
