Microsoft KB Archive/84743

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Adobe PostScript Language Levels and Font Types Explained

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Q84743

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11

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SUMMARY
This article discusses the common terminology used when addressing Adobe printer and font technologies in the context of Microsoft Windows.

MORE INFORMATION
Adobe PostScript is a page description language (PDL). A PDL has several components that allow it to manipulate fonts, raster graphics, vector graphics, color, and peripheral support (that is, sheet feeders and other resources). There are two levels of the PostScript language: Level 1 and Level 2.

Level 1 PostScript Language
This is the industry standard used by desktop publishing (DTP) companies, service bureaus, and supported by the PostScript printer driver version 3.5 that ships with Windows 3.1.

Level 2 PostScript Language
This is an enhanced version of Level 1 that comes with additional support for color imaging, data compression, improved forms handling, and pattern manipulation for transferring raster data. This level is currently supported by only a few printers, such as the Apple LaserWriter IIF. The PostScript driver for Windows 3.1 does not support Level 2.

Adobe Type 1 and Type 3 Fonts
Both of the two PostScript levels support the Adobe font technology known as Type 1 and Type 3.

Adobe Type 1
Adobe Type 1 fonts are scalable typefaces that can be sized to almost any point size, and rotated, twisted, bent, and manipulated in other ways either by the PostScript interpreter in the printer or by an application that uses the Adobe Type Manager (ATM) application programming interface (API) functions that allow this. Type 1 fonts are internally represented as mathematical equations. This is the industry standard for DTP and service bureaus.

All PostScript printers have a certain number of these fonts built into them, most commonly either 17 or 35 fonts, although many high-end PostScript printers have hard disks for storing even more fonts. When TrueType fonts are printed to a PostScript printer, they are sent to the printer as Type 1 fonts unless small point sizes are needed, in which case they are sent as Type 3 fonts.

Adobe Type 3
Adobe Type 3 fonts are most often bitmaps, but they can be scalable fonts that lack the hinting that makes Type 1 fonts look good at all point sizes. Therefore, Type 3 fonts are normally used only for small point sizes. When Windows 3.1 sends a small point-size TrueType font to a PostScript printer, it sends the font as a Type 3 font. This determination is controlled by the &quot;minoutlineppem=xxx&quot; setting in the WIN.INI file.

NOTE: If you change the minoutlineppem setting you must quit and restart Windows in order for the changes to take effect.

For more information on this setting and other PostScript-related WIN.INI file settings, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

"postqa and postscript and minoutlineppem" NOTE: Adobe Type 2 fonts do not exist.

Additional query words: 3.10 post script minoutlineppm minoutlineeppem minoutlineeppm PSL 3.11

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Issue type :

Technology : kbWin3xSearch kbWin310 kbWin311