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Open-Type fonts

SignosaurusRex

Active Member
I went to purchase a doz.+ fonts at one of the preffered sites and find that they only have OpenType formats now and they wont work on Win. 98 platform. My platforms for production (so far) are all 98 based. Any Ideas out there, other than just pitching the only stuff I really Know and starting over in in preschool. I'm running Anagraph 3.5 on win.98se & just starting to delve into Illustrator and Corel. Any voices out there?

" DAG-NABIT, Can't nut'n just stay simple"? S'Rex:help:
 

weaselboogie

New Member
I know that you can convert fonts from mac to pc format via a font converter program (download.com) , and if that's the case, can opentype be converted to ttf on a pc level? I don't know, just hoping someone else may know more than I do.
 

Replicator

New Member
The Main Problem with your anagraph fonts is that FON files are bitmaps and cannot be converted
to TTF or anything else without a RubyScript and if your going to go through
the hassle of all that . . .

TTF can be converted to Open-type, but not the other way around as far as I know . . .

Good Luck !
 
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Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
I've never converted one but I do know a major issue would be the loss of the 100's of additional characters that are present in an OpenType font.

Upgrading can be challenging and scary. Right now Microsoft is shoving Vista down everyone's throats knowing that many applications are not yet ready for it. If I was in your shoes I'd try to find a new computer with XP Pro on it and set it alongside of your existing setup to see how much will make the transition to that OS. Most vendors, from what I understand, will not fill an order for a non-Vista OS ... so you may really have problems.

FontLab offers TransType Pro ($179.00) which will convert OpenType to TrueType.

The other option, of course, is to do without the fonts you want.
 

SignosaurusRex

Active Member
I've made a few inquiries bout that w/ a few buds, but not looking good. I know that someones got the right solvent for this goo, but today is only sunday. I'm hoping to not have to build an AI. file of the job, then go back with it to ANA, do my little thing with it and then to cut, etc.,.....Kinda disheartening when ya pop up a few extra bucks, wanna make a step and "SCKEEZHIP", Yur oughta luck sailor, Heres a plank, take a walk, hope ya kin swim lymie. I appreciate the thought weas, and you still might be on the right track. Afterall it is just another raining, windy, miserable sunday in the PUGGGGGGET SOUND. S'Rex
 

SignosaurusRex

Active Member
Fred, Thanx, I'm Working in that direction. Got multiple systems & monitors side by side etc. Grandpa's a bit blind, deaf, crippled, a day late, and a dollar short here, but HEY, my compooters got the right time. LOL!!!!!!!!
 

Steve C.

New Member
You are probably speaking of Letterhead Fonts that now only offer
Open Type Fonts. The main reason for this is that they have created a
font file that cannot be easily copied. We have the Font Pirates to thank
for this. In fact at this time you would not be able to convert it to another
format either or, from what I understand, even find where it is located
on your system once it is installed. They will not even work in any Font
Management programs for that matter. I have to congratulate them
for their bold move against software pirates. In the long run we will all be
better served. It is inevitable that we all upgrade our systems eventually.
If I had the ability to make this move with my fonts, I would. In the mean
time, some will suffer from this move up in technology.

If you haven't read it already, see what Chuck Davis has to say about it.

http://letterheadfonts.com/chuckdavis/arefontssoftware.shtml
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
You are probably speaking of Letterhead Fonts that now only offer Open Type Fonts. The main reason for this is that they have created a font file that cannot be easily copied. We have the Font Pirates to thank for this. In fact at this time you would not be able to convert it to another format either or, from what I understand, even find where it is located on your system once it is installed.

Not quite. I do believe that they sit there in your windows font directory just like the rest of them. If they didn't, they would be inaccessible by anything.

It's true that font management software doesn't recognized them. Since most if not all font management software is as useless as tits on a boar, this is no big loss.

Vis-a-vis Windows 98...You might want to invest in a operating system that was written in this century.
 

SignosaurusRex

Active Member
OpenType fonts

Steve, I'm aware of the piracy issue, etc. Thats all well and good, however, if I have to BackTrack my system, do I still have my fonts that I PAID for and unlike other font house supplied goods, it sounds like I cant load that font on another machine. I wonder who's being pirated.

S'Rex
 

Techman

New Member
Since most if not all font management software is as useless as tits on a boar, this is no big loss.

Sorry. But i cant live with out some kind of font manager. Everytime one installes software they add in fonts. Some of them fonts are pure junk. A good font manager lets one observe those fonts an dthen allows one to deactivate them all in one swoop. Deactivating or activating fonts with a good manager will save plenty if just one font ever gets currpted and fails to allow the machine to boot.
 

Mason

New Member
On topic/off topic...
As a customer of Letterhead Fonts, actually now previous customer due to that switch, which I find distasteful since I cant turn on or off the fonts I wish to use at will anymore, nor can I locate them on my machine( If your reading, I sympathize with you on the piracy issue, but developing something like that is ludicrous) Im a user of Adobe Type manager and I like the control, youve taken that from me, I dont like that.
 

Mason

New Member
Not quite. I do believe that they sit there in your windows font directory just like the rest of them. If they didn't, they would be inaccessible by anything.

It's true that font management software doesn't recognized them. Since most if not all font management software is as useless as tits on a boar, this is no big loss.

Vis-a-vis Windows 98...You might want to invest in a operating system that was written in this century.
Nope, not there bud. Dont know how they hid them but they did, and it pisses me off to no end. /rant
 

Jillbeans

New Member
As far as I can understand, the fonts can be purchased in Gerber format for us dinosaurs still on Win98. But having a Gerber sign system would have to be an option too.
Love....Jill
(still on Win98SE and GA 6.2)
 

Mason

New Member
Well Iwent over and read his statement on switching to this "system" for their fonts. Im still going elsewhere for my fonts from here on out, Veer offers some nice stuff as do many other Font distributors.

What I find more disturbing is that they are now developing a font management tool that will allow you access to their fonts to turn them off or on, which would mean, yeah thats right, you pay him again for the application just so you can manage their fonts. Is Adobes product not good enough for this job?? It has after all been an industry standard for years, and what about "Collect for output" for those of us who use programs like Quark and PageMaker?? what is it just sorry guy you cant use these fonts in printed brochures or onesheets etc..??? WTF!
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Nope, not there bud. Dont know how they hid them but they did, and it pisses me off to no end. /rant

Do Start->Settings->Control Panel
Fonts->Tools->Folder Options->True Type Fonts

And uncheck the "Show only True Type fonts..." selection box. The Open Type fonts will, as if by magic, appear in the windows fonts folder.
 

Mason

New Member
Do Start->Settings->Control Panel
Fonts->Tools->Folder Options->True Type Fonts

And uncheck the "Show only True Type fonts..." selection box. The Open Type fonts will, as if by magic, appear in the windows fonts folder.

Like I said, Nope not there. Of course all the other open type fonts are there, but not the Letterhead fonts... not the new ones anyway..

So the question remains, where the F are they?
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Sorry. But i cant live with out some kind of font manager. Everytime one installes software they add in fonts. Some of them fonts are pure junk. A good font manager lets one observe those fonts an dthen allows one to deactivate them all in one swoop. Deactivating or activating fonts with a good manager will save plenty if just one font ever gets currpted and fails to allow the machine to boot.

I agree that some large percentage of fonts are either useless, redundant, or are just not my style. These I simply discard into their own special coventry.

Of the faces remaining that I might find useful I find that I can never predict exactly just what type face might be suitable for some situation or another. I like to farkel with type faces in situ rather than invoking another independent chunk of software that requires me to install/uninstall the font files I may want ad hoc.

When someone somewhere grants me the ability to have fonts installed in hierarchical directories as opposed to one big flat directory, THAT will be a useful font manager. Until then every font manager I've ever seen remains useless, and to me, a silly affectation that creates more work than it mitigates.
 

Mason

New Member
I agree that some large percentage of fonts are either useless, redundant, or are just not my style. These I simply discard into their own special coventry.

Of the faces remaining that I might find useful I find that I can never predict exactly just what type face might be suitable for some situation or another. I like to farkel with type faces in situ rather than invoking another independent chunk of software that requires me to install/uninstall the font files I may want ad hoc.

When someone somewhere grants me the ability to have fonts installed in hierarchical directories as opposed to one big flat directory, THAT will be a useful font manager. Until then every font manager I've ever seen remains useless, and to me, a silly affectation that creates more work than it mitigates.

I assume youve used Adobes Type Manager, not the free version the professional version? and still feel the same about it as well?
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Like I said, Nope not there. Of course all the other open type fonts are there, but not the Letterhead fonts... not the new ones anyway..

So the question remains, where the F are they?

If they appear in an applications font comb box then the ARE in the windows font directory. That they are not listed means that probably they're marked as 'Hidden' or 'Protected Operation System' files. See if these are not being displayed by...

...Fonts->Tools->Folder Options->View

If these files are still not being displayed then someone invoked some magic of which I am unaware.
 
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