Raster fonts are bitmaps supplied in different sizes for specific video display resolutions. The Windows 95 fonts MS Serif, MS Sans Serif, Courier, System, and Terminal are raster fonts.
A raster font file contains data that describes all the characters and style of a typeface for a specific display device. Windows 95 provides several raster font sizes for various display devices. For example, MS Serif comes in point sizes 8, 10, 12, and 14 for CGA, EGA, VGA, and 8514 display devices.
Windows 95 can scale raster fonts to even multiples of the sizes supplied. For example, MS Serif can be scaled to 16, 20, 24, and so on. Bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough styles can also be generated from a standard raster font, but if you try to scale them too far from their original size or style, they appear jagged.
Six resolutions of raster screen fonts are provided with Windows 95. If used for printing, raster fonts print text and graphics as bitmaps or raster lines. The resolutions are identified by a letter appended to the filename of the font, as described in the following table.
Raster Font Files
Letter | Output device | Resolution | x size1 | y size1 |
B2 | EGA display | 1.33:1 | 96 | 72 |
C2 | Printer | 1:1.2 | 60 | 72 |
D2 | Printer | 1.66:1 | 120 | 72 |
E | VGA display | 1:1 | 96 | 96 |
F | 8514 display | 1:1 | 120 | 120 |
1 x,y indicates the height/width aspect ratio, in pixels per inch.
2 These fonts are not included on the Windows 95 installation disks.
The letter that identifies the resolution is appended to the raster font filenames. For example, the files for the 8514 raster fonts are COURF.FON, SSERIFF.FON, SERIFF.FON, SMALLF.FON, and SYMBOLF.FON, as shown in the following table.
Font | Filename | Character set | Font description |
Courier | COURx.FON | ANSI | Fixed-width serif |
MS Sans Serif | SSERIFx.FON | ANSI | Proportional-width sans serif |
MS Serif | SERIFx.FON | ANSI | Proportional-width serif |
Small | SMALLx.FON | ANSI | Proportional small size |
Symbol | SYMBOLx.FON | Symbol | Math symbols |
Raster fonts can also be printed if their resolution and aspect ratio are close to what your printer requires. If you do not see raster fonts for a printer in an application's Fonts dialog box, check your printer's horizontal and vertical resolution and compare it with the preceding table. If there is a close match, choose the Fonts icon in Control Panel and make sure the appropriate font set is installed. If there is no close match, you cannot print the Windows 95 raster fonts on your printer. You might be able to print raster fonts in a different resolution, if the other resolution has an aspect ratio that matches your printer. Some printer drivers cannot print raster fonts, regardless of the aspect ratio.
You can also purchase from other vendors raster fonts that work with Windows 95 as both screen and printer fonts, such as AdobeÔ Type Manager, Bitstream® FaceLift™, Hewlett-Packard Type Director, and SoftCraft WYSI fonts!®.