Frequently Asked Questions

Q.

Is TrueType Open a new font format?

A.

No. TrueType Open fonts are TrueType fonts with extensions. TrueType Open introduces new table structures that contain additional typographical data.

Q.

To ensure compatibility, do I need to revise all my fonts to be TrueType Open fonts?

A.

No. TrueType fonts that do not contain TrueType Open information are still valid fonts. A client can determine which, if any, TrueType Open features a font contains and make decisions accordingly.

Q.

Can I use TrueType Open fonts on Windows 3.1x?

A.

Yes. Because the basic TrueType font format has not changed, TrueType Open fonts can be used by operating systems and applications that support TrueType but do not implement TrueType Open functionality.

Q.

Which TrueType Open features are supported by Windows 95?

A.

A text-processing client can access all TrueType Open tables by using the GetFontData API and requesting a TrueType Open table by name. The client is responsible for placing text appropriately according to the information retrieved.

Q.

Is Microsoft developing tools for creating TrueType Open fonts?

A.

Microsoft is working with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to enhance their font development tools to handle TrueType Open information. Internally, Microsoft uses a proprietary tool for assembling TrueType Open binary tables from TrueType Open data in text format.

Q.

What is the difference between Apple's TrueType GX and Microsoft's TrueType Open?

A.

TrueType Open and TrueType GX address some of the same issues, especially those arising from one-to-one relationships between characters and glyphs. However, TrueType Open has a richer two-dimensional positioning model than TrueType GX. TrueType Open also contains explicit script and language support, so a text-processing application can adjust its behavior accordingly.

Another major difference between the two font formats is that TrueType GX fonts contain state machines, which choose and position glyphs. This format requires that clients follow a particular model of text processing, and TrueType GX fonts are difficult for a client to decode. In comparison, TrueType Open fonts are simple to read and support clients in making their own decisions regarding text processing.