Overview of Printer Font Metrics (PFM) Files

• Microsoft Windows Device Development Kit (DDK) for Windows, version 3.1

SUMMARY

Printer font metrics (PFM) files are the generic way of presenting device fonts information to a printer driver. Device fonts are resident on the printer; they are not generated by Microsoft Windows. PFM files provide a device-independent method of representing device fonts so that Windows or a printer driver can represent device-font-metrics data.

Windows also supports printer-cartridge metrics (PCM) files. PCM files are a collection of PFM files.

There are three tools that can be used to create PFM files:

• The PFM Editor, explained in Chapter 3 (page 25) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Printer and Fonts Kit." The PFM Editor creates PFM (or PCM) files that are compatible with Hewlett-Packard (HP) Printer Control Language (PCL) printers.



• The PFM dialog box in UniTool, explained in Chapter 7 (page 104) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Minidriver Development Guide." The UniTool PFM dialog box creates PFM files that can be used with all minidrivers.



• The PFM file generator explained in Chapter 5 (page 53) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Printer and Fonts Kit." The PFM file generator builds PFM files from recognized downloadable fonts. HP drivers use the PFM file generator.

REFERENCES

A good overview of the data structures used in standard PFM files is given in:

Chapter 2 (page 9) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Printers and Fonts Kit"

Chapter 5 (page 54) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Printers and Fonts Kit"

Chapter 7 (pages 103-115) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Minidriver Development Guide"

Appendix C of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Minidriver Development Guide"

Chapter 4 (page 41) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Printers and Fonts Kit"

Chapter 7 (page 98) of the Microsoft Windows DDK "Printers and Fonts Kit"

Additional query words: 3.10

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