Font Support in Windows 98

Fonts are used to print text, display text on screen, and send text to other output devices. Windows 98 provides a set of Win32-based functions that developers can use to install, select, and query different fonts.

Understanding Fonts

Windows 98 provides four basic kinds of fonts, which are categorized according to how the fonts are rendered for screen or print output:

• TrueType fonts are stored as mathematical models that define the outline of each character. They are much easier to work with than vector fonts because they appear the same on the screen as they do on the printed page. TrueType fonts can be scaled and rotated.

  You can distinguish TrueType fonts by the "TT" designation. Fonts without this designation are bitmap fonts.

• Raster fonts are stored in files as bitmaps and are rendered as an array of dots for displaying on the screen and printing on paper. Raster fonts cannot be cleanly scaled or rotated.
• Vector fonts are rendered from a mathematical model, in which each character is defined as a set of lines drawn between points. Vector fonts can be scaled to any size or aspect ratio. Windows 98 provides one vector font (Modern.fon) to ensure backward compatibility with plotter devices. It is installed in the \Windows\Fonts folder as a hidden file.
• OpenType fonts can be used with PostScript outlines only if you have installed Adobe Type Manager (ATM) on your computer. For information about obtaining and installing ATM, contact Adobe Systems.

Table 11.2 shows the types of fonts that can be printed on different kinds of printers.

Table 11.2 Printer and font compatibility

Font File Names and File Types

Raster and vector font files have .fon file name extensions. TrueType font files have .ttf file name extensions.

In Windows 98, information in the registry points to a single TTF file for TrueType fonts. In addition, Windows 98 includes a hidden file named Ttfcache that contains FOT type data for TrueType fonts to ensure backward compatibility with Windows 3.1. There are two files for each TrueType font in Windows 3.1: the FOT file contains a relatively short header with pointer information, and the TTF file contains the actual font data.

How Windows 98 Loads Fonts

In Windows 98, the locations for all fonts are stored only in the registry. Fonts are moved automatically when an application created for an earlier version of Windows installs a new font in the [fonts] section of Win.ini.

When Windows 98 starts, it loads the raster fonts and TrueType fonts listed in the registry. Following are descriptions of these components:

• The raster fonts are resolution-dependent and are listed in the registry key named Hkey_Current_Config\Display\Fonts. This supports multiple docking scenarios for portable computers in which there can be a different resolution on the LCD screen from the one on the docking station. The master list of all possible resolutions for raster fonts is stored in the registry under the following key:

  Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Fontsize

• The TrueType fonts are loaded from the location specified in the following key:

  Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Fonts

Printer drivers, which are loaded later in the startup process, look in Win.ini to load any available soft fonts. These fonts appear within an application’s list of available fonts.

Note

You can install approximately 1,000 TrueType fonts in Windows 98. Almost all of the installed fonts can be used simultaneously, and the same number can be printed in the same document. The 1,000-font maximum occurs because of the size of registry keys and available storage space for font names in the Graphics Device Interface (GDI).

How Windows 98 Matches Fonts

Windows 98 uses three methods of font matching: table mapping, numeric classification, and manual.

Basic Rules for Font Matching

When an application requests characters to print or display, Windows 98 must find the appropriate font to use from among the fonts installed on your computer. Finding the font can be complex. For example, a document might contain fonts that are not available on the current printer, or there may be more than one font with the same name installed on the computer.

Windows 98 uses the following basic rules for matching a font:

• If the font is a TrueType font, TrueType renders the character, and the result is sent to the display or to the printer.
• If the font is not a TrueType font, Windows 98 uses the font mapping table to determine the most appropriate device font to use.

Font Mapping Table

When Windows 98 uses the font mapping table to match screen fonts to printer fonts, the characteristics used to find the closest match are, in descending order of importance: the character set, the pitch (variable versus fixed), family, typeface name, height, width, weight, slant, underline, and strikethrough. If the necessary size and bitmap are available, font mapping proceeds in the following sequence:

1. Use the font found in the printer’s ROM.
2. Use the font found in the printer’s cartridge slot.
3. Use the downloadable soft font.
4. Use the TrueType font.

Note

The Windows 98 search algorithm for finding fonts is the same as the one in Windows 95 and Windows 3.1.

Manual Matching

You can manually choose from among fonts by comparing their similarities in the Fonts folder.

To manually match fonts

1. In Control Panel, double-click Fonts.
2. Click the View menu, and then click List Fonts By Similarity.

   In general, if you choose a TrueType font, Windows 98 sorts the list of fonts in descending order, with the least similar font listed last.

Installing Fonts

In Windows 98, fonts are installed on your computer in several ways:

• Windows 98 automatically installs its screen fonts and TrueType fonts during Setup.
• Some applications install soft fonts on your computer as part of the application Setup process.
• You can install additional TrueType or other soft fonts from disks or network locations.
• You can install printer-resident fonts and cartridge fonts using the printer’s Properties sheets in the Printers folder.

You can view the fonts installed on your computer by opening the Fonts option in Control Panel. The Fonts folder lets you view fonts, compare fonts by similarity, and install new fonts from disks or network locations.

You can remove fonts by dragging their font icons from the Fonts folder to the Recycle Bin.

For more information about adding fonts, in the Windows 98 Help index, search for adding fonts.

Installing Soft Fonts from Disks or Network Locations

You can use the following procedure to install soft fonts from disks or network locations.

Note

If you are installing soft fonts from a disk that includes an installation utility supplied by the vendor, you may not need to use the following procedure. The installation utility may automatically install the fonts in Windows 98. Consult the documentation supplied by the vendor.

To install soft fonts from disks or a network location

1. In Control Panel, double-click Fonts.
2. Click the File menu, and then click Install New Font.
3. In the Add Fonts dialog box, use the Folders and Drives boxes to specify the drive and folder containing the fonts you want to install.
4. In the List of fonts, select the fonts you want to install, and then click OK.

Installing Printer-Resident and Cartridge Fonts

You can also install printer-resident or cartridge fonts by using the installation utility (such as HP JetAdmin) that came with the cartridge or printer, if any, or by using a printer’s Properties sheets in the Printers folder.

To open the Printers folder

• On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

  – Or –

  In Control Panel or My Computer, click the Printers option.

To install printer-resident or cartridge fonts

• Use the installation utility that came with the font cartridge or printer.

  – Or –

1. In the Printers folder, right-click the printer’s icon, and then in the shortcut menu, click Properties.
2. Click the Fonts tab. The options on the Fonts tab vary depending on the make and model of the printer, and whether any additional printer support software — such as HP JetAdmin — is installed on your computer.
3. Select from the list of fonts or font cartridges installed on the printer, and then click OK.

   – Or –

   Click the Install Printer Fonts or similar button, and then select the fonts you want to install.