Ps2pk-1.4 available
-------------------
(January 1994)
Version 1.4 of ps2pk is now available on:
ftp.urc.tue.nl (address: 131.155.2.79)
directory: /pub/tex
files: ps2pk14.README ( 9k) This file
ps2pk14.tar.gz (237k) Sources
For MSDOS people having difficulties in handling UNIX `.tar.gz'
format I have made some UNIX tools (only executables) available
in directories:
/pub/unixtools/dos
See the system specific TARGZ file for some help.
Ftp.urc.tue.nl can not handle E-mail requests. But sites are free
to put the ps2pk14 stuff on any server that can.
I have made read-to-go 1.4 executables for MSDOS available in:
pub/tex/ps2pk14x/msdos/djgpp (created with DJGPP/gcc)
msdos/emx (created with EMX/gcc)
When do you need ps2pk?
----------------------
Ps2pk is a tool that converts a PostScript type1 font into a corres-
ponding TeX PK font. The tool is especially interesting if you want
to use fully hinted type1 fonts in your DVI previewer (instead of the
unhinted type1 fonts currently used in GhostScript) or on a printer
that has no PostScript interpreter.
In order to use the ps2pk generated fonts your driver and previewer need
to support virtual fonts. The reason is that PostScript fonts and TeX
fonts do have a different font encoding and handle ligatures in a
different way. With virtual fonts the PostScript world (encoding +
ligatures) can be mapped to the old style TeX world on which the current
plain macro packages still are based (despite the fact that TeX3.0 can
handle 8bits).
It is also possible to use the ps2pk generated PK fonts directly
(without virtual fonts) but in that case you need modified plain TeX
macros in order to acces the new (changed) font features. To make TeX
really 8bits (the reason TeX3.0 was released) TUG has proposed a new
font standard supporting the full 8bit range (in stead of the 7bit).
The 128 extra characters in this new TUG standard are filled up with
characters for 17 different European languages (see: TUGboat #10 vol.
4 1990). With ps2pk it is possible to generate PK fonts from
PostScript fonts according to this new TUG font standard.
Ps2pk and virtual fonts.
------------------------
In order to use ps2pk in combination with virtal fonts you need afm2tfm
(the version belonging to dvips5.487 or newer), dvips and a previewer
supporting virtual fonts (ex.: xdvi on UNIX).
PS: the latest version of dvips can be retrieved from
labrea.stanford.edu:pub and xdvi from export.lcs.mit.edu:contrib
Ps2pk without virtual fonts.
----------------------------
This road in not a paved one even for experienced TeX users! So be
prepared that you need to build some bridges and other improvements to
reach your goal. Or simply wait until the TeX community has switched to
the new TUG font standard.
Dvips (5.487 and higher) supports different TeX and PostScript
encodings. If you choose for the new TUG fontstandard defined in the
Cork meeting, as the TeX and PostScript encoding, you have to:
- generate a set of TFM/VF fonts for the `EC' (Extended Computer
Modern Font encoding) using afm2tfm and vptovf,
- install the new encoding vector EC.enc so it will also be used for
the resident/downloaded PostScript fonts
- install a modified version of NFSS (New Font Selection Scheme) using
this encoding scheme.
Type1 PostScript text fonts.
----------------------------
Fully hinted type1 fonts are generally not PD. You have to buy them
unless you are satisfied with the PD available GhostScript versions
(which are currently not hinted). You don't need to be an expert to
see the difference between hinted and unhinted fonts. If you are
using MSDOS or MacIntosh computers you probably use Adobe Type Manager
(ATM) a program that can render type1 fonts dynamically. With this
program or with other programs using ATM (for example Lotus) you
receive fully hinted type1 fonts. On MSDOS they have funny names like
tmr______.pfb. To save space on MSDOS type1 fonts are binary encoded
(.pfb). On UNIX you can use this .pfb format too or the .pfa format
(which occupies about double the space of a .pfb format).
If your UNIX workstation supports DPS (Display PostScript) than
you already may have a number of fully hinted type1 fonts. Look in
places like /usr/lib/dps.
If you are satisfied with PK fonts derived from unhinted type1
fonts just for previewing then you can ftp (thanks to Karl Berry):
ftp.cs.umb.edu (file: pub/tex/psfonts.tar).
This set contains PK files for the standard 35 PostScript fonts in
various sizes, generated by `gsrenderfont' in the GNU font utilities
(on prep.ai.mit.edu et al.).
Adobe has donated their Utopia font family to the X-consortium and IBM
their Courier font. Both families are available on ftp.urc.tue.nl. The
Courier font from IBM does have a rich set of accented characters not
found in other Adobe fonts. Both fonts are fully hinted.
Lee Hetherington <ilh@goldilocks.LCS.MIT.EDU> has written a set of
type1 conversion utilities. These allow to convert from binary (PFB)
to ASCII (PFA) and back. Or to convert a type1 font into readable
PostScript (disassemble) with the possibility to edit it and to
convert it back (assemble) to some type1 encoded form. They are
available in:
ftp.cs.umb.edu (192.12.26.23)
/pub/misc/t1utils-1.1.tar.Z
Type1 PostScript math fonts.
----------------------------
The PostScript type1 symbol fonts do not have the same rich set of math
symbols as the TeX fonts. There are two exceptions: the Lucida fonts
and the MathTime package. I have no experience with the Lucida fonts.
The MathTime package from Michael Spivak has the disadvantage that it is
too much MacIntosh/AMSTeX oriented. There are people who are working on
LaTeX support based upon NFSS. Another disadvantage of MathTime is that
it is built on top of TimesRoman-Italic (not delivered with the package)
and lacks bold-italic symbols.
Acknowledgements.
-----------------
Ps2pk uses the type1 rendering software IBM has donated to the
X-consortium. This rendering package is used by ps2pk as pure as
possible. But in order to support user specified encoding schemes, to
generate extended and/or slanted font variations, to uncouple it from the
X protocol and to fix some bugs I needed to change some of the sources.
I also want to thank the `ps2pk discussion forum' who helped me to make
ps2pk as it is now. Especially Tom Rokicki for enhancing his dvips/afm2tfm.
I wish you a lot of fun with type1 fonts,
--Piet
internet: rcpt@urc.tue.nl | Piet Tutelaers
bitnet: rcpt@heitue5.BITNET | Computer Center Room RC 1.90
phone: +31 (0)40 474541 | Eindhoven University of Technology
fax: +31 (0)40 434438 | P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, NL
For those who have used earlier versions of ps2pk next differences may be
of interest (only major differences are mentioned):
Ps2pk 1.4 release (94-01)
-------------------------
1) Memory allocation made dynamically
1.1 in computing runlengths (needed to build PK fonts)
1.2 in scanning type1 fonts (to overcome `fixed' virtual memory)
2) Problem with handling Lucida font (negative widths) solved
3) Improved error handling in scanning AFM files
4) Provided hooks to handle non 32-bit platforms
5) Some cleanups
6) Improved Makefiles.
Ps2pk 1.3 release (92-09)
-------------------------
1) Official X11R5 patches included in type1 library.
2) The -a<AFMfile> option added to ps2pk.
3) Problem with rendering of Obique fonts solved.
Ps2pk 1.2 release (92-06)
-------------------------
1) Ps2pk now computes the same checksum as afm2tfm (dvips5.487 or
higher). This means that you have to update your VF and TFM files
with the new dvips5487lib files.
2) Bug fixes:
- the MSDOS version now correctly reads PFB font files
- a segmentation fault error removed (capri.pfa font)
- an out of memory problem fixed (davysrib.pfa font)
3) Added Makefile for MSDOS/DJGPP (Delorie's GCC for 386 systems)
Ps2pk 1.1 release (92-04)
-------------------------
1) Ps2pk uses now the same encoding scheme as introduced by afm2tfm 7.0
(dvips5485). But default (for all English/American writing TeX-friends)
the program uses the same encoding as is in the AFM-file belonging to
the type1 PostScript font (normally AdobeStandard). So the program does
not longer need re-encode to create a .cmi file containing the encoding
vector and the WX values. These are read directly from the AFM file.
Typical usage for standard encoding:
ps2pk -X329 Utopia-Regular rputr.329pk
or with EC.enc encoding:
ps2pk -eEC.enc -X329 Utopia-Regular rputr.329pk
2) I have added a -E<expansion> and -S<slant> option to ps2pk thanks to
the patches I got from Lee Hetherington.
3) I have added a MakeTeXPK script so that dvips and xdvi can use it.
4) I have added manual pages and some documentation (README + INSTALLATION).
5) Some inconveniences for MSDOS users are removed.
Ps2pk 1.0 release (92-03)
-------------------------
March 1995 Configuration files supplied. Makefile for the manual pages. January 1995 Kpathsea path searching added. Set up for use with MakeTeXPK December 1994 This modification of ps2pk version 1.4 is an attempt to provide for PK files that will be compatible with the recommendations of the TUG Working Group on a TeX Directory Structure for platform-independent support files. The sources in the src directory have been modified to provide for PK specials at the end of each PK file so that there will be an internal identification available if the files have to be stored under truncated DOS 8+3 names as xxxx.pk for all resolutions. For details see src/CHANGES and the manual page ps2pk.1 The original files are retained in this package with the suffix [ch]orig (which DOS will truncate to "COR" and "HOR" P. A. Mackay---mackay@cs.washington.edu
These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Netfuture.ch.