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Make Your Own Layout - Type Basics For Designing
Marketing Materials Part 5
By Brenda Lewis
Type formats: Postscript, TrueType and OpenType
When you make your own layout, one of the things you'll have to do is choose typefaces. To do that well, you need to know a little bit about type and typography. In this article, we will look at font formats.
The three digital type formats in use today -- Postscript, TrueType and OpenType -- are all scalable (or outline) fonts. This means that the fonts appear on screen the same way they will be printed. Each character is made up of mathematically defined lines and curves. And the font software includes a set of instructions that tell your computer and printer how to draw each character at whatever size and resolution is required.
Of the three, Postscript (also referred to as PostScript Type 1, PS1, T1 or Adobe Type 1) is the oldest. It was introduced by Adobe in 1985. The original Postscript fonts were still bit-mapped on screen, but printed beautifully on Postscript printers. For many years after this, if desktop publishers and graphic designers wanted scalable fonts, their only choice was Adobe.
Then, in 1991, Apple introduced TrueType in an attempt to get out from under the high licensing fees charged by Adobe for using Postscript fonts in its system software. TrueType fonts were even scalable on screen. Apple then worked out an attractive licensing deal with Microsoft. In response Adobe introduced Adobe Type Manager, which allowed Postscript fonts to be scalable on screen and to be printed on non-Postscript printers. They also published the Postscript font format specifications which allowed others to create Postscript fonts.
Apple eventually reached an agreement with Adobe to continue to use Postscript fonts in their printers. Meanwhile, Microsoft added TrueType fonts to the Windows 3.1 operating system and contracted with Monotype to create high quality TrueType fonts that were compatible with the basic fonts used in Postscript laser printers.
OpenType was originally developed by Microsoft and they were later joined by Adobe. OpenType is intended to be the successor to both the Postscript and the TrueType font formats. OpenType fonts began shipping in 2000, and Adobe finished converting its entire font library to OpenType by the end of 2002.
OpenType fonts come in two "flavors." OpenType fonts with the .otf file extension use the Postscript outline format. OpenType fonts with the .ttf file extension use the TrueType outline format.
One of the most attractive things about OpenType, from a design standpoint, is the ability to access advanced typographic features like ligatures, old-style numerals, fractions, and true small caps in one font. Before OpenType, these features were only available in "expert sets." These were separate font files from the normal fonts.
To download my free ebook that shows typography in action designing a flyer, click here: http://www.yeow-to-wow.com
Brenda Lewis is a veteran graphic designer who has conducted graphic design workshops for both local and national audiences.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The author is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this article.
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