Font Formats
Type 1 is the name of the worldwide standard for digital type software
(International Standards Organization outline font standard, ISO 9541). It
was first developed by Adobe Systems for use in PostScript(TM) printers.
Although Adobe is a leader in the design and manufacturing of Type 1
software and maintains the standards for Type 1, hundreds of companies
around the world have designed and released more than 30,000 fonts in the
Type 1 format.
Type 1 is the only digital type format recognized on every computer
platform from micro- computers to mainframes. It will print on virtually
every printer, either directly through built-in PostScript language
interpreting, or through add-on utilities, such as Adobe Type Manager.
The TrueType(TM) format was developed by Microsoft Corporation and Apple
Computer for use in their proprietary operating environments to improve the
low-quality bitmap fonts originally used in those systems. Like Type 1,
the format for TrueType is available to any interested party.
Why Type 1?
Using Type 1 offers the following benefits:
- Type 1 format files are smaller. Usually about half the size
of TrueType, Type 1 files take up less room on your computer's hard disk.
- Type 1 offers the greatest selection. Over 30,000 Type 1 faces are
available today in a variety of price ranges for most computer platforms.
Type 1 is the format recognized by hundreds of models of PostScript
printers sold by dozens of manufacturers.
- Type 1 documents are portable. Type 1 is available on virtually
every computer platform from microcomputers to mainframes. Documents
created on one platform can be moved to any of the others with little
effort. TrueType is only available on Macintosh(R) and Windows(TM) systems.
- Type 1 is the only recognized international standard. It's
available on virtually every computer platform, preferred by professional
computer graphic designers and required by typesetting service bureaus.
- Very few TrueType fonts offer expert sets, old style figures, small
caps, ligatures, and other variations required for professional typography.
Why Choose Adobe Type?
Adobe type offers the following benefits:
- Highest Quality--Adobe typefaces offer the highest-quality digital
type you can buy. That's because their Type 1 format allows the finer
points of each character to be imaged as sharply and accurately as
possible, given the resolution of your monitor, printer, imagesetter or
film recorder. Because Adobe's highly trained staff analyzes and tests
every character as it is created in the Type 1 format, you can be sure
typefaces converted from world renowned libraries remain true to the
foundry design and that original typefaces are expertly crafted.
- Broadest Selection--Comprising over 2,000 typefaces, the Adobe Type Library
offers the largest selection of high-quality Type 1 typefaces. Their
designs are licensed from the oldest and most respected type foundries in
the world, as well as being crafted as Adobe Originals by award- winning
contemporary type designers.
- Technological Leadership--Adobe Systems is the leader in the field of
digital typographic production and design for good reason. The engineers
and designers at Adobe Systems are constantly striving to improve the
technology that gave birth to high-quality digital type. For example, the
most recent development in the design of high-quality original type is
Adobe's multiple master technology. It allows a huge variety of typefaces
to be generated from a single Type 1 font.
What is the PostScript language?
The PostScript computer programming language was originally developed by
Adobe Systems to communicate complex graphic printing instructions to
digital laser printers. It is now built into most laser printers and
available in many operating systems for high-quality rendering of images on
display screens.
An important characteristic of the PostScript language is that it is device
independent. This means that it will produce good-looking images
regardless of the resolution or color rendering of the output medium. It
takes full advantage of whatever capabilities are built into the device.
Type 1 fonts are in fact a specialized form of PostScript program and are
the normal file format used for type display on all PostScript printers and
displays. Type 1 is the only format that takes full advantage of the
capabilities of Adobe PostScript language software.
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