PostScript Fonts

Type 1 PostScript fonts are strongly recommended, especially for Macintosh files. TrueType fonts are acceptable in most cases for Macintosh and Windows, although problems occassionally arise that create time-consuming workarounds. If you use a Macintosh and have a choice between the two font types, always choose PostScript.

Grunwald Printing has an inventory of over 2,300 Adobe PostScript fonts for Macintosh and Windows.

Font Locations top of page

Macintosh

System Folder:Fonts: (unless you are using Suitcase or some other font management program)

Font suitcase. Contains screen fonts or TrueType fonts.

TrueType font. May be loose in the Fonts folder or enclosed in a suitcase.

Screen font. May be loose in the Fonts folder or enclosed in a suitcase.

Adobe PostScript® font, or "printer font file". Other vendors will have different icons, but they will all show the "Kind" as PostScript font.

PostScript fonts have a separate file for each style: bold, italic, etc. The names are abbreviated with a 5 + 3 + 3 + ... naming convention. For example, the font "Caslon 224" has PostScript font files with these names:

Caslon 224 = CasloTwoTweFou
Caslon 224 Black Italic = CasloTwoTweFouBlaIta

If there is no file for a certain style for a PostScript font, like bold, then that style is not available for this font. Do not apply a bold or italic to the regular font in this case (see "Font Styles" below).

PostScript printer and screen fonts must always be sent together. They will not work without both components.

Sometimes a suitcase contains both screen fonts for PostScript and TrueType fonts at the same time. This can cause serious problems when we output the document. Make sure suitcases only contain one or the other. You can drag the TrueType font out of the suitcase and make it into a file by itself. If you have the PostScript printer files, use these instead of the TrueType fonts.

Windows

TrueType font. ".ttf" extension (location - c:\Windows\System\Fonts)

Adobe PostScript font. ".pfb" extension (location -c:\psfonts\); and ".pfm" extension (location - c:\psfonts\pfm\).

PostScript printer fonts (.pfb) and screen fonts (.pfm) must always be sent together. They will not work without both components.

Windows font file names are often only eight characters in length (thanks to DOS). Some of the font file names are undecipherable. Fortunately, Windows 95/98 usually show the full name. If the full name does not show, try double-clicking on it in the desktop view.

Font Styles top of page

If you want an outline around the type, create it in a graphics program. Outlines applied from the style menu will not work properly with some output devices, and you have no control over the outline weight.

Drop shadow text should be created with two text boxes. Offset and color these however you desire; just remember to edit both text boxes if there are type changes.

Examine the type specimen sheet that came with the fonts, or the program that the fonts came with, so you know if they support bold and/or italic styles. If a bold is not shown on the specimen sheet, it cannot be made bold by any other means.

One way to see if a bold or italic style can be applied to a font is to try it in Adobe Illustrator, FreeHand or CorelDraw. These programs (wisely) will not allow you to apply an unsupported type style.

You should always select the bold/italic font from the font menu. Only apply bold or italic as a style if you know for certain that it is valid (Times supports bold, italic, and bold+italic styles, for instance). If you apply the bold or italic style that is not supported by the font, one of these things can happen:

• The font will appear as the normal face, but the tracking is tighter or looser than expected.
• Letters appear in the wrong font and overlap each other; some of the words are illegible.
• The letters look fatter, but on closer inspection it looks like the type has been double-struck, and the corners of letters are ragged (common with PageMaker).
• The font prints in Courier instead.

Most decorative, headline and script fonts do not support bold or italic styles.

NEVER apply a "bold" style to fonts named "Light," "Demi," "Bold," "Semibold," "Heavy," etc. NEVER apply an "italic" style to an font with an italic or oblique name.

Missing Fonts top of page

If a font is missing, we will contact you and ask you to send the font, either on a disk, e-mail or by FTP transfer. If you are unable to send the font, we will substitute as closely as possible. However, production delays may occur if this is widespread, since we may have to correct many line break and kerning errors.