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List:       freetype
Subject:    Re: [Freetype] Help with font improvement
From:       Juliusz Chroboczek <jch () pps ! jussieu ! fr>
Date:       2002-12-18 20:11:28
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VP> TrueType fonts are nightmare, and they Should Die, IMHO.

I don't wish to polemize on this point.

I'd like to point out, though, that OpenType/CFF fonts (``OTF'')
contain Type 1 outlines[1] in a sfnt wrapper.  Thus, all hinting
techniques applicable to Type 1 apply to them, but they also have all
the advantages of the sfnt wrapper:

  - single file for both outlines and metrics (no AFM files);
  - efficient random access (no need to read the whole thing into
    memory) even for very large fonts;
  - possibility to include OpenType Layout tables;
  - possibility to included embedded bitmaps (sbits).

They are fully supported by FreeType 2, and therefore XFree86 CVS (and
therefore XFree86 4.3 [3], unless something goes wrong), and I would
tend to recommend them for free font projects[2].

                                        Juliusz

[1] Type 2, actually, but that's irrelevant for the discussion at
    hand.

[2] And what for people whose hardware still isn't supported by
    XFree86 4?  Simply use the font server and the Xft library from
    XFree86 4.3.

[3] I'm in a footnote mood tonight.  As far as I can tell, XFree86 4.3
    is basically feature-complete; this is the right time to test CVS
    if you've got the time and inclination.

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