Re: [Bulk] Re: Font metrics in AFPDS?

If I understand this right, you're trying to make proportional fonts "line
up" like non-proportional (or fixed font, like courrier) fonts.

That's futile on it's own. You'd need the use of tabs, tables, or
something else.

Why not generate the report as HTML? (or XML, JSON that can be styled into
HTML)

Brad
www.bvstools.com

On Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 8:07 PM, Mark S Waterbury <
mark.s.waterbury@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi, James:

But it is not just an EBCDIC issue ... it depends on what font(s) you are
using. As I recall, some fonts are fixed, like Courier, and some others
are variable, where each letter only takes up the width it needs. :-o

Not sure if that helps, though ...

Mark

On 3/18/2015 8:56 PM, James H. H. Lampert wrote:

On 3/18/15 4:50 PM, Booth Martin wrote:

"Kern" may be the word you are looking for?

A kern is a portion of one glyph that overlaps an adjacent character
position.

In foundry type, a kern is a physical extension of the letter past the
left or right side of the type body. And if it collides with part of an
adjacent letter, it will break off. That's why the ff, fi, fl, ffi, and ffl
ligatures are by far the most common: they don't just save some miniscule
amount of the typesetter's time; they also allow the component letters to
be set in a way that's visually right, without breaking the type.

In linecast type, except for the above ligatures, kerning is only
possible on a Ludlow, and only with oblique matrix bodies. That's why
italics tend to look a little loose when set on a Linotype or Intertype.

In phototype and digital type, of course, kerning (and tracking
adjustments) can be done with reckless abandon, since you're not trying to
put two physical objects into the same space, nor are you (were you to
attempt loose tracking without inserting spacing material) opening up gaps
that would leak hot type metal (as on linecasting equipment) or keep the
type forme from lifting (as in foundry type or Monotype).

But getting back to width tables and measuring the set width of type:

I actually have manually generated width tables (for Postscript fonts
that I wanted to use in Xerox Ventura Publisher, but for which there
weren't any compatible width tables), and well, there are only 190
characters to deal with in EBCDIC, and around 50 of them are just
diacritical variations on others, so it wouldn't be all that difficult to
do it myself. But if somebody else has already invented that wheel (and at
some level, somebody HAS to have, in order for the fonts to be usable),
it's a shame to have to reinvent it myself.

--
JHHL

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