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below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and byline, copyright, and resource box below is included. ----------------------------------------------------------Font Basics
By Stephen Bucaro
A font is actually a graphic shape, for example a triangle, which can be used to create a typographic character. A group of fonts of similar design can be used to create a typeface. A set of typefaces in different sizes and weights, created from same group of fonts, is a type family. These terms are often misused, term "font" being used to mean a typeface.
There are two basic kinds of fonts, "bitmapped" fonts and "scalable" fonts. Bitmapped fonts are constructed as a pattern of dots. Bitmapped fonts can be enlarged, but this produces jagged looking type.
Scalable fonts are stored as outlines of characters along with rules (known as "hints") used when displaying font. This allows fonts to be displayed over a wider range of sizes and still look good. Scalable fonts can be used for both computer screen and printer, making it more likely that print will closely match what's seen on computer screen.
A font file will usually contain a set of fonts in several different point sizes. A font's size is height of characters in "points". There are 72 points per inch. The font size refers to height of characters when printed on paper. Unlike paper, computer screens come in different sizes and can be set to different screen resolutions. Also many applications allow user to magnify document; therefore, size of type on screen will only rarely be same as point size.
Adobe invented first scalable font technology called "PostScript", but PostScript basically became obsolete when Microsoft provided its "TrueType" scalable fonts for no extra charge with Windows operating system. One important feature of TrueType fonts is ability to embed font into document itself.
The fonts used in a document are embedded in an encrypted form that prevents recipient of a document from removing font and using it without paying for it. The font developer can configure font to be read-only, where receiver of document with font may view and print it but not edit it, or read-write, where receiver may edit, as well as view and print document.
