6.0534 Rs: Fonts (2/55)
Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 18 Feb 1993 16:04:03 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0534. Thursday, 18 Feb 1993.
(1) Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 09:07:01 (39 lines)
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 6.0520 Rs: Fonts (2/69)
(2) Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 09:15:18 (16 lines)
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 6.0520 Rs: Fonts (2/69)
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 09:07:01
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 6.0520 Rs: Fonts (2/69)
In connection with Evan Antworth's comment on the availability of IPA
TrueType fonts for Macs and in the MS Windows environment for PCs, it may be
useful to know that there is a way to use TrueType fonts in plain DOS.
There is a package called TrueType for DOS, by MicroLogic, that can be used
to install TrueType fonts in MS Word (for DOS) and WordPerfect, as well as
some other packages by the same vendors (MS Works, PlanPerfect, etc.). It
allows the user to print from these packages using TrueType fonts in any
appropriate point size on a number of different printers. I don't recall
the whole list, but it does support at least HP LaserJets, Postscript
lasers, and (in graphics mode) various dot matrix printers. TrueType for
DOS comes with its own set of 36 TrueType fonts, but the attraction in the
present context is that it can also install additional TrueType fonts like
the ones in the SIL-IPA package.
I've used TrueType for DOS some with MS Word and an HP LaserJet, and found
the results satisfactory. The main problem with TrueType for DOS that I've
noticed is that the installation tool doesn't like my Logitech mouse driver.
One problem with using the SIL-IPA fonts that I've noticed is that there is
no accompanying screen font, so that you don't see the characters on the
screen. Since the SIL-IPA package wasn't designed to work with straight
DOS, the absence of a screen font is not unexpected. You can create your
own with a little patience and a tool like the Duke Language Toolkit.
Another problem is that the SIL-IPA characters are at least partly in the
upper ASCII range that can't be keyed easily from a standard keyboard. So
the DOS user has to find a way to modify the keyboard, perhaps by using a
tool like SIL's Keyswap (not ideal for use with MS Word 5.5). In MS Word
you can also use the alt key + number of the keypad approach.
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The recommendations above are my own, and do not reflect the practice or
policy of my employer.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 09:15:18
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 6.0520 Rs: Fonts (2/69)
As an SIL affiliate Evan Antworth doesn't mention it, for fear of violating
Internet rules on advertisement of commercial products, but the freeware
SIL-IPA package has a commercial big brother SIL Encore Fonts, with the same
fonts but upwards of 900 phonetic characters, not just a 256 character
implementation of IPA. It is $63 with postage and handling. It includes
things like nasal hooks that are important in Americanist orthographies, but
beyond the pale in IPA. It also includes a more complete PC character set.
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The recommendation above is my own, and does not reflect the practice or
policy of my employer.