- FONTS - The
Basics
- System fonts are loaded before the finder,
extenstions and control panels - a corrupt font can
cause a crash, bomb or freeze at startup. The more
fonts that are loaded the more memory the system uses.
128 fonts is the current maximum for system
fonts.
- Corrupt fonts can cause printing anomalies.
- Damaged fonts can be one ot the most difficult
problems to diagnose and solve.
- Fortunately, since 1995 several utilities have
been published which address the problem.
- There are two common types of fonts - PostScript
and Truetype - conventional wisdom is to use one or
the other, especially if you use a service bureau or
printer.
- A Postscript font consists of two parts - the
screen font, which is usually (and should be)
contained in a Font Suitcase (a special container
designed for screen fonts), and the Outline or Printer
font, which needs to be stored in the same folder as
the screen font (whether it is activated by the system
(System Folder:Fonts) or a font manager (Suitcase, ATM
Deluxe, Font Reserve, or Font Juggler).
- The Screen font is a bitmap picture of the font at
a specific size - ie. 12 point and/or 18 point for
example. This is the part of the font that enables the
font to be listed in the font menu, it also provides
the screen picture of the font at that particular
size.
- For a font to be displayed cleanly at 17point or
18.5point, use Adobe's ATM Deluxe (Adobe Type
Manager). http://www.adobe.com
- The Rules .
- Fonts that are always needed are stored in the
Fonts folder in the System Folder (maximum number of
Suitcases - 128)(suitcase can be merged into one).The
more fonts open at one time, the slower your Mac and
applications will be.
Each Font Suitcase in the System's Font folder counts
toward the number of files that can be open at one
time..
- Each Font Suitcase in the System's Font folder
counts toward the number of files that can be open at
one time..
- For smooth fonts on screen, no matter the size -
ie. 17.5 point - use Adobe Type Manager (ATM).
- Adobe recommends that ATM have 50k of memory per
font opened - each font has to be calculated for the
size specified if that size is not included in the
suitcase (screen font).
- ATM uses the screen font and the Printer font to
calculate the font display
- If you use more than 25 fonts, it is recommended
that you use a font management utility - Suitcase,
Juggler, ATM, Font Reserve, etc.
- Symptoms
- Freeze just as the Finder finishes
appearing. ATM is typically loaded as the last
extension (that is why it has a ~ (tilde) mark
starting it's name), as it activates it loads in it's
database of fonts. IF one of the fonts is damaged in
the correct manner or if ATM does not have enough
memory allocated to it, it will cause a freeze, error
message or crash (typically, a freeze).
- Freeze at startup - fonts in the System
Folder:Fonts folder are loaded before extenstions and
control panels. (and are loaded into system memory as
they are moved into the Fonts folder)
- Incorrect printing, no printing, a
PostScript error message, or substitution of Courier
for a font.
- Word 5.1 or >, Pagemaker 3.0 or >, Xpress,
Freehand 2.0 or >, Illustrator, or other page
layout program crashes on opening. Typically, just
when the loading fonts message appears in the
application's Splash Screen.
- Refusal of Freehand or Illustrator to create or
correctly create paths from a font selection.
Finding the Damage
- Disinfectant v3.71
(ftp://ftp.acns.nwu.edu/pub/disinfectant/ &endash; or
online services) is a virus protection utility that
can sometimes find damaged fonts. This can also point
out damaged system files. The 3.71 version will be the
last update ot this utility.
- DTC Font Director was on LaserMaster Printer
Install Disks. It is a utility that will find fonts
that are missing printer fonts, spread across multiple
suitcases, and damaged fonts.
- FontAgent v8 is a utility that can
organize,.optimize and diagnose damaged fonts.
http://www.theinside.com
- Double-clicking on a font suitcase will open it
and display the included screen fonts. IF the suitcase
refuses to open or an error message is displayed, one
or more of the fonts can be damaged &endash; or the
suitcase itself can be damaged. Double-clicking on a
font within a suitcase will open a window with a 10,
12, or 18 point sample of that font. If the font is
damaged, it will not display or display
incorrectly.
- Help! from Total Recall (also part of MacMedic)
will find damaged fonts as well as other file damage.
(Not available as of Aug 25, 1999)
- Both Freehand and Illustrator can take text, using
the screen font and printer font, to create an outline
or path. IF the font is damaged this will not work,
produce an error message, or create an inaccurate
path.
- Norton Disk Doctor can diagnose severely damaged
fonts.
- Repairing the Damage
- Repair is not currently possible, replacement with
a known-good font is the only alternative.
-
- Font Problems, But It's Not a Damaged
Font
- Allocate more memory to ATM. Adobe
recommends 50k per open font. If you only use the
installed sizes of your fonts (10, 12, maybe 18 point)
this may not produce any differences.
- Allocate more memory to your font manager.
Suitcase or Juggler
- Allocate more memory to the problem
application.
- Remove the ATM database from the System
Folder (move to the Desktop), restart, test.
- Remove the Preferences Folder from the
System Folder (move to the Desktop), restart,
test.
- Allocate more memory to PrintMonitor (increase
to 256k or greater) (Extensions Folder) (If
background printing is ON) or Desktop PrintMonitor
(Extensions Folder) (If Desktop Printing AND
background printing is ON).
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