FontStudio is Letraset’s new design and editing program for the creation of high quality type, logos, and symbols. Its goal is to give the professional maximum control over every aspect of type design, while also being easy enough for the new or casual user to master. And if you want to do all your typographic work in one complete type environment, this program is for you.
PostScript fonts can be created from scratch or imported from virtually all formats including Adobe, Fontographer, and LetraFonts. Individual characters can be autotraced from imported scanned line art (PICT, PICT II, TIFF, Paint), brought in from Illustrator files via the Clipboard, or drawn directly. A variety of Bezier tools and features are available for manipulation and editing. A “Reduce Segments” feature reduces the number of segments along a path, and speeds up print time. “Make Parallel Paths” creates lines or curves inside or outside a given curve and saves time when generating characters such as P, Q, or R. “Intersect paths” creates new points where lines intersect-a help when creating overlapping letters or symbols. A replication feature allows for all sorts of precise repetitions, scaling, rotating, and slanting of any line, character or font. Precise numeric feedback is given at all times for the exact creation, placement and measurement of elements. Any character or part of a character can referenced to another, e.g. with n and ñ the same element can be used in two places for a savings in font size.
FontStudio’s Library is a real time saver. Up to 28 serifs, stems, or other character parts can be stored in a Library and quickly brought out for faster creation of new letterforms. FontStudio not only automatically pastes the character part into your .design, but will fit it exactly in its original location, as well as extend or join it to existing line segments automatically. Changes made to any part in the Library will automatically cause characters using that part to be updated, so editing is really streamlined.
Hints can be assigned to letters to maintain their appearence at small point sizes. Multiple levels of undo, color selection, and tool to key assignments are also supported, as well as many Foreign language font options.
Once you are through creating your outines, you can also automatically create your bitmapped fonts for your screen and Quickdraw printing devices such as the ImageWriter and LaserWriter SC. You can choose the point sizes to be generated, and can apply a complete set of bitmapped tools for control of the bitmapped environment. Bitmaps can be colored using up to 256 colors and blends for enhancement of screen driven presentations.
One of FontStudio’s most outstanding of professional features is its Kerning abilities. Kerning is the moving of two characters closer than their margins would normally permit. The letters A, W, and T usually look better when the A is tucked slightly under the W, etc. FontStudio allows the user to visually or mathematically assign relationships between letters, as well as to adjust character widths, and sidebearings. You can also assign relative sidebearing relationships to character parts. If a lower case “I” needs half the side space that a “b” does, you can assign a b/2 code to the “l” and a relationship is established. So when you start an alphabet, you can set an artibrary spacing for various parts letters or parts of the letterforms, list them in the Parameters window by name or code name, and then assign appropriate relationships between letters. FontStudio automates much of the chore of working through hundreds of kerning pair combinations. (Actually, there are over 47,000 of them, but only several hundred are relevant to good typesetting requirements). It also allows you to import and export text, so you can test kerning relationships.
After outlines, bitmaps and kerning are finished, FontStudio automatically generates downloadable PostScript files and packs Suitcases for the screen fonts. You can generate a wide variety of font and character printouts automatically, for excellent feedback as you develop type, symbols, or logos. It also gives excellent support for the creation of fonts for foreign languages.
FontStudio is one of Letraset’s Studio Line (DesignStudio, LetraStudio, ColorStudio, ImageStudio, and FontStudio), solutions which create a complete and integrated design environment. It comes with two versions: Mac SE/30 or II series with 2 mb ram and 20 mb hard drive, or a Mac Plus version for use with 1 mb ram, 20 mb hard drive, and the current Apple operating system. It lists for $595.
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