This chapter covers:
Displaying samples of bitmapped fonts and scalable typefaces.
Using the X11R5 font server.
Understanding and using the XLFD (X Logical Font Description) font name for bitmapped fonts and scalable typefaces.
Administering bitmapped fonts and scalable typefaces.
Chapters containing related information are:
Chapter 5 covers where and when to set resources.
Chapter 7 covers running clients from the command line.
A font is a type style in which text characters are printed.
The X Window System includes a variety of fonts.
Bitmapped fonts are made from a matrix of dots. The font is completely contained in one file. Many files are needed to have a complete range of sizes, slants, and weights. Bitmapped font files can be read by the X server or the font server.
Scalable typefaces are each defined by a file containing a mathematical outline used by the system to create a bitmapped font for a particular size, slant, or weight. Scalable typefaces are readable by the font server. An X server wishing to use them must obtain them from a font server. See the sections entitled "Scalable Typeface Administration" and "Scalable Typefaces File Structure" in this chapter for more information.
Hewlett-Packard's X11R5 release of the font server supports two scalable font technologies: Agfa's Intellifont and Adobe's Type 1. Scalable outlines bundled with your operating system include Agfa's "CG Times," "Univers," and "Courier," and Adobe's "Utopia" and "Courier."
In addition to the scalable font technology available with the X11R5 font server, both the X server and the font server are now capable of rescaling bitmapped fonts to any size. This is not a recommended method of creating new fonts from existing ones — the results are often unsightly or even unreadable — but it is occasionally useful. The discussion of scaled fonts below also applies to scaled bitmaps, except where indicated.
The Intellifont Scalable Typeface Library available from Agfa includes hundreds of different designs.
Please call Agfa directly at 1-800-424-TYPE (8973) for more information about Intellifont typeface products.
