How to install .pfm Fonts on Mac?

[evintage]

Is there a way to convert the .pfm PC Type 1 font files I have purchased so they can be used on my OSX Mac? I need to use the font in Photoshop CS4 but it's not showing up after copying to HD>Library>Fonts folder. Thanks.

[Ozzwoman9]

Do you have a font manager (Font Book, FontExplorer X, Suitcase, etc)?

[evintage]

Yes, Font Book.

[Guest]

you can only use True Type PC fonts on a Mac or Open Type.

[evintage]

I tried copying the font files to

/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts but they still do not show up in PhotoShop.

Anyone used FontForge to convert fonts?

[Ramón G Castañeda]

A ".pfm" file is not a font, but just a partial component of a group of files that make up a PS Type1 font in the Windoze world.  It contains only information about the font metrics, not about the individual glyphs. (pfm = postscript font metrics)

You're not going to be able to "convert" that sucker to anything, ever.

[Ramón G Castañeda]

Just to elaborate on my previous post:

Two files are required to use a Type 1 font under Windows. The PFB file contains the actual font outline data. The PFM file contains metric data including kerning.

PFB (Printer Font Binary, also referred to as PostScript Font Binary): File name extension for a PostScript Type 1 font file. It contains font outline data in binary format. The PFB and an associated PFM file are used by ATM (Adobe Type Manager) on a PC.

PFM (Printer Font Metrics, also referred to as PostScript Font Metrics): File name extension for a Printer Font Metric. Includes much of the same information as the AFM file, only in binary format. ATM and Windows use this information for placing characters properly.

As I wrote earlier, if you only have the ".pfm" file and lack the ".pfb" file, you have nothing there to "convert".

Dyed-in-the-wool Mac users will remember that early PostScript Type 1 fonts for the Mac, beside the printer font and the bitmapped screen font. had a third, redundant, useless ".afm" file component that was supposed to be there in case an application ever needed to use it (no such application was ever developed) and that ".afm" file was the Mac equivalent of a Windows ".pfm", the difference is that the latter is required in Windows.  The ".pfm" file contains only kerning, tracking and spacing information.

[Nikhil_Bezalwar]

You can use your pfb/pfm-fonts at least in Indesign or Adobe applications on osX, if you install them  to the Fonts-Folder in your Indesign-Folder.
Indesign should be able to use  them, even if osX is not.

[Tai_Lao]

Nikhil Bezalwar wrote:

You can use your pfb/pfm-fonts at least in Indesign or Adobe applications on osX, if you install them  to the Fonts-Folder in your Indesign-Folder.
Indesign should be able to use  them, even if osX is not.

That assumes you do have the pfb font.  The original poster did NOT.

Note that the post to which you are replying is about a year old, and your reply does NOT address the issue of someone having just the font metrics file, rather than the font per se.

Just clarifying so nobody wastes time attempting to make do with a pfm file.

Wo Tai Lao Le

我太老了

[Guest]

Tai Lao wrote:

The original poster did NOT.

There is little reason to believe that original poster did not have the full font. As he claimed that the font was purchased, he probably had them but didn't realize where everything was.

PFB/PFM may be split in two locations.  When moving these font files from Windows, the PFB file might be found in a folder called PSFONTS and PFM might be in PSFONTS/PFM. Depending on how the system is set-up, some of these folders may be hidden from normal view.

[Tai_Lao]

From a strict reading of the posts of the original poster in this thread, there's no reason to assume that the OP had any other component(s) of the font either. 

He never contradicted the interpretation expressed by other posters to the effect he only had a pfm file, as opposed to the font file.

Obviously, if a poster gives false or incomplete information, then any advice based on that will necessarily be irrelevant. 

[Guest]

This topic has moved beyond value to just the OP. Nikhil apparently came to this thread from some sort of external search to add a helpful tip for future readers. So there really seems to be no need to discuss the OP's year-old situation.

One can either quibble over year old circumstances that probably no longer apply or one can provide general instruction to those that come here on a Google search.

[Nikhil_Bezalwar]

Guys - Just trying to help! As Marian mentioned it is just a tip for future

readers.. sorry if it is confusing.

[Tai_Lao]

Marian Driscoll wrote:

This topic has moved beyond value to just the OP. Nikhil apparently came to this thread from some sort of external search to add a helpful tip for future readers. So there really seems to be no need to discuss the OP's year-old situation.

One can either quibble over year old circumstances that probably no longer apply or one can provide general instruction to those that come here on a Google search.

Fine.  No need to "quibble".  Here's my "general instruction" for future readers:

If you have just the pfm file, you can't use that as a font on any Mac, no matter where you place it.

Wo Tai Lao Le

我太老了

[Nikhil_Bezalwar]

Will you let it go already Wo Tai Lao Le??? If you are just playing to have the last word and if it gives you so much pleasure.. so be it!! <ignore

[Tai_Lao]

Nikhil Bezalwar wrote:

Will you let it go already Wo Tai Lao Le Nikhil Bezalwar??? If you are just playing to have the last word and if it gives you so much pleasure.. so be it!! <ignore

[Tai_Lao]

I just noticed that you joined the forum one week ago and that this is your first post ever.  Welcome to the Adobe forums.

[Guest]

You can use your pfb/pfm-fonts at least in Indesign or Adobe applications
on osX, if you install them  to the Fonts-Folder in your
Indesign-Folder.
Indesign should be able to use  them, even if osX is not.

Well, I'm glad I decided to read through this old thread... I had no idea this was possible, and for one very specific job we get in every month it will be a huge time-saver!

Thanks!

EDIT: if you put the PC PostScript fonts in the main Adobe fonts folder (Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts/) all the Suite apps can use them. Fantastic!

[Guest]

You could acquire a font converter...

http://www.fontlab.com/font-converter/transtype/

http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/

evintage wrote:

I tried copying the font files to

/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts but they still do not show up in PhotoShop.

Anyone used FontForge to convert fonts?

Edit: Ahhh.. I am slow to post. Yes, FontForge can convert. I use it ocassionally. If you want to go that route, you'll need to be daring about an abnormal installation process on Mac and take some time to understand what you are doing when opening and resaving a font file in a new format.

[Guest]

I never had much luck with font forge.

[juana_y_sus_hermanas]

Hello, try to upload your font file here http://onlinefontconverter.com/myfonts.php it works!