Adobe Postscript Type 1 fonts and Windows 7

[kdcutler]

I have a disk with Adobe Postscript Type 1 fonts ("Adobe Type Basics" that I purchased in 2001). The disk includes an install program that does not work on my current computer (Windows 7, 64). Can I get those fonts installed on my current computer, and if so, how do I do it. Step by step, please. Many thanks.

[Dov Isaacs]

Don't install any software for installation of those fonts. Clearly, software for much older versions of Windows is either not going to install or at worst can do terrible damage to a WIndows 7 system.

Type 1 fonts may be readily installed by right-clicking on the .pfm files and performing the Install operation. This causes the font's .pfm and .pfb files to be properly copied to the C:\Windows\fonts directory and registered in the system as fonts.  Note that the .pfm and .pfb files for each font should be in the same directory from which you perform the installation process. (In many early Adobe font releases, the .pfm files were in a separate subdirectory from the .pfb files.)

          - Dov

[kdcutler]

Thought I was home free but...

On the disk for each font there are three files: .afm, .pfb, and a setup information file. When I right click on either of the first two,I get several options (send to, copy, create shortcut, etc.) but no install option. There is an install option for the "setup information" file but when I clicked on it, nothing seemed to happen.

The bottom line is there are no .pfm files.

Other suggestions?

[Dov Isaacs]

Check and see if there are subdirectories with the name PFM. If so, move the .pfm files from that directory to the level below and follow my instructions from above.

          - Dov

[kdcutler]

No subdirectories as far as I could tell from the screen. The folder is labeled "Adobe Type Basics Fonts"--only files appear inside, were the three files listed above. I did a search for pfm on the disk and found no files with a .pfm designation. Time to give up? I hate to take up your time. Many thanks.

[Dov Isaacs]

Let me see what I can do to assist you.

          - Dov

[Dov Isaacs]

I have sent you a .ZIP archive via e-mail with the .pfm files corresponding to the .pfb files in your package. Please don't redistribute.

Let us know if this solved your problem.

          - Dov

[kdcutler]

Yes, I received the file. I downloaded and copied to my desktop, and

opened. The file consists of a long list of tuypes, each with a small A

icon and under "type" the designation Type 1 font file. When I right click

and select "install" I get the install box, then immediately a message

that: The file 'C:\Users\Karan\Dekstop\...\AGD_.PFM' does not appear to be

a valid font.

Have I missed a step somewhere? Sorry to be so stupid. But it is

interesting how this had led to another conversation about fonts!

For the record, what I really want is Times, which is not in the font

collection that Frank

Griesshammer<http://forums.adobe.com/people/Frank+Griesshammer>mentions.

Again, sorry to take up so much time. Karan

[Dov Isaacs]

You must put the extracted .pfm file in the exact same directory as the .pfb file for the same font for the install process to work. In this particular case, you put the .pfm file on your desktop, but that isn't were your .pfb file is. Extract all the .pfm files to the location where you have the .pfb files and the install should work.

          - Dov

[kdcutler]

Dear Dov: You're working with a font idiot here. The folder of files that I

downloaded, that Windows 7 appears to have unzipped automatically, is

filled with .pfm files.

You say to put the pfm files where the pfb file is.

1. Where are the pfb files?

2. How do I "extract" a pfm file to the location where the pfb files are?

I tried pulling one of the font pfm files into the fonts folder, but it

doesn't seem to work. I'm assuming once I get the pfm files in the right

place the "install" option when I right click on the file will work.

Can you give me more detailed instructions--Windows 7. And I apologize yet

again. Karan

[Dov Isaacs]

In your earlier postings, you mention a disk that you have on which there are .pfb files. Copy those files into the same directory into which you placed the .pfm files that you extracted from the .ZIP file I sent you. The .pfm and .pfb files must be in the same directory for the Windows font installer to work.

Once you have those files in the same directory (not  the C:\Windows\fonts directory!!!), then right clicking on the .pfm file and selecting install should enable full and proper installation of the Type 1 font.

          - Dov

[kdcutler · Accepted solution]

Dov: I DID IT I DID IT! Or rather, YOU DID IT. I copied the files from my

Adobe Type Basics disk into the folder of file you sent, and the install

worked. Thank you so much. Life would have gone on without my favorite

Times font, but it's much nicer with it. I appreciate all the time you

spent walking me through this. Is there somewhere I can rave about you?

Karan

[Dov Isaacs]

Congratulations!

Simply click the Correct button under my previous post and that will effectively close the thread! 

          - Dov

[1234nh1234]

Hi Dov,

You write:

"Copy those files into the same directory into which you placed the .pfm files that you extracted from the .ZIP file I sent you. The .pfm and .pfb files must be in the same directory for the Windows font installer to work. 

Once you have those files in the same directory (not the C:\Windows\fonts directory!!!), then right clicking on the .pfm file and selecting install should enable full and proper installation of the Type 1 font."

However,

i need the associated .pfm file to open the

AT845.PFB on my new Windows 7 computer.Disk is no longer available .My (human) printer sent me the AT845.PFB to address my wedding invitations but i need your help to use them.

Thanks,

1234nh1234

[Dov Isaacs]

Go back to your “(human) printer” for the .PFM file matching the .PFB file. Without the .PFM file, the .PFB file useless for you.

Nothing we can do to help you otherwise from here!

          - Dov

[kdcutler]

Did this go to the wrong person. You solved my font problem months ago, and

I thank you again.

[Dov Isaacs]

Someone else asked a similar question.

     - Dov

[Frank Grießhammer]

Thank you Dov for solving that problem.

I would like to make you aware of the following: There is an updated version of the Adobe Type Basics; called Adobe Type Basics OpenType Edition.

Instead of PostScript fonts (which can often be problematic, as you noticed) this package includes OpenType fonts that have many benefits like larger character sets, Unicode support, OpenType features, and probably even bug fixes.

I understand there are a lot of reasons for installing older versions of fonts; but if it is just for the purpose of using them for new documents, I would recommend looking into an update.

Just like other software, digital fonts may show their age after 11 years.

[Dov Isaacs]

Although we at Adobe certainly do recommend use of OpenType font technology going forward and especially for new publishing projects for any number of very good reasons, Adobe does continue to fully support Type 1 fonts (FWIW, TrueType and OpenType fonts are every bit as much PostScript fonts as Type 1 or Type 3 fonts are) in all our applications as well as in our Adobe PostScript and Adobe PDF Print Engine products and has committed to do so for the indefinite future.

In fact, Adobe still does license and ship Type 1 fonts in fairly high quantities. Every printer sold with Adobe PostScript 3 by Adobe's OEM partners such as Xerox, Ricoh, Canon, Océ, EFI, etc. is accompanied with host software that includes the Windows and Macintosh host versions of all the Type 1 fonts that are also printer resident.

Actually, the problem that the OP of this thread was experiencing is that apparently, the Adobe Type Basics was built without the .pfm files that normally were shipped with all Adobe type packages for Windows. When ATM was required for installation of those fonts, since ATM had the capability of building .pfm files on-the-fly, this omission wasn't noticed at the time by most users (even I wasn't aware of it until today). Otherwise, there was nothing wrong with those fonts and there was nothing about them that was “showing their age.”

Unfortunately, the Adobe Type Basics OpenType Edition is not a superset of the fonts in the original Adobe Type Basics product. Many of the font families of the original product were replaced by totally different font families. Updating to the OpenType-based product would not have solved the OP's problem without possibly needing to license a whole bunch of additional font families individually, possibly costing more than the $99 for the Adobe Type Basics OpenType Edition itself. For existing content (including templates and artwork), it is not simple to move from Type 1 to OpenType without going through existing content and globally changing all font references. The OpenType versions of Adobe's font do not have the same names as the Type 1 versions - this was not an oversight, but done for good reason since there are differences between the products in encoding and metrics that could in some cases cause layout issues.

          - Dov