Font Builder

[TomMxEdit]

As part of the transition away from Type 1 Multiple Master fonts, I have fired up a PowerMac 9600 and installed my Adobe SuperATM software onto it to study them a bit more. I'm seeing an application called "Font Builder" and was just wondering what this is. In the About window it reads:

Font Builder 1.0

Copyright © 1992 Adobe Systems Inc.

Written by Steve Herskovitz

Am I correct in assuming this is some kind of precursor to the Folio or TypeKit service? It sort of looks that way as it is listing fonts that I don't have on my computer in it's simple menu.

Tom

[Warren Heaton]

Now there are two blasts from the past: a PowerMac 9600 and Font Builder.

If I remember correctly, Font Builder was a font editor allowing users to design/edit glyphs and publish them to various early font formats like Bitmap, Postscript, and TrueType.  So, not a precursor to font management.

Everyone at CalArts was using Fontographer back then, so I could be confusing Font Builder with something else.  Modern equivalents would be FontLab (https://www.fontlab.com/font-editor/fontlab/) or Glyphs (https://glyphsapp.com).

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse · Accepted solution]

Oh wow!

Indeed a blast from the past.

Font Builder was used in conjunction with SuperATM to create an instance (most particularly, a different size of screen fonts) of a subsitute font from the Adobe Sans and Serif fonts for fonts that were not part of the default database that came with the program. It was pretty weird.

I also remember the days of the first generation of ATM which allowed you to render (as I recall, almost on a case by case basis) a better screen rendition of what would normally be a maximum 24pt bitmap. I remember using it for the first time for a 100-point drop cap I had in my layout and was amazed at how crisp it was!!

These young kids today don't know AT ALL what we went through.

[S_Gans]

Just had to say "Thanks for the Memories"!!! 🙂