Font Folio OpenType Edition

[Thomas Phinney]

Press Release Source: Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe Announces OpenType Edition of Font Folio
Monday August 11, 8:12 am ET
New Version Offers the Adobe Type Library in Enhanced Cross-Platform Font Format

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 11, 2003--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE - News), the leader in network publishing, today introduced a new version of Adobe® Font Folio(TM) featuring the Adobe Type Library in OpenType® format on one CD-ROM. The Adobe Font Folio (OpenType Edition) product contains more than 2,000 fonts in OpenType format, which allows for richer linguistic support and more advanced typographic control in any print, Web or dynamic media project. Adobe also announced the availability of a new special version with a 10-computer license, making it more affordable for small design shops to access the entire Adobe Type Library.

Adobe and Microsoft Corporation created the OpenType font format to improve cross-platform document portability and simplify font management, by introducing one font file that works on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Creative professionals benefit from extended foreign language support and the inclusion of expert typographic glyphs, such as small caps, old style figures and swashes, in many OpenType fonts.

"The OpenType font format is much more convenient than the old Type 1 or TrueType fonts," said David Blatner, co-author of Real World InDesign, InDesign for QuarkXPress Users and Real World Photoshop. "With Adobe's new Font Folio in OpenType format, I love having large character sets in the same font instead of having to work with a whole array of related font files."

Pricing and Availability

The Adobe Font Folio [OpenType Edition] product is available immediately and will be sold primarily through the Adobe store at www.adobe.com, Adobe retail and licensing channels, and includes a standard 20-computer license for US$8,999. License extensions are also available and Font Folio is included in Adobe's transactional and contractual licensing programs. Upgrade pricing from Font Folio versions 8 or 9 to Font Folio OpenType Edition is US$2,499. Adobe is also releasing a special 10-computer license of Font Folio OpenType Edition for smaller design workplaces that is available for US$4,999. International English versions are available where localized versions are not sold.

Full Press Release:
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200308/081103FONTFOLIO.html

Product page: http://www.adobe.com/products/fontfolio/main.html

List of all the fonts is here.

More information on compatibility and differences between the OpenType fonts and their Type 1 counterparts is here. Look in the right-hand column for links to the two cross-reference documents, and the font conversion FAQ.

[Neil_Keller]

Thomas used to be able to easily palm a basketball. Now he has short, stubby fingers, all for the cause.

The sacrifice was worth the effort, Thomas!
Neil

[Ade_Fowler]

Does Adobe Font Folio come with a good printed reference book (a character display of all the fonts in the folio). Spiral bound would be nice!

As new fonts are added to the library, is there an economic way to upgrade the Font Folio?

The half price offer is very tempting.

[Neil_Keller]

Ade,

The closest I've been able to find is the soft cover Adobe Type Library OpenType Edition Reference Book, Second Edition ISBN 0-321-19401-2 ($30). It has some alphabets, short text showings, but not complete glyph showings of its typefaces. It looks more reminiscent of old-style type shop type books, but without the copy casting tables.

Neil

[_Dominic_Hurley_]

Just to be clear, I thought that the Type Reference Book came with FF. Is this the case?

[_Mikey_Hopkins_]

I have some experience with the Font Folio, though I don't own it myself (have worked for a larger company that owns a copy). So, I'd like to ask a question.

Some time between FF9 and FFO, Adobe saw fit to rename all their normal fonts with "Lt Std". I'd like to know why - because now, you can't just say "Helvetica", you have to say "Helvetica Lt Std". Perhaps a name conflict issue, but what if you have a website that specifies Helvetica in its style sheet as a preferred font over... say... Arial (runs and hides)?

Now I'd imagine to make sure that people get Helvetica, you'd have to do something like font-family: "Helvetica Lt Std", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
Hmm... not the nicest of things to have to do.

Not to mention opening up older files and having to replace all the fonts because they've now got "Lt Std" after their names... sigh...

[Neil_Keller]

>I thought that the Type Reference Book came with FF.

Not sure, Dominic. Could be. I acquired my Type Reference Book independently of FF.

Neil

[Neil_Keller]

Mikey,
>Adobe saw fit to rename all their normal fonts with "Lt Std". I'd like to know why - because now, you can't just say "Helvetica", you have to say "Helvetica Lt Std".

STD (standard) or PRO were added to the names of Adobe's OpenType remakes of their original PostScript Type 1 fonts to prevent confusion or inadvertent font swapping. Latest FF includes the available OT versions of Adobe fonts. The Type 1 were largely dropped from the FF and will soon be dropped from Adobe's catalog. BTW, "Lt" just means "Light" and refers to a single weight of the typeface.

Although the OT versions can be swapped in for Type 1 fonts, there may be some copy reflow due to minor changes in the fonts. But -- most important -- the OT versions have expanded, often vastly expanded, character sets plus cross-platform compatibility.

So, yes, you must specify exactly which fonts you are talking about.
>Perhaps a name conflict issue, but what if you have a website that specifies Helvetica in its style sheet as a preferred font over... say... Arial (runs and hides)?

You should probably keep the TrueType versions of fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Times, Georgia, and Verdana available for viewing Websites. They should not conflict with other versions of these fonts as long as the font names are different.
Neil

[Thomas Phinney]

Random comments....

Actually, LT in caps refers to Linotype, a type foundry from which Adobe has licensed quite a few typefaces. However, they are not all Adobe fonts, nor even a majority. All Adobe's OpenType format fonts have either "Std" (Standard) or "Pro" in the names. Pro is the distinguishing mark of additional language support - at least CE, sometimes more.

But Neil's right about the renaming. Basically we didn't want the new fonts to conflict with the old.

The reference book does come with Font Folio, and is also available separately.

Adobe has always offered upgrade pricing for Font Folio, whenever a new version comes out.

Regards,

T

[Neil_Keller]

LT = Linotype....(in CAPS!)<br /><br />Never saw that coming! <vbg> To me "Lt" was always the shorthand for "Light", as in "Helvetica Light", as in Mikey's post.<br /><br />Thanks for the clarification!<br /><br />Neil

[_Jo_DeWald_]

Helvetica Fractions
I just bought Adobe Font Folio Open Type Edition
I'm trying to use the Helvetica Fractions font that came with it.
My old Helvetica Fractions works by holding down the shift key and typing in the letters zxcvbnm, for the numerator, using the backslash and typing in the letters zxcvbnm, without holding down the shift key for the denominator.
When I try to do that with this new Helvetica Fraction open type font, all I get are boxes with XXXXs in them.
What am I doing wrong?
I'm on a Mac using OS X 10.3.9 working in Quark XPress 6.5.

[Neil_Keller]

Jo,

QuarkXPress is not fully OpenType savvy and cannot access beyond standard characters -- you have to wait for v7. That may be the problem. InDesign can do this.

By the way, you don't use a "back slash" ( \ ) for fractions, for standard Web addresses, etc.

Neil

[Guest]

Found this 38kB PDF while Googling;
http://217.149.48.71/adobe/presentations/files/FFOTEFontList.pdf

[_Calibri___Palatino_]

Thank you for clarifying Std. and Pro. Obviously, one is a "standard" version, and one is a "professional" version. The Pro version has more goodies.

I've noticed, however, that even some Std. versions have nice complementary characters, such as SC/OSF figures. Palatino LT STD. is an example of this. This OpenType version seems to be identical to Adobe's PostScript version, in terms of the design/weight of the font. Nice.

So, will there at some point be an Adobe PalatinoPro? ;-)

[Thomas Phinney]

Well, there are a few "Pro" fonts that don't have a lot of goodies, and some "Std" that have a lot. Look at Kepler Std for instance - tons of goodies, just no extended language support.

Palatino is a design licensed from Linotype, and they have already been talking about doing a revised and expanded version, which they've been working on for a while. I rather hope to see it this winter.

Cheers,

T

[_Philo_Calhoun_]

... a comment on the fonts that come with Corel Draw:

Most of the Bitstream fonts included are good, however, none of the fonts included have expert sets, extra ligatures, etc. So they are not appropriate when one needs osf or small caps.

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Nor when one has to set text in Spanish. (The old issue about the initial exclamation point and the initial question mark stubbornly put on the baseline by Bitstream.)

[Thomas Phinney]

Well, that would be appropriate for all-caps setting.... :/

T

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

:D

[Neil_Keller]

Then shouldn't there be both "upper case" and "lower case" question marks and exclamation points?

Neil

[Thomas Phinney]

No, because the default forms do not go significantly below the baseline - that's what makes cap forms of the questiondown and exclamdown useful.

T

[Neil_Keller]

Thanks, Thomas.

Otherwise, I see slight rises or falls in their relationship to the baseline when using all caps as looking like a mistake.

Neil

[_steven_schwartz]

Does anyone have experience using the Open Type Edition Adobe Library with a new Intel Macintosh? Adobe won't guarantee this will work with the new Intel macs and Apple also says there are some issues with certain fonts causing problems with Quark and MS Office. I'm looking at adding a new intel mac to my workgroup next year and also looking at purchasing the Adobe library. Any real world experience out there with the library and an intel mac?? Thank you.

[Dov Isaacs]

(1) If you have a new question, please start a new thread.

(2) There are no known issues with Adobe's OpenType library that are particular to the MacTel systems. In other words, any QuarkXPress incompatibilities with OpenType fonts are not Mac hardware platform specific.

- Dov

[_steven_schwartz]

I'm new to this forum so please forgive my off topic post. If hardware is not the issue do you know why Adobe won't guarantee compatibility with Macintel? They only post Power PC as compatible processor for Mac on their web site and when I called and asked them why Macintel processors were not listed I was told they can not guarantee compatibility?

[Dov Isaacs]

Who told you that Adobe "won't guarantee compatibility" of its OpenType fonts with MacTel systems? It is the PowerPC-based applications that have yet to have "universal binary" versions released and are not officially supported by Adobe on MacTel systems, not system resources such as fonts and color profiles!

- Dov