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.

[_steven_schwartz]

It was an Adobe customer service person who told me they could not guarantee usage on Intel Macs! I initially looked up the operating system requirements for the Open Type library and noticed Adobe listed Power PC Macs but not Intel macs. I thought this was odd so I decided to give Adobe a call to confirm support for Macintel machines. Maybe I got an uninformed service person or perhaps they were unclear about my question but I tried to make it as simple as possible citing the lack of mention for Intel Macs under system requirements for the Open Type Library on their web site. By the way Quark now has a Universal binary version...I haven't heard any comments about how well it runs (I suspect buggy as usual) but they do cite Universal binary for this version. Thanks for clearing up this issue. Adobe should change their web site to list Macintel as supported for the Open Type Library. Adobe has very solid programs which have yet to be re-written as Universal binaries but the fonts should be listed as Universal if they run on Macintel. I suspect the upcoming versions of Adobe Universal programs will be quite good and look forward to their release.

[Dov Isaacs]

The customer service person was indeed unfortunately uninformed. For better or worse, there was no such thing as a MacTel when the OpenType Font Folio was released and this type of material (pun intended) is not updated that frequently. I'll pass along the info to the type folks to correct. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

- Dov

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Dov,

Check this out, please: Adobe Expert support not answering questions regarding Intel-based Macs CLICK HERE

It appears to be more widespread than just a single customer service person being unfortunately uninformed. It has spread to Tech Support, at least in regards to Adobe applications. It would not surprise me if it extends to fonts.

A lot of folks are unhappy with Apple over the first wave of Mac-Intels.

[Dov Isaacs]

As I indicated earlier, no one in Adobe Customer Service or Tech Support was told that our font products are incompatible in any way with the MacTel systems. Those folks unfortunately made unwarranted assumptions; we are already working on getting that problem fixed.

I did see the post in Macfixit. In terms of the application programs themselves, until we have the universal binary versions, unfortunately we cannot officially support use of Mactel although some users apparently (both inside and outside of Adobe) seem to be able to use the applications with only minor inconveniences. Believe me, we have plenty of folks internally within Adobe chomping at the bit for real MacTel support. It is unfortunate that Mac users were led to believe by the hardware vendor that (a) Rosetta was a perfect Intel x86-based emulator of the PowerPC and that (b) it was a simple matter for Mac application vendors to recompile their software and voila universal binary versions. Neither is true!

- Dov

[MichaelKazlow]

Dov,

You mean there is no magical switch 😉 When creating Rosetta, Aple
should have contacted the people that designed II in a Mac. That fine
piece of software that I bought for my Mac Plus running system 3.2 was
still working when I was running my PowerPC running system 8 and I
think I once booted in it in System 9. Now that was well designed
emulation software.

Mike

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Thanks for your comments, Dov.