Frequently Asked Questions
Why should one use DTL FontMaster instead of any other font editor on the market?
— FM is very stable, has a lot built-in batch functionality, has been developed for handling large amounts of font data, makes the generating of OpenType Layout tables a piece of cake and the quality of the output fonts is unsurpassed. When it comes to reproducibility, there is no other program on the market that equals the capacities of FM.
Apparently DTL OTMaster and CompareMaster are available for Mac OS X and even Linux. Why isn’t this the case for the original seven FM modules?
— Unfortunately the compiler used has not been updated to support Mac OS X. Hence only Windows is supported (and also Mac OS 9 / Classic still). That being said, with Boot Camp, Parallels and VMware Fusion the very stable Windows version of FM can be seemlessly integrated in a Mac based workflow, as we do at DTL. Also CrossOver can be used for running the Windows version of FM in a 'Wine' bottle under Mac OS X /X11.
Officially the original seven modules of DTL FontMaster are not available for Mac OS 9 anymore. What if I am for instance using Classic still; can I obtain updates for my licensed OS 9 version?
— Yes, of course registered customers will be able to update to the latest version of FM, even for Mac OS 9. The support will last as long as there is request for it.
What is the future of the BE and IK formats; is there a danger that these will become obsolete, i.e. unsupported?— The very versatile BE and IK formats, which comprise a glyph database (BE/IK), a text file for naming and metrics information (UFM), a text file for the kerning (AFM/fea.krn) info and a binary file (PAR) that connects the two latter files and which contain some additional info, are already more than 30 years old and have proven to be solid and unrestricted. Furthermore both formats have been published and can be implemented by every manufacturer of font tools (for free).
The glyph numbering in BE and IK databases seems rather fixed. Why?
— Actually, the BE and IK formats are very versatile and the glyph numbering is not fixed at all. Any sequence can be used. The ‘default’ Character Layout (.cha) files which come with Bezier- and IkarusMaster show the glyph ordering that is used by DTL and URW++. Any other ordering will do also and some FM users have developed their own proprietary systems. The numbering can be decimal or hexadecimal and the latter can for instance be used for a glyph ordering based on Unicode code points.
How can one check the conversion into quadratic splines in DTL BezierMaster?
— Generated TTF (also OTF and PostScript Type 1) fonts can be opened in Bezier- and IkarusMaster and the glyphs can be placed in the background of the Character Edit Window. This way the conversion from the BE and IK formats into quadratic splines (and cubic splines) can be directly checked.
When a font is imported in DTL BezierMaster and converted to BE format using the default Character Layout (.cha) file, a couple of characters seems to be placed in an arbitrary order at the end of the database. Why?
— During the conversion the PostScript names in the font are compared with the ones in the .cha file and when there is a match, the corresponding glyph will get the related position (URW number) assigned. In case there is not a match, for instance because the character naming in the font is a proprietary one or the character is just missing in the .cha file, characters will be placed at the end of the .cha file in ‘first comes, first goes’ order. A solution for this is to change and/or to add the characters in question to the Character Layout file. Another option in case of a sfnt file based font, is to open this in OTMaster and to export a .cha file. One must realize though, that to be able to use this for exporting fonts, at least an encoding vector has to be added to the file.
The default setting for DTL BezierMaster is an em-square of 15.000 units. Why?
— The BE format is a derivative of the IK format, and for the latter 15.000 units is the default. The units used for designing characters can de different of the ones used for generating fonts. For generating for instance CFF fonts normally one would use an em-square of 1.000 units. For the design process itself the em-square can be changed also in the ‘preferences’, of course, and subsequently other settings, like for instance the sensitivity of cursor, can be changed accordingly. Equalizing the design and output settings for the em-square prevents also rounding errors.
What to do if DTL BlendMaster can’t interpolate certain glyphs, even after checking and correcting?
— One option is to let BlendMaster generate EPS files that show the points on the contours that cannot be interpolated. Also generating a listing (text file) is possible. Subsequently for BE and IK databases respectively Bezier- and IkarusMaster can be used to manually improve the poles.
In both DTL Bezier- and IkarusMaster there is a built-in checker and improver; what is the difference with DTL ContourMaster?
— Technically there is no difference, but the improver functionality in both editors is restricted to either glyph level or single glyph database level. In ContourMaster multiple BE or IK glyph databases can be checked and improved in batch.
Is DTL CompareMaster a tool for techies or can it used by novices or non-technical designers also?
— Actually DTL CompareMaster is also targeted for graphic designer’s market, because it can be very useful to compare for instance different versions of the same font in a certain font format or different font format versions of the same font. Output options include a summarized listing and PostScript plot files, which are easy to judge for anyone.
Both DTL Bezier- and DTL IkarusMaster can be used for converting fonts to BE and IK format and for exporting fonts. Why should I use DTL DataMaster instead?
— DataMaster is a very powerful application that makes it possible to generate fonts in batch and to use command files for automating this process.
For exporting fonts one must select a Character Layout (.cha) file, an encoding vector and a target directory. Is there a way to control this in such a way that it reduces the change of making mistakes?
— The best way to handle the generation of especially larger amounts of fonts, is to use command files. In these files one can set the ‘source’ and ‘target’ directories, the .cha file and the encoding vector. This can be implied to single fonts or to all fonts in a directory. To generate such a command file, which can be used as a basis for all necessary command files in the production of fonts which for instance support different scripts, different font formats, different character sets, et cetera, a listing is made by DataMaster during the generation of the font-data and this can be saved. Command files can be used to call other command files. At DTL a hierarchic system of command files is in use, with at the lowest level command files for single font-data files for output into specific font formats with specific encoding vectors, and on top one command file for generating all fonts in all font formats.
How can one check the conversion into quadratic splines in DTL IkarusMaster?
— Generated TTF (also OTF and PostScript Type 1) fonts can be opened in Bezier- and IkarusMaster and the glyphs can be placed in the background of the Character Edit Window. This way the conversion from the BE and IK formats into quadratic splines (and cubic splines) can be directly checked.
As a unique feature DTL IkarusMaster supports manual digitizing via a lens cursor and a Wacom tablet. This seems somewhat archaic technology; why would one use this if auto-tracing or direct screen-drawing can be used instead?
— Basically the method used to convert a design into a typeface depends on the drawing and technical skills of the designer (or production team). If a designer is very capable of drawing directly on the screen in the Bezier or even the Ikarus formats, a different approach of the font production would make sense than when a designer makes better drawings on paper. When the drawings on paper are excellent, scanning and auto-tracing and subsequently editing would make less sense than 1:1 digitizing using a lens cursor. Furthermore, for digitizing in the Ikarus format not much technical knowhow is required. So, manual digitizing is far from archaic.
When a font is imported in DTL IkarusMaster and converted to IK format using the default Character Layout (.cha) file, a couple of characters seems to be placed in an arbitrary order at the end of the database. Why?
— During the conversion the PostScript names in the font are compared with the ones in the .cha file and when there is a match, the corresponding glyph will get the related position (URW number) assigned. In case there is not a match, for instance because the character naming in the font is a proprietary one or the character is just missing in the .cha file, characters will be placed at the end of the .cha file in ‘first comes, first goes’ order. A solution for this is to change and/or to add the characters in question to the Character Layout file. Another option in case of a sfnt file based font, is to open this in OTMaster and to export a .cha file. One must realize though, that to be able to use this for exporting fonts, at least an encoding vector has to be added to the file.
What is the limit of the number of kerning pairs per font in DTL KernMaster?
— There has been a report that BezierMaster crashed when more than 100.000 pairs were used. So, basically the limit is the number of the pairs the font formats and/or the applications in which the fonts are used, can handle.
How can I check and edit the kerning pairs generated with DTL KernMaster?
— Both generated AFM or fea.krn files can be imported and edited in the Metrics Editors of bot Bezier- and IkarusMaster.
I want to integrate DTL KernMaster in my FontLab Studio based workflow for generating kerning pairs. The BE format can’t be used in FontLab Studio and the VFB format not in the FM modules. Can you advice?
— The German type designer and programmer Karsten Luecke has developed a FLS plug in for KernMaster, which can be downloaded from the web site of his foundry. More interesting information on the OpenType production can be found here.
Is DTL OTMaster a tool only suitable for techies?
— Although extensively equipped for font spelunking, OTM can also be used for tasks more on the surface like changing font names and adding characters (or even logo's) to fonts. So, the answer is no.
When using the ‘default’ OpenType Layout features file that comes with the DTL FontMaster (Light) distributions in OTM, it produces an error. Why?
— The ‘default’ OT Layout features file contains information concerning the intermediate table block files which the modified HOT tool uses for determining if info has to be taken directly from the features file or from the UFM and attached AFM or fea.krn file. The non-AFDKO syntax lines:
include (featkern.txt);
include (featos2.txt);
include (feathead.txt);
include (featname.txt);
are not recognized by the HOT tool in OTM. By removing the lines or changing these into comments by prefixing with the number sign (#), the problem should be solved.
More info on the intermediate table block files can be found in FM: OpenType Name Table Entries Having an analog image of a logo that must be added to an existing font, what is the best way to do this?
— At least the shortest way is to scan the image and convert it with TraceMaster directly in a TrueType font. Subsequently use OTMaster to add the glyph in question to the target font. Additional editing can be done directly in OTMaster.
Why is DTL TraceMaster better suited for auto-tracing characters than any other comparable application?
— The algorithms used in TraceMaster were developed for a manufacturer of imagesetters, who lost the Ikarus data of a hugh font collection. To solve this problem quickly, existing prints had to be scanned and autotraced. Hence the software needed to be able to convert these images in as perfect as possible outlines. So, the algorithms in TraceMaster were especially developed for auto-tracing type.
How can one check the auto-tracing by DTL TraceMaster?
— When converting a TIFF file into BE, IK, or EPS, TraceMaster generates also a scanline (SC) image, which is identical to the original TIFF image, and which will be placed in the same output directory. The generated BE or IK files can be opened (and edited) in respectively BezierMaster and IkarusMaster and subsequently the SC file can be placed in the background.