Apple 12/600PS manual

TrueType fonts

A TrueType font is scalable, describing a typeface without rigidly specifying a size. So it looks good whatever size you choose. TrueType fonts provide sharp text at any size on screen or on paper. You can mix and match TrueType fonts from various font vendors.

TrueType fonts store individual text characters as mathematical descriptions of lines and curves, rather than as groups of pixels (a bitmap). When a program asks for a character in a particular size, such as 33 points, the Macintosh uses mathematical calculations to enlarge the character’s outline to 33 points and fill in the dots for the monitor or printer output.

Sometimes you’ll still get jagged edges when you print a document, even when you use a TrueType font. In nearly all cases, this is because there isn’t enough memory available to scale the font properly for printing.

Because you don’t need a separate font for each character size in order for your printing to look good (as you do with bitmapped fonts), TrueType font names don’t have numbers in them.

How does a font look? To see a TrueType or bitmapped font on your screen, double-click the font’s icon to open it. A sample of that font appears (in three sizes for TrueType fonts and in the size you opened for bitmapped fonts).

You can also use the Key Caps desk accessory to examine fonts. See the documentation that came with your computer for instructions.

280 Appendix C