How does this look for those who have very hi-res display setups?

hhp

Hello Hrant,
Thanks for your message.
If I understand your question, I don’t know. But if you want, and If you have a very hi-res display setups, I can send you Mister Pixel by email. This font will be free, it’s not a problem.

Thanks for the offer! What format would you send it though? I’m [generally] on Windows.

Anyway, what I’m mostly wondering is this: Since this is a large design, but with good weight and spacing, how does it function as a text font for hi-res displays? I’m hoping John Hudson will chime in.

And the main reason I’m curious is that I’ve been working on a similar font since ‘98, but mine uses grayscaling, so it requires special treatmen/usage. It will be released soon.

hhp

At an aspect ratio of 4:3, a 15” screen is 12 inches wide. So your PPI is just over 100. BTW, how close to your screen is your head, typically?

I’m thinking that a 1600 dpi display on a 15” (~130 PPI) would make a 16 PPEM font really sing.

hhp

Christophe — looks like you put a lot of work into it. It shows! Good job.

I love the font’s quirkiness. It seems like bitmap fonts end up being a tad mechanical, but I don’t get this from yours as much. (Of course, with 16 pixels high instead of 7-9, it’s easy to add detail.)

Hrant: I generate a PC version & I send you.

This font are designed in only one size (16 pt or pixel) with bitmap and PS contour. This is a screen font, bitmap font, no grayscale. I made this for the new version of my website (not visible at this moment), I wanted a special typography for the titles of sections.
For the moment, this font is Postscript version (Mac and Win). Use it as usual. But, on Photoshop, on font specifications, set in 16 pt and select “No smothing” or “Net” (I don’t know how it is in english version, but I put a screen shoot). Of course, Zoom must be set at 100 %. This font are well on Flash too.
I have a question: I want generate TrueType or OpenType version. But for that, I must embed bitmap infos into font. How can I do that ? I know BitFonter, but I don’t have this soft (it’s too expensive for me for the moment). Do you know a free utility able to do that ? or a tips ? I work on Mac (OS9 and X), on PC (wind XP), I have Fontographer & Fontlab 4.6.


Stephen: Thanks for your remark, I try something to change ‘v’ & ‘w’.
–––––-

I think that designing this kind of font are very cool (educational) for those who want learn type design.

> This is a screen font, bitmap font, no grayscale.

FYI: Truth in Design now has a way to deliver grayscale bitmap fonts reliably and portably.

If you want to make embedded (true) bitmap fonts:
1) For MacOS you can’t any more.
2) For Windows you don’t absolutely need BitFonter (unless you’re making grayscale bitmaps), all you need is a free MS utility called SBIT.

> designing this kind of font are very cool (educational) for those who want learn type design.

I agree — although many “classical” designers don’t — some of them even think you have to be right-handed, if you know what I mean… My first fonts were 8x8 bitmaps for Armenian and Arabic on a C64.

hhp

> 1) For MacOS you can’t any more.
Why not ? May be with BitFonter ?

> 2) For Windows you don’t absolutely need BitFonter (unless you’re making grayscale bitmaps), all you need is a free MS utility called SBIT.
Thanks for the info.

> I agree — although many “classical” designers don’t — some of them even think you have to be right-handed, if you know what I mean…
I know, but I never said it was the only thing to do to learn type design.

Here is new image with new design of v, w, x in lc and cap.


About my PC Type1 version, there is something of strange: when I open my Fog file (native Mac) on PC, the bitmap which I had generated into 16 pt on Mac are now in 12 pt on PC. But all seems ok when I set in 16 Pt in photoshop for example. Idea ?

>16 pt on Mac are now in 12 pt on PC

Christophe, you may be running into the 96ppi vs 72ppi display difference on the two platforms. Essentially because Windows use 96ppi to figure out how to draw stuff, things come out looking smaller than on a Mac. How to get past this problem in producing a font like this is beyomd me. Hrant may have some good insight into the size difference and how to compensate / allow for it in your production.

I like this face — it’s quite nice, and I think that Hrant may be right: useful for text at high resolutions.

Jon

> Why not ? May be with BitFonter ?

As far as I know contemporary MacOS only supports outline fonts, and furthermore ignores any bitmaps TT fonts might have embedded. But maybe I’m wrong?

As for the nominal-dpi difference between platforms, there’s not much you can do: a 16 PPEM font will be seen in [default] Windows as “12 point”. But Photoshop in Windows will see it as 16 point if the document you’re working has its dpi set to 72.

hhp

Hrant: yeah some pretty whacky stuff with bitmap fonts. I’m using Mac OS X 10.3 and my system sees Silkscreen and displays it properly and without anti-aliasing at 8pts. But won’t see Sevenet at all, list it or display it. Both are identified as the same kind of font file.

:-( progress
Jon

> As far as I know contemporary MacOS only supports outline fonts, and furthermore ignores any bitmaps TT fonts might have embedded. But maybe I’m wrong?
I think it’s possible. Read this interesting Adobe’s page about AAT:
http://developer.apple.com/fonts/TTQualSpec/QS05/FQS5.html

Christophe

I don’t know…
Maybe that’s only for AAT fonts? BTW, are those fully supported now?

At the very least I’m pretty sure MacOS doesn’t support grayscale fonts (except for the kind Truth in Design is now making). And isn’t it true that you can’t turn off anti-aliasing? Where does that leave bitmap fonts that have outline counterparts?

hhp

Bonsoir Christophe ettoutlemonde,

TRUTH in Design will sort out how to use grayscale bitmap fonts all over MacOS. Until then, as reported, they work great in Flash and Photoshop.

The trouble is, there is no cross-platform bitmap font standard except TrueType and OpenType pixel fonts. Even MacOS which gave us brilliant post-PARC typography (http://www.kare.com/MakePortfolioPage.cgi?page=4) has now abandoned its bitmap font heritage. shame. Upside is, if they support pixel sizes, they have to support pixel fonts. Details to be posted to this board. As far as bitmap<->outline correlation, it may have to be handled by the designer, not insensitive operating systems and apps.

TiD wants to publish MR. PIXEL. Qu’en pensezvous M. Badani?

> TRUTH in Design will sort out how to use grayscale bitmap fonts all over MacOS.

And Windows too!

hhp

I’m on a 15inch Powerbook at 1280x845. I don’t know what
that is in PPI, but it looks great to me. Too large for body
text, though. Maybe not on John’s fancy display.

The only glyphs that distract are the ‘v’ and ‘w’. Where they
get to be 1 pixel stroke widths it looks like a gradient to a
lighter gray. Perhaps you can avoid this with by getting
creative with their shapes.

But as Hrant will tell you, 2-pixel stem widths make for
good pixel font readability, so nice job!

Nice solutions on the v, w, christophe. I thought you might
have to change the design, but you managed to keep the
shape and gain uniform weight. Only the cap W seems a bit
bottom heavy, but I think it’s the best you’re going to get.