If you work on a Macintosh computer, most of the fonts you use are probably of the PostScript Type 1 variety (also known simply as “Type 1” or “PostScript” fonts). Although your computer was supplied with TrueType fonts as part of its operating system, PostScript fonts are the most popular solution for Macintosh users. If you use a Windows-based computer, PostScript fonts work great, although they’re not as popular on this platform as the TrueType format.

PostScript fonts were developed by Adobe for use with PostScript printers. Initially, this font technology was available only from Adobe.

There are two parts to a PostScript font: bitmapped screen information that displays the font on a computer monitor, and information that tells a PostScript printer how to reproduce the font on paper, or whatever medium that’s in your printer. Like TrueType fonts, PostScript fonts are scalable (the characters can be enlarged or reduced), but PostScript fonts are only scaled automatically when output to PostScript printers. For scaling fonts on-screen or for outputting to non-PostScript printers, Adobe Type Manager (ATM) must be installed on your computer, unless you are working with Windows 2000 - the only operating system that doesn’t require ATM with PostScript fonts. If you’re working on a Windows computer (but not with Windows 2000) and need ATM, it is offerred free of charge.

If you’re not working with ATM and you’re not running Windows 2000, a PostScript font will look jagged on-screen and appear just as bad when printed using a non-PostScript printer. ATM uses the same intelligence that a PostScript printer does to create printable and displayable type out of information contained in the font outline.

Why are PostScript fonts so popular for the Mac? Because it wasn’t long ago that only high-resolution printers utilised PostScript, and type designers didn’t have to worry about making sure that PostScript fonts looked good on screen - ATM did that. PostScript fonts continue to be used widely in graphic design and publishing environments.

(part 1 of 2)