Re: Using fonts > 255 points

[taob@r-node.gts.org (Brian Tao)]

mattd@apple.com (Matt Deatherage) writes:
>
>>      I've discussed this briefly with Unknown, but I can't seem to get him
>> to understand what I'm saying, so I'll try again here.  ;-)
>
>Can we start a club for this?  :)  (Matt:  Don't bother replying if it would
>contain the words "jerk", "dweeb", "dork", "oh shut up" or "go to hell")

    I received a letter from him with one of the above word/phrases.  Does
that mean I qualify for a membership to this club?  ;-)  Okay, Matt A., calm
down... I'm just teasing.  I can tell you're fuming right now.  ;-)

>According to the Font data structure, yes.  The real question is whether
>or not any part of QuickDraw or the Font Manager (or Pointless) _assumes_
>sizes will be less than 255 points because the Font Manager imposes that
>restriction through Font IDs.  That's much harder to answer.

    If I created a 250-point Caslon Swash Cap font with Pointless, typed
in a character in a paint program, measured the height of the pixel data
and found it to be > 255 pixels, would that be a positive enough test?
I know about the screen being only 200 pixels tall, but measuring the
character height in two "chunks" should get around that problem.

>Well, yes and no.  The real problem is the four-byte Font ID data
>structure, which has one byte for the font size.  This is how you request
>fonts from the system, so that's where the limitation comes from at a
>top level.
>
>You might be able to use this technique to make, for example, BigShaston
>where size "1" is really "256" and size "255" is really "510", but that
>assumes the first question is true, and we don't know that at this point.

    Right.  I was thinking of a font size multiplier which is a specific
function of Pointless (as to not disturb the rest of the system software).
You basically select a "magnification" factor on a font-by-font basis.  Most
fonts would be left at normal size, but headline fonts might be set at 5x
or 10x.  In that case, instead of Pointless rendering a 50-point font at
50 points, it would render it at 500 points.  The resulting bitmap would
then be passed back to the relevant portions of the system software as a
50-point font.  The Print Manager, Font Manager, Menu Manager, QD II, etc.
all think this extra-large font is a 50-point font.  Only Pointless needs
to know about this behind-the-scenes magnification.

    There will be great disparity between the requested point size and the
actual point size (i.e., a 12-point font the height of the screen), but
I'm willing to put up with the confusion if I can print decent headline fonts
on a StyleWriter or other bubblejet printer.  As you say though, there may
still be that physical 255-pixel limit.

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-- Real name: Brian Tao (Dept. of Exobiology, University of Toronto)
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