12

The current guides online and in texdoc that I could find did not deal with the problem I have.

  1. How to generate font metrics for system installed TrueType and OpenType fonts?
  2. How to generate font maps? What is a difference between font maps for regular T1, TrueType and OpenType fonts?
  3. Where to place those things and what "databases" do I need to update to make latex and friends "see" those fonts?
  4. How to generate raster fonts for TrueType and OpenType fonts and how to install them?

The current documentation I could find didn't answer quickly and straight to the point about it. I don't want "programmers" guide to fonts. I want "user's and packaging" guide to fonts. Please point to existing resource or provided references to pages / section from texdoc.

EDIT

Dead-end or not deadend, in the end of the day I need to generate PDF/A documents with embedded metadata. The PDF/A metadata is only possible with pdfTeX engine and pdf-x package. And I want embedded custom ttf fonts in those PDF/A documents.

lockstep
  • 250,273
Dima
  • 12,427
  • 8
  • 40
  • 53
  • 3
    Just some pedantry: can you fix the two obvious typos in the title? There should be an apostrophe after friends and a 'd' in handling. Thanks. Oh, and good question, btw. Once upon a time I found some guide and followed it. But I haven't been able to find it again. So I'm curious as to the answer too. – Willie Wong Jul 28 '10 at 16:02
  • this seems to relate to http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/226/installing-ttf-fonts-in-latex – Suresh Jul 30 '10 at 04:42
  • @Suresh: Yes it does. That questions says "use XeLaTeX" =) but I really really want to use pdfTeX engine. – Dima Jul 30 '10 at 09:05

3 Answers3

4

I think one of the issues here is that font installation is very complicated, and so there is only really a 'programmers' solution. (That is to say there is no simple answer, so you have to be prepared to learn a lot of low-level stuff to get it to work.) One of the clearest descriptions, at least for Type 1 fonts, is written by Lehmann. Other than that, I'm afraid you have to read the fontinst stuff, but from your question I guess you already have and found it to be wanting.

Joseph Wright
  • 259,911
  • 34
  • 706
  • 1,036
  • I'm Ubuntu developer and have access to the new Ubuntu TTF font. And I really want to package it with latex-ready fonts such that when it goes public everyone and me including can use it with latex (any type/engine). Type1 fonts are easy, and those generally already come repackaged for latex, I did read both of these font guides, and yes they weren't a helpful tutorial for distribution packager to package ttf font from source for latex. – Dima Jul 31 '10 at 13:09
  • Anything to be packaged needs to go to CTAN, so the TeX Live and MiKTeX people, surely. – Joseph Wright Jul 31 '10 at 14:37
  • Obviously, but when the font is publicly released in october. – Dima Aug 02 '10 at 11:52
2

Use LuaTeX + luaotfload + fontspec. Don't waste your time trying to learn a dead end technology. I have been doing a lot of font installation (also for money). This is awful.

topskip
  • 37,020
  • Or XeLaTeX plus fontspec, for the same general reasons. – Joseph Wright Aug 03 '10 at 15:22
  • @Joseph The author states "but I really really want to use pdfTeX engine", and LuaTeX comes close. For most purposes (98%) XeLaTeX is suitable as well. – topskip Aug 03 '10 at 15:30
  • Sorry, must have missed that. I was simply noting, as you say, that for most purposes XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX have a lot of 'overlap'. – Joseph Wright Aug 03 '10 at 15:38
  • Can I embed PDF/A metadata streams in the pdf similar to what pdfTeX engine does? – Dima Aug 03 '10 at 16:13
  • Yes, you should be able to do that, because LuaTeX is an enhanced PDFTeX engine. I don't know the commands you should use, though. – topskip Aug 03 '10 at 16:23
0

simplefonts module provides fontspec-like functionality in ConTeXt (MkIV).

Vedran Miletić
  • 121
  • 2
  • 6