Font Types: Differences and Uses

A font is all the letters, numbers, punctuation and other symbols which compose a typeface. Fonts were first developed as cast lead type for printing presses (with a different piece of lead for every letter for each different size needed), and were later digitized as typefaces for use on computers. Most people are familiar with 2 main font types: PostScript and TrueType. These have been around for many years. A newer format is OpenType.

PostScript fonts

PostScript fonts were developed by Adobe Systems in the mid-1980's. PostScript fonts were used mainly in the graphic design and publishing industries for high-quality printing. The fonts worked specifically on PostScript printers, and later, with the help of software add-ons, could print on non-PostScript printers. PostScript Type 1 fonts required one file for the character outlines, and another file for the metrics data.

TrueType fonts

TrueType fonts were developed in the late 1980's by Apple Computers, and the technology was later licensed to Microsoft Corporation. TrueType fonts require only one file for both the outlines and the metrics data. Because of the cooperation between Microsoft and Apple, TrueType is commonly supported on most computers and in nearly all programs. Older PostScript printers, however, usually cannot print TrueType fonts. This is a problem for large print bureaus, which use large-scale PostScript printers for output.

OpenType fonts

The most recent font format is OpenType, developed jointly by Microsoft and Adobe in the late 1990's. OpenType fonts have a much larger character set (about 65,000 glyphs), can have either PostScript outlines or TrueType outlines, and the same file works on both Windows and Macintosh computers. OpenType fonts can also contain multiple variables of the same letter, to allow for contextual variations in words, decorative swashes on capitals, and different sets of numerals, all in the same font file. These features can be used in Adobe programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, in QuarkXPress 7, in Microsoft Publisher, and in many programs in Mac OSX Leopard.

OpenType fonts have overtaken PostScript fonts in quality, but many print bureaus still have older PostScript printing equipment which cannot recognize the OpenType format. Newer ink jet printers can use the fonts, whether the printers are small home/office models or high-volume commercial printers. OpenType is mostly used by the graphic design and publishing industries, since they use more high-end design programs from Adobe and Quark, compared to many home/office users.