Karow· Font Technology Peter Karow

Karow· Font Technology Peter Karow FontTechnology Methods and Tools Foreword by Gerard Unger With 306 Figures Springer -V erlag Berlin Heidelberg New York London Paris Tokyo Hong Kong Barcelona Budapest Peter Karow URW Software & Type GmbH Harksheider StraEe 102 D-22399 Hamburg Germany Authorized Rewording by Bill Horton Original German title: Schrifttechnologie CR-Klassifikation (1994): 1.7.2, J.7 ISBN-13:978-3-642-78507-8 e-ISBN-13:978-3-642-78505-4 DOl: 10.1007/978-3-642-78505-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Karow, Peter, 1940- [Schrifttechnologie. English 1Font Technology: methods and tools / Peter Karow. p. cm. Translation of: Schrifttechnologie. ISBN-13:978-3-642-78507-8 (U.S.: alk. paper) 1. Type and type-founding - Digital techniques 1. Title. Z250. 7.K3813 1994 686.2' 21- dc20 94-6963 CIP This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1994 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1994 The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Typesetting: URW Software & Type GmbH, Hamburg Cover design: Konzept & Design, Ilvesheim SPIN: 10085141 33/3140-543 2 10 Printed on acid-free paper. Preface Preface handful of metal type is tangible evidence of that which A has changed in the type industry over the past thirty years. The early seventies marked the onset of a revolution having had a direct and far-reaching effect on typography. Still very much in progress, this technological revolution transfor med typography (once a craft with tools that could be picked up and handled) into an activity using essentially abstract tech niques. Social, cultural and economic factors have also made their mark, altering the entire image of the typographer's craft. The bulk of these changes could not, however, have taken hold as rapidly if new technologies had not enabled designers and typographers to implement their far-reaching ideas. Prior to this revolution, 500 years saw slight change in the typographer's craft. Setting became mechanized in the nine teenth century, along with the printing press and allied equip ment. Machines delivered increasing precision as the century progressed. Yet were a typesetter from a previous age - say, from the Venetian workshop of Aldus Manutius in the final decade of the 15th century - to travel through time to the first half of the 20th century, he could still find metal letters to work with, albeit machine-produced ones. The lead-alloy lines of type produced by Linotype machines would have astounded him - all letters being set individually in the 15th century - but our Venetian would not have been at a loss to know how it would be used. Triggering the revolution was the introduction of filmset- Triggering ting machines, with letters existing solely as visible images on the revolution negative film. Digital setting machines soon followed, the first, the Digi set of Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Hell in 1965. No analog letters were to be found in these machines; having disintegrated into mere com puter codes. The transitional step from tangible to abstract characters was fraught with problems. V Preface Frequently it was the case that technology makers and users devoted far greater attention to the new machines themselves than to the quality of their resulting products. Typography suf fered greatly by low resolution, blurred contours of characters, copied fonts that were no longer the work of trained specia lists. Typographers often had little choice than to use these new tools, since traditional production methods had either evaporated or become too expensive. Many typographers visualized a gloomy future for their craft, seeing no cause for jubilation in new technology. Others, less concerned, attempted to preserve print letters for better times ahead, even restoring some of typography's lost quali More from new ties. Some even strove to achieve more from new technologies technologies than ever possible with the old. One typographer (for whom than ever possible the title applies honoris causa) of this caliber is Peter Karow. with the old. Since his lKARUS system was first introduced to the world of graphic arts in 1975, he has become, and remains, one of the industry's most prominent pace-setters: a locomotive for change who harnesses new technologies to our current needs. Once the initial furor over new technologies had died down, the typographic arena looked forward to more peaceful times, promising long-sought restoration of quality and further refinements. Even then, a fresh, new revolution was brewing. The soaring popularity of desktop publishing, with its Macin toshes, pes, PostScript and other far-reaching innovations, is such an oft-told chapter in the history of typography that no further explanation is required here. Still, as it began short time ago, we remain currently in the midst of it. Even the most seeming unshakeable structures of the type craft, in its older forms, have been jolted by recent develop ments. Some companies, previously supplying metal type, remained in business by converting to photographic and/or digital setting machines, sharing the market with the newly founded enterprises. Others, less flexible in their thinking, ceased to exist. Yet, typographers still ventured out of their homes or offices for typesetting. Today, many stay at home, purchasing software fonts from manufacturers unknown in the old industry. Typogra phers can process fonts which either they or others have pro duced. Old hierarchies and marketing structures have been shaken to the core, some vanishing altogether. Type products VI from globally diverse sources can be used on a range of ma- Preface chines. (Being home-based, can present a problem in itself, though such implications have yet to dawn on many typogra phers. The machines themselves bind their operators more clo sely to their desks making typography an even more sedentary job. As this book was not prepared to instruct physical exercise or work-outs, perhaps a suggestion of getting out and about, for instance riding a racing bike, might provide a solution.) Today's developments have engendered still other pro blems for typographers. Technological innovations augment rather than supplant one another, with typographic possibili ties continually expanding. Innovations occur so quickly, many people haven't a ghost of a chance of keeping informed. Typefaces can be modified ad infinitum and weights adjusted in such minute increments that some differences are no longer visible to the naked eye. The whole typographic palette - pre viously white and black - becomes infinitely varied, to be mol ded, swapped about, modified in color, combined with images and so on. Typography has become a veritable «land of milk and honey». Yet to know the craft like the back of one's hand, a typo- A typographer grapher must be a keen specialist, a task requiring abundant must be a keen information, specialist information. In fact, valuable informa- specialist. tion is spread very thin on the ground. For example, it's amaz- ing how dreadful some technical manuals are, even those for the most frequently used programs. Structure is often illogical, descriptions unclear, specialized technical terms are incorrect- ly applied, to name only a few shortcomings. It appears that our problem is not so much one of mastering those functions and features at our disposal, but of understanding the whys and wherefores of doing so: how do our machines and programs actually work? How often have you wished that someone might finally explain, clearly and concisely, what is going on? Most of us simply react to what is displayed on the screen, without the slightest idea of underlying hardware or software principles. It is only human, of course, to blindly trust technology without understanding how things work - say to happily cruise along in our cars without a clue of what is happening under the hood! It is reasonable that typographers may not fully compre hend the ins and outs of all the hardware they use. A well implemented service contract from the manufacturer should solve hardware-related problems. So much for the motor and VII Preface the hood. (Certain colleagues, incredibly enough, still main tain as a direct solution to any problem: pull the plug). Soft ware, replete with its effects on typographic design, is a far dif ferent matter. It is essential that typographers grasp basic prin .... , but some ciples. I do not advocate programmer training, but some minimal insight minimal insight into the basic elements of programs is impera into the basic tive. Again arises the question of where to find the necessary elements of programs information in an easy-to-understand form. This is the book! is imperative. Its author is an experienced software specialist, someone already striving to improve digital typographic quality while it was still in its cradle days. All fields produce specialists - while others have «specia lized specialists» as well; absolute experts in their specific fields, but blinded to what is happening beyond their own back yards. Program developers and typographers are no different in this respect. Therefore it is a welcome change to meet a per son devoting his efforts and attention to computers and typo graphy alike.

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