PostScript printers connected to a Solaris host may each have different sets of resident fonts. Users can purchase additional fonts and install them on the host or they can remove fonts. There are a number of different ways to accomplish this task. Note, however, that there is no user-level command to manage fonts on a PostScript printer.
Font Downloader is a CDE application for managing fonts on PostScript printers. Specifically it will provide the following functionality:
Download PostScript fonts to a Postscript printer
Download TrueType fonts to a PostScript printer
Remove previously downloaded font from a printer
Check printer memory
List all fonts available on the printer
Print character samples
Reformat hard disk on the printer
Font downloader/manager program code is reused for the DT Font Downloader. In addition, the following functionality is provided:
GUI front end
Support of generic PostScript printers
Support TrueType font downloading as type 42 fonts
Support TrueType - PostScript type 3 font conversion
Change the encoding vectors of the fonts
As a result, DT Font Downloader supports type 1, type 3, type 9 (CID 0), type 10 (CID 1), type 11 (CID 2), and type 42 fonts.
If the printer doesn't support TrueType glyph procedures (font types 11 and 42) fonts are converted to one of the supported formats before downloading.
TrueType binary font files located on the host cannot be used in the printer without converting them to a different format. Some printers may support TrueType glyph procedures. Downloading fonts to such printers requires translating single byte TrueType fonts to Type 42 fonts and double byte TrueType font to Type 11 fonts.
Printers with no support for TrueType glyph procedures do not interpret Type 42 or Type 11 fonts. In this case more complex translation is required.
Single-byte TrueType fonts can be translated to Type 3 fonts with loss of quality because of interpolation and hint conversion involved in such a translation. Double-byte TrueType fonts can be translated to Type 10 fonts.
PostScript Language Reference Manual, Adobe Systems. - 2nd ed. ISBN 0-201-18127-4 - defines PostScript language and fonts
PostScript Language Extension for CID-Keyed Fonts. PostScriptTMSoftware Version 2015 Adobe Systems 29 June 1995
The Type 42 Font Format Specification. Adobe Systems Technical Note #5012 1 March 1993
Fontadmin Functional Specification - 12/04/95 - documents font downloader
TrueType Font File Version 1.00 Microsoft Corporation --available from ftp.microsoft.com - documents TrueType fonts