Is "August format" a good idea?
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:28 am
Fontstruct (at the http://fontstruct.fontshop.com webspace) and High-Logic's own Scanahand and Yourfonts.com facilities allow production of TrueType fonts using some Unicode character positions.
OpenType format has facilities for ligatures and alternate glyphs.
As some readers know, I like producing glyphs for ligatures and alternates.
I am wondering whether a published format for using some of the code positions in a Scanahand font in a non-Unicode manner so as to include some glyphs for ligatures and alternates might be a good idea. As it is now August, this could be named "August format". I am thinking that some of the glyphs are not used in ordinary text and so could be used in this manner in some fonts if the font is intended only for setting text and ligature and alternate glyphs are desired.
It seems to me that if there were some consistency in this amongst various font producers that that would enable interoperability amongst fonts. Also, if the August format were widely used then maybe in the longer term, High-Logic might produce a "Convert from August format to OpenType" facility so that any fonts produced now in August format could be converted to OpenType fonts on an automated basis.
Is this a good idea? It would allow production of stylish printouts and graphics now and have the possibility of artwork being useful in the future by means of an automated process.
The specific details of August format could be discussed in this thread, even using a different name for the format if another name is preferred, so nothing is decided yet.
Here is a list of the assignments which I used with one font, but this is just for discussion and need not be included in August format if people want other assignments as I could easily change what I have thus far produced.
% ff ligature glyph
+ fi ligature glyph
= fl ligature glyph
~ ffi ligature glyph
# ffl ligature glyph
{ ct ligature glyph
} st ligature glyph
| Qu glyph
@ e alternate ending glyph
I have noticed that this perhaps favours those of us who use a United Kingdom keyboard layout, where ~ is above # and might look strange on some other keyboard layouts. However, I am trying to be inclusive so comments and alternative suggestions are welcome. Also, suggestions for other glyphs to include are welcome. I feel that an e acute alternate ending glyph would be useful, so that words such as café could be set stylishly.
William Overington
21 August 2008
OpenType format has facilities for ligatures and alternate glyphs.
As some readers know, I like producing glyphs for ligatures and alternates.
I am wondering whether a published format for using some of the code positions in a Scanahand font in a non-Unicode manner so as to include some glyphs for ligatures and alternates might be a good idea. As it is now August, this could be named "August format". I am thinking that some of the glyphs are not used in ordinary text and so could be used in this manner in some fonts if the font is intended only for setting text and ligature and alternate glyphs are desired.
It seems to me that if there were some consistency in this amongst various font producers that that would enable interoperability amongst fonts. Also, if the August format were widely used then maybe in the longer term, High-Logic might produce a "Convert from August format to OpenType" facility so that any fonts produced now in August format could be converted to OpenType fonts on an automated basis.
Is this a good idea? It would allow production of stylish printouts and graphics now and have the possibility of artwork being useful in the future by means of an automated process.
The specific details of August format could be discussed in this thread, even using a different name for the format if another name is preferred, so nothing is decided yet.
Here is a list of the assignments which I used with one font, but this is just for discussion and need not be included in August format if people want other assignments as I could easily change what I have thus far produced.
% ff ligature glyph
+ fi ligature glyph
= fl ligature glyph
~ ffi ligature glyph
# ffl ligature glyph
{ ct ligature glyph
} st ligature glyph
| Qu glyph
@ e alternate ending glyph
I have noticed that this perhaps favours those of us who use a United Kingdom keyboard layout, where ~ is above # and might look strange on some other keyboard layouts. However, I am trying to be inclusive so comments and alternative suggestions are welcome. Also, suggestions for other glyphs to include are welcome. I feel that an e acute alternate ending glyph would be useful, so that words such as café could be set stylishly.
William Overington
21 August 2008