ComputerUser: Tools For Font Masters

Desktop Publishers Can Get A Grip On Type Styles With Two New Software Packages

In this article:
Desktop publishers and other font-a-holics have new toys to play with. ComputerUser Contributing Editor Joe Farace reviews the Macintosh tools Suitcase 8.0 and Adobe Type Manager Deluxe.

In desktop publishing, the style of the type should not be a forced decision. That applies to people who use the Macintosh operating system, as well. Desktop publishing guru Robin Williams even put the thought into the title of her Mac OS book: "Boss Your Fonts Around" -- instead of vice-versa.

Mac users can regain control by installing Extensis Suitcase 8.0. Suitcase has been around a long time--so long, in fact, that some Mac users might be wondering what happened to it.

This useful utility had been acquired by a company that let it languish. Then Extensis rescued it from the knacker's yard of computing.

Extensis started by updating Suitcase to be compatible with Apple Computer's OS 8.5. In face, it's compatible with OS 7.5.5 through 8.6. Next, they improved it by allowing use of multiple fonts without overloading the system.

You don't have to be a fontaholic to suddenly discover that you have too many fonts installed. Some software adds specialty fonts that you never consciously use, but which are used to print bar codes and text in forms. As you probably know, too many fonts can really drag your system down. Suitcase lets you turn fonts on and off individually or in sets. Sets can be created to reflect project workflow or font families. These sets can be opened temporarily, with a specific application or at startup.

Since Suitcase 8 is drag-and-drop compatible, users can create sets by dragging fonts from the Finder or from other sets. Fonts can be temporarily opened by dragging them onto the Suitcase icon, and can be deactivated when you're finished with them. Suitcase 8 is a suite that includes other utilities. Fontagent will search for all fonts on a hard drive, remove duplicates, separate truetype from Postscript and organize all of your fonts into an easily understandable set of folders.

Suitcase 8 also includes menufonts, which includes WYSIWYG font menus, groups families of type in hierarchical menus and provides a fast preview of a font in different sizes. It also provides information such as font ID, font type and corresponding printer name.

While I am neither a fan nor a user of quarkxpress, I recognize that many people are. Another utility included in the package is Suitcase 8 XT, which is a extension that intelligently activates fonts needed for a quarkxpress document, including fonts for embedded EPS files. Suitcase 8 XT also closes these fonts when quarkxpress quits, avoiding a build-up of automatically activated fonts.

Suitcase 8 supports Apple Events for all Suitcase operations, and applescripts can be used to perform any operation that can be performed through Suitcase. Suitcase requires only 4 MB of RAM, leaving your working memory free for other applications that really need it-like Adobe Photoshop.

It's rare that you'll read about product packaging here, but Suitcase 8 is delivered in the same kind of box DVD moves are packaged in. The slim box contains a CD-ROM, registration card, and Quick Start Guide. The CD includes preview and update versions of all of the company's products. You can use it to update versions of plug-ins or utilities you already have, or to try some others for a limited time.

The Quick Start Guide contains enough information to let most users take advantage of Suitcase's capabilities. Novice fontaholics can use the on-screen help and product guide, but if you prefer a printed guide they'll send you one

you'll have to pay for shipping and handling:

. I hope the DVD concept catches on. It saves space, yet provides everything almost all computer users really need.

Suitcase works perfectly with the generally distributed version of Adobe Type Manager that's bundled with pagemaker 6.5 and other Adobe products

let's call it ATM for short:

. Suitcase, however, is not compatible with ATM Deluxe because some of the features overlap and create conflicts. If you're using ATM Deluxe, you will need to downgrade to the non-Deluxe version to avoid problems.

Speaking of which…

Type Manager lets you manage fonts with a minimum of fuss

Adobe Type Manager Deluxe 4.5 for the Macintosh is designed to help you manage, display and print postscript Type 1 fonts. The utility lets you organize and control the activation of fonts within customized sets, so any application you use only loads those specific fonts needed. Adobe defines a set as a list of fonts that ATM records and stores. When creating a set, the fonts are not moved or copied and remain in their current location on your hard disk. Because of this, one font can appear in more than one set. By limiting the number of fonts loaded when an application is launched, the performance of the application is enhanced and the font menu is simplified.

ATM Deluxe automatically activates inactive fonts and mimics any that are missing. You can also use the utility to remove duplicate fonts and manage truetype fonts. Don't forget that ATM's original purpose was to improve on-screen display and allow you to print postscript fonts on non-postscript printers. This remains part of the focus of the current version, as well.

Creating font sets or even a collection of sets couldn't be easier, and is accomplished using basic drag-and-drop techniques. You can create as many sets as you need and can group them by project, name or function

such as display fonts, body text or symbols:

. After you've created a few sets, you can export them to other computers running the utility. ATM Deluxe exports sets by creating set information without copying the files. This feature is useful for creating backup files for your sets in case they're ever accidentally deleted. If you have any font problems, the program has a report/verify feature to provide help.

Adobe Type Reunion Deluxe 4.5 is also included as part of the package. It lets you control the way typefaces are displayed in the Fonts menus of your graphics-including word-processing applications. You can use ATR Deluxe to group fonts into custom categories, rename fonts in menus and display fonts in their own typefaces-a feature I find way too confusing but one that I know some people like. You can also list your most recently used fonts at the top of the Font menu, which is something the latest versions of Microsoft Word already do. Adobe also bundles 15 cool-looking display fonts that you should immediately be able to put to work. If you're serious about fonts, I recommend that you pick up a copy of "The Adobe Type Library Reference Book." This multilingual volume

English, French and German:

contains samples of all of the 2,500 typefaces available from the Adobe library. The book costs $19.95 and can be purchased via Adobe's Web site, where typefaces can also be previewed and purchased.

ATM Deluxe 4.5 lets users of page-layout or graphics applications manage their postscript and truetype fonts instead of the other way around. Compared to other font-management utilities, ATM Deluxe is passive; it just does its job and stays out of the way. I like that. Those Mac OS users with only the initial minimum number of system fonts installed don't need this product. If, on the other hand, you spend more time fussing with your fonts than working with them, you need Adobe Type Manager Deluxe 4.5.

ComputerUser Contributing Editor Joe Farace is a Colorado writer and photographer and author of 21 books on computing, graphics, and digital imaging. Copyright 1999 ComputerUser Magazine. Used with permission.

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