Trying to Link Font Family

[mikebara]

I have a copy of the Archer font in book, bold, italic, and bold italic, with which I'm trying to create a linked font set. (So that, for example, I can get the bold variant when I bold the type, as opposed to having to select a different font from a drop-down menu). But no matter how I alter the internal font family names (and I've tried every combination I can think of), I can't get the family to link correctly (for instance, everything will appear as bold, or I'll lose italic). I'm more or less out of ideas, and I'm hoping someone might be able to offer a hand, or perhaps some suggestions. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Andreas Prilop]

On Thu, 8 Dec 2011, mikebara wrote:

> I have a copy of the Archer font in book, bold, italic, and bold italic,

Which operating system? Which font format?

> with which I'm trying to create a linked font set.

Which program to create/edit fonts?

> So that, for example, I can get the bold variant when I bold the type,

Which editor/word processor?

--
I used to believe in reincarnation in a former life.

[mikebara]

Windows 7, OTF format. I used Crossfont for the renaming. And I'm using Microsoft Word for my word processing. Any help is much appreciated - thanks.

[Character]

Andreas forgot to ask about which 'Archer' you're talking about (there
are a few completely different families with the same name), and which
actual fonts you started out with, and where you obtained them. Have you
converted across platforms (Mac to PC), formats (such as PS to OTF), or
both?


If you're talking about the Archer family from Hoefler Frere-Jones, it's
an extended family, which, if it doesn't work properly now, could
probably be made even worse. Does this family even have a 'regular' or
'normal' variant?

Are you concerned only with the four basic styles (Regular, B, I, and
BI) supported by MSWord and Windows, or might you also have use for the
other members of the HFJ Archer family, which include Book, Light,
Extra-Light, Thin, Hairline, Medium, and more. Their pre-OTF fonts add
such features as Small Caps as separate fonts; they're included in the
OTF versions.

As far as I know, Crossfont can NOT rename fonts. It can only change the
FILE name, which is irrelevant, and not the internal names (of which
there are a dozen or so for each font) or style attributes. For that you
need a full-function font appliction such as FontLab or FontForge.

I don't know what's in HFJ's EULA's, but modifying their fonts is likely
to be a license violation, as well.

- Character

[mikebara]

First, thanks for the info. It's much appreciated.

I'm only concerned with linking Archer Book, Book Italic, Book Bold, and Book Bold Italic.

Crossfont actually does allow the user to change the internal names. And at $59.00, it's something I can afford. Unfortunately, shelling out the hundreds for Fontlab Studio or learning Linux and/or cgwin to use FontForge wouldn't be worth it for my limited purpose.

[Ron Parker]

On Thu, 8 Dec 2011 09:06:21 -0800 (PST), mikebara wrote:
> First, thanks for the info. It's much appreciated.
>
> I'm only concerned with linking Archer Book, Book Italic, Book Bold, and Book Bold Italic.
>
> Crossfont actually does allow the user to change the internal names.

I seem to recall that Windows doesn't just look at the internal names. You
might also want to make sure the usWeightClass and fsSelection fields in the
'OS/2' chunk are set properly, as well as the macStyle field in the 'head'
chunk.

Also, FWIW, there are unofficial builds of FontForge available for Windows.
See here, for example: http://www.geocities.jp/meir000/fontforge/

[Character]

On 12/8/2011 9:06 AM, mikebara wrote:
> First, thanks for the info. It's much appreciated.
>
> I'm only concerned with linking Archer Book, Book Italic, Book Bold,
> and Book Bold Italic.

Are you starting with the ProFont versions of these (although it may not
matter)?

There isn't a 'Book Bold' in that family; All the weights are separate.

Here's what a working set would look like. Be aware that changing your
four fonts WILL make them incompatible with other members of the family,
and may have an adverse impact on how the fonts work in more functional
publishing programs such as Adobe InDesign. (BTW - this chart will only
look right if you're looking at it in a monospace font).
To make room, I'm using AB for ArcherBook


Normal Bold Italic Bold Italic
Family Name: AB AB AB AB
Style Name: Regular Bold Italic Bold Italic
PS Font Name: AB AB-Bold AB-Italic AB-BoldItalic
Full Name: AB AB Bold AB Italic AB Bold Italic
Menu Name: AB AB AB AB
FOND Name: Same as Full Name
OT Family Name: AB AB AB AB
OT Style Name: Same as Style Name
Mac Name: Same as Full Name

FontLab also has flags for Bold and Italic. I do not know if using them
is necessary; Setting the italic flag forces 'Italic' into the names,
but the bold flag does not. Setting the weight to bold forces 'Bold'
into the names, but it doesn't set the flag.

It's the identical Menu Name that will cause them all to appear as a
single entry in MSWord and can screw things up in Adobe applications.

This is neither Adam Twardoch's nor Thomas Phinney's recommended method,
but it works on Windows/Word for families with these four specific variants.

> Crossfont actually does allow the user to change the internal names.
> And at $59.00, it's something I can afford. Unfortunately, shelling
> out the hundreds for Fontlab Studio or learning Linux and/or cgwin to
> use FontForge wouldn't be worth it for my limited purpose.

There IS a very simple all-in-one installation program for FontForge.
I'd fought the cgwin battle unsuccessfully for years before the
installer showed up. USING fontforge does have a learning curve.

- Character

[mikebara]

I think this could be really helpful, and I appreciate your taking the time to lay everything out for me.

[Character]

On 12/8/2011 10:44 AM, mikebara wrote:
> I think this could be really helpful, and I appreciate your taking the time to lay everything out for me.

But if what Elaine says is true, then it won't help at all since MS
products are only looking at the flags and not the names, and you have
no way of setting the flags.

- Ch.