The way that a PostScript device handles TrueType fonts differs from the way that a QuickDraw device such as the StyleWriter II handles the same font. Here are some modified excerpts from several different publications.
If QuickDraw requests a font in a specific style such as Geneva bold and the Font Manager has the font whose design includes the style, the Font Manager returns that font to QuickDraw, and QuickDraw does not need to apply the stylistic variation when drawing the font. If the Font Manager does not have the font with the stylistic variation intrinsic to it, the Font Manager returns the plain font to QuickDraw, and QuickDraw applies the style when drawing the glyphs. When QuickDraw requests a font with multiple styles, if the Font Manager does not have a font with all of the styles intrinsic to it, but it has a font with one intrinsic style, the Font Manager returns that font, and QuickDraw applies the additional style or styles when drawing the glyphs. The Font Manager does not apply stylistic variations to a font.
You can specify stylistic variations alone or in combination. (Certain styles may be disabled in some script systems.) Most combinations usually look good only for large font sizes. Here are the results of specifying any of the styles that QuickDraw supports:
- Bold increases the thickness of a glyph. It causes each glyph to be repeatedly drawn one bit to the right for extra thickness. Adding one bit is barely noticeable on most fonts, especially in the larger font sizes.
- Italic adds an italic slant to the glyphs. Glyph bits above the base line are skewed right; bits below the base line are skewed left.
- Underline draws a line below the base line of the glyphs. If part of a glyph descends below the base line, generally, the underline isn't drawn through the pixel on either side of the descending part. However, when printing to a PostScript LaserWriter printer, the line is drawn through the descenders.
- Outline makes a hollow, outlined glyph rather than a solid one. If you specify bold along with outline, the hollow part of the glyph is widened.
- Shadow also makes an outlined glyph, but the outline is thickened below and to the right of the glyph to achieve the effect of a shadow. If you specify bold along with shadow, the hollow part of the glyph is widened.
- Condense affects the horizontal distance between all glyphs, including spaces. Condense decreases the distance between glyphs by the amount that the Font Manager determines is appropriate.
- Extend affects the horizontal distance between all glyphs, including spaces. Extend increases the distance between glyphs by the amount that the Font Manager determines is appropriate.
For optimal quality, use a fully defined font that contains all of the style information.