From: Karl Berry <karl@claude.cs.umb.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.archives
Subject: [comp.text.tex] new release of the GNU font utilities
Followup-To: comp.text.tex
Date: 4 Sep 1992 03:54:12 GMT
Organization: Info-Tex<==>Comp.Text.Tex Gateway
Distribution: world
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X-Original-Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 16:15:44 -0400

Archive-name: auto/comp.text.tex/new-release-of-the-GNU-font-utilities

We have released a new version (0.5) of the GNU font utilities.

The major news in this release is that we have written Texinfo
documentation for the programs.  All reported bugs and configuration
difficulties have been fixed, as far as we know.

To compile these programs, you will need GCC and GNU Make.  For the
programs which do online graphics, you will also need an X11 server and
the X11R4 or R5 libraries.

Send bugs or suggestions to bug-gnu-utils@prep.ai.mit.edu.


You can get the source by ftp from
  prep.ai.mit.edu [18.71.0.38]:pub/gnu/fontutils-0.5.tar.Z.

And also from these other sites around the world; please check them
before prep.

United States: wuarchive.wustl.edu   gatekeeper.dec.com:pub/GNU
               uxc.cso.uiuc.edu      ftp.uu.net:packages/gnu

Europe:        archive.eu.net        src.doc.ic.ac.uk:gnu    ftp.funet.fi
               nic.funet.fi:pub/gnu  ugle.unit.no            isy.liu.se
               ftp.diku.dk

elsewhere:     ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp   utsun.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp:ftpsync/prep
               archie.au:gnu

You can also order tapes with GNU software from the Free Software
Foundation (thereby supporting the GNU project); send mail to
gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu for the latest prices and ordering information, or
retrieve the file DISTRIB from a GNU archive.


Here is a brief description of the programs included:

* imageto extracts a bitmap font from an image in PBM or IMG format, or
  converts the image to Encapsulated PostScript.

* xbfe is a hand-editor for bitmap fonts which runs under X11.

* charspace adds side bearings to a bitmap font.

* limn fits outlines to bitmap characters.

* bzrto converts a generic outline font to Metafont or PostScript.

* gsrenderfont renders a PostScript outline font at a particular point
  size and resolution, yielding a bitmap font.

* fontconvert can rearrange or delete characters in a bitmap font,
  filter them, split them into pieces, combine them, etc., etc.

* imgrotate rotates or flips an IMG file.


We need volunteers to help create fonts for the GNU project.  You do not
need to be an expert type designer to help, but you do need to know
enough about TeX and/or PostScript to be able to install and test new
fonts.  Example: if you know neither (1) the purpose of TeX utility
program `gftopk' nor (2) what the PostScript `scalefont' command does,
you probably need more experience before you can help.

If you can volunteer, the first step is to compile the font utilities.
After that, contact me (karl@gnu.ai.mit.edu).  I will get you a scanned
type specimen image.  The manual explains how to use these utilities to
turn that into a font you can use in TeX or PostScript.

Happy fonting,

karl@cs.umb.edu
Member of the League for Programming Freedom---write to league@prep.ai.mit.edu.