Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!muddcs!jarthur!dhosek
From: dhosek@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Donald Hosek)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: PostScript Conspiracy (and TeX device drivers)
Message-ID: <876@muddcs.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 18 Sep 88 03:32:03 GMT
References: <565@pcrat.UUCP> <47700023@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu> <6488@chinet.UUCP>
Sender: news@muddcs.Claremont.EDU
Reply-To: dhosek@jarthur.UUCP (Donald Hosek)
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
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Whether TeX output will only download the necessary characters or will
download the whole font depends on the device driver. There do exist some
that will download the entire font whether you want it or not. Fortunately,
most of these have died a slow and painful death.

As for the driver that uses PostScript fonts, there are two of these to my
knowledge: Clayton Elwell has written one that runs (I think) under Unix.
Also, FTL systems (who produce MacTeX) have one that works with the Mac 
(understandably enough). It may also run under other systems, but I wouldn't
bet on it. Also, at the TUG conference last month, I heard talk of several
people working on generating PostScript outline fonts from Metafont output.
I have no details (so if somebody knows anything, it might be worthwhile to
send it to me and I'll summarize to the net), but I do have a paper from a
group in England headed by Leslie Carr (this paper appears in the proceedings
of the 1987 TUG meeting) that describes there experiences and a note on the
disappointing results they obtained.

-dh

Preferred mail address: dhosek@ymir.bitnet or dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu