Font question

[MikeB]

OK, on my PC, in the C:\Windows\fonts\ folder there is a file
script.fon. I assume this means I have the script font installed. The
properties says it is a standard MS font and is part of the operating
system.

The Icon for it has a big, red "A" in it, so it's not a TrueType or
OpenType font (that much I know).

However, neither MS Word nor a "font browser" program I found on the
internet (http://www.stcassociates.com/lab/fontbrowser.html), nor my
web browsers (IE and Firefox) will display the "Script" font. It is
not selectable in MS Word in the list of fonts.

I tried installing the font (by using the font install dialog and
pointing to the script.fon file in the fonts folder), but that just
told me the font was already installed.

Where do I go from here?

 

[PD43]

I tried installing the font (by using the font install dialog and
pointing to the script.fon file in the fonts folder), but that just
told me the font was already installed.

Where do I go from here?

Forget about it. It has to be there and what you are seeing is
normal.

Find something else on your system to obsess about.

 

[Elmo]

OK, on my PC, in the C:\Windows\fonts\ folder there is a file
script.fon. I assume this means I have the script font installed. The
properties says it is a standard MS font and is part of the operating
system.

The Icon for it has a big, red "A" in it, so it's not a TrueType or
OpenType font (that much I know).

However, neither MS Word nor a "font browser" program I found on the
internet (http://www.stcassociates.com/lab/fontbrowser.html), nor my
web browsers (IE and Firefox) will display the "Script" font. It is
not selectable in MS Word in the list of fonts.

I tried installing the font (by using the font install dialog and
pointing to the script.fon file in the fonts folder), but that just
told me the font was already installed.

Where do I go from here?

Double-click the font in the Fonts folder. Does it open? If not, the
fonts may be damaged.

 

[MikeB]

Forget about it. It has to be there and what you are seeing is
normal.

Find something else on your system to obsess about.

This is not useful to me. I'm trying to use the font and I cannot.

 

[MikeB]

Double-click the font in the Fonts folder. Does it open? If not, the
fonts may be damaged.

Yes, it opens fine. It's just that applications that can see fonts
doesn't seem to see this one. There may be others, but script was the
font I was trying to use.

 

[PD43]

This is not useful to me. I'm trying to use the font and I cannot.

You have no idea what it is, what it looks like, or even why it is on
your system - but your system is telling you that it is REQUIRED.

I have it in my FONTS folder, but IT IS NOT USABLE HERE EITHER!

That's a clue, bucko.

There are a LOT of files on your computer that you don't have a clue
as to what they do, or why they are there.

THIS is one of them.

Move on.

 

[PD43]

Yes, it opens fine. It's just that applications that can see fonts
doesn't seem to see this one. There may be others, but script was the
font I was trying to use.

WHY were you trying to use it? Have you any clue what it IS or what
it LOOKS like?

NO.

NO ONE does. It's there. Because XP needs it.

 

[Big Al]

Yes, it opens fine. It's just that applications that can see fonts
doesn't seem to see this one. There may be others, but script was the
font I was trying to use.

http://www.dafont.com/
http://www.1001freefonts.com/
http://www.acidfonts.com/
http://www.itcfonts.com/
http://www.pcfonts.com/index.php
Might give you the font but in a truetype font you can use.

 

[MikeB]

WHY were you trying to use it?

To display text in script format, rather than in more "block" text.
What exactly is it that you seem to imply you know that I don't know?
I know there are lots of things I don't know, which is why I'm asking,
but your form of "help" is not productive at all. It's not helping me
achieve what I want to do.

Have you any clue what it IS or what
it LOOKS like?

NO.

Well, yes, I have an "idea" http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-12/1233551/Scriptfontpage.JPG

That's what I see when I look at the font in the Font application in
the Control Panel.

NO ONE does. It's there. Because XP needs it.

So if it is a font and I can use "some" of the fonts in the font
folder, but not others, what is the differentiating criteria? How do I
figure it out?

What are the meaning of the icons in the font folder?

 

[MikeB]

http://www.dafont.com/http://www.10...itcfonts.com/http://www.pcfonts.com/index.php
Might give you the font but in a truetype font you can use.

OK, thanks. So I assume that some fonts are in the fonts folder but
not usable? Would be nice if the help or something points that out. I
couldn't find a reference to that in the help files.

Thanks again.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

IIRC, there are fonts there for compatibility reasons (legacy software) but
I don't know how that works.

 

[Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

OK, thanks. So I assume that some fonts are in the fonts folder but
not usable? Would be nice if the help or something points that out. I
couldn't find a reference to that in the help files.

They are raster fonts. When you find a program that uses raster fonts you
can use them.

 

[Big Al]

OK, thanks. So I assume that some fonts are in the fonts folder but
not usable? Would be nice if the help or something points that out. I
couldn't find a reference to that in the help files.

Thanks again.

Not trying to be nasty, but if you are new to windows etc, please don't
think microsoft help (F1) is going to help. Google (or other search
engines) are going to give you a whole lot more.

 

[Nightowl]

OK, thanks. So I assume that some fonts are in the fonts folder but
not usable? Would be nice if the help or something points that out. I
couldn't find a reference to that in the help files.

Hi Mike

As Colin said, there are some .FON files in XP for legacy reasons. They
were used in older versions of Windows for on-screen display by the OS
and some programs, as well as DOS programs running under Windows.

They're raster (bitmapped) fonts, unlike TrueType and OpenType fonts
which contain the mathematical outlines of the characters. This means a
..FON file isn't smoothly scalable to any size the way TrueType and
OpenType fonts are, and usually looks terrible printed.

I really wouldn't advise trying to use Script.fon for a document. Have a
look here under the Script category for free fonts that will scale
nicely:
http://www.dafont.com/

Hope this helps

 

[MikeB]

Not trying to be nasty, but if you are new to windows etc, please don't
think microsoft help (F1) is going to help. Google (or other search
engines) are going to give you a whole lot more.

That's a fair comment.

I do Google, but sometimes I get totally off the track I'm trying to
take. Like this.

It started out easy. I'm doing a web authoring course and it tells me
that most computers can display a generic font family called "script."
So I try and test it on my computer, and it doesn't work. THen I check
and MS Word also don't offer a script font. But I see the script font
in the fonts folder.

So now I'm chasing down a generic font called "script" that I can
install and that will allow my computer to render script fonts in Word
and in a web page.

But I'm left wondering if other people will have the same issue and
then I'm wasting my time since no Windows computer will be able to
render a script font if the user hasn't installed a special font.

So what the heck am I supposed to do? I see many web pages that have
script-like fonts, so my computer can render *something*, it's merely
a matter of knowing what the heck people specify on their web pages.
But that's off-topic for the Windows forums, and more appropriate for
a web authoring forum.

 

[Big Al]

That's a fair comment.

I do Google, but sometimes I get totally off the track I'm trying to
take. Like this.

It started out easy. I'm doing a web authoring course and it tells me
that most computers can display a generic font family called "script."
So I try and test it on my computer, and it doesn't work. THen I check
and MS Word also don't offer a script font. But I see the script font
in the fonts folder.

So now I'm chasing down a generic font called "script" that I can
install and that will allow my computer to render script fonts in Word
and in a web page.

But I'm left wondering if other people will have the same issue and
then I'm wasting my time since no Windows computer will be able to
render a script font if the user hasn't installed a special font.

So what the heck am I supposed to do? I see many web pages that have
script-like fonts, so my computer can render *something*, it's merely
a matter of knowing what the heck people specify on their web pages.
But that's off-topic for the Windows forums, and more appropriate for
a web authoring forum.

Maybe I'm just babbling but.... I always use Arial. Or if more formal
Times New Roman.
These two are very standard. Script, in my world means something like
a handwriting font. I agree that using a proprietary font in a web page
works great when you view it but <font name="xxx"> only works on your PC
then. And a poor choice. Search for "standard fonts". I did a
search once to and found a web site that gave me all the fonts that
several software products installed. Word, XP, etc etc etc. Use
standards and you got it. If its a standard XP / XP SP2 installed font
and you can see it, so will others.

 

[Tim Slattery]

Hi Mike

As Colin said, there are some .FON files in XP for legacy reasons. They
were used in older versions of Windows for on-screen display by the OS
and some programs, as well as DOS programs running under Windows.

They're raster (bitmapped) fonts, unlike TrueType and OpenType fonts

Just a quibble: the Script font doesn't appear to be a bitmapped font.
When you open it in the Fonts folder, it displays in 12, 18, 24, 36,
48, 60, and 72 point sizes with no signs of the "jaggies" a bitmapped
font would show at higher point sizes. It's name includes "(All res)".
Compare with "Courier" whose description includes "(VGA res)". That
one does not scale smoothly, the larger resolutions have pronounced
jaggies.

 

[Nightowl]

Just a quibble: the Script font doesn't appear to be a bitmapped font.
When you open it in the Fonts folder, it displays in 12, 18, 24, 36,
48, 60, and 72 point sizes with no signs of the "jaggies" a bitmapped
font would show at higher point sizes. It's name includes "(All res)".
Compare with "Courier" whose description includes "(VGA res)". That
one does not scale smoothly, the larger resolutions have pronounced
jaggies.

Hi Tim

Thanks for the correction. You're right, Script.fon is actually a vector
font, not bitmapped -- sorry, MikeB, for misleading you there.

However, I still wouldn't use it for anything you (or a viewer) might
want to print as the output is likely to be less than desirable. In fact
Microsoft deliberately made Script and some other older fonts
unavailable in the font menu of Word 97 and above because of this.

Knowledge Base article 163059 says: "Vector fonts use an older font
technology and the quality of the printed output is very poor. Because
of the poor printed quality, these fonts were removed from the drop-down
font box in Microsoft Word 97.

"Examples of this type of font are [the] Roman, Modern and Script. They
were mostly used by plotter printers under Microsoft Windows 3.x."
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/163059

 

[Juan Loman]

Mike,

I actually used that font many years ago (phew! since Windows 3.1),
and recently needed to use it again.

Microsoft Word doesn't list raster nor vector fonts anymore, however,
it will show a legacy font if it was previously used in a document.

So here's a trick to use the Script font (it worked for me on Word
2007 and Windows Vista SP1).
1. Open WordPad and write anything.
2. Select all the text and change the font to "Script" (it will most
likely be listed).
3. Save the document as an RTF file and exit WordPad.
4. Open with MS Word the RTF document you just saved. (You'll probably
just need to double-click it and it'll open in Word)
5. That's all, you should be able to write with the Script font for
that document.

Hope this helps,
--- Juan