OS X Font Conspiracy
... what to do until help arrives
I'm convinced that when they developed OS X, they conspired with the font industry to sell more software and fonts. Now, that's okay for all the new upstarts getting these new computers for the first time -- the iPod generation -- go ahead and stick them. But I've been in publishing for over 35 years, and desktop publishing on the Mac for twenty or so of those years and have accumulated fifteen thousand trusted fonts -- a substantial number sent in by font makers for review in DTG, many hundreds that were paid for and many others downloaded as shareware or freeware. My world of fonts has been just fine until Apple launched OS X. For instance...Yesterday, I had a project that really had to get out the door fast -- a tshirt design for a travel company. I knew the most appropriate font to use, grabbed the CD, and copied the font over into the fonts folder -- here we go. Except, an error stopped the process in its tracks saying "this font is corrupted." This is what totally convinced me of a conspiracy. I've used this font before. It's a postscript type 1 font from a well-known foundry. I've printed it in Quark, PageMaker and outlined it in Illustrator, rastered it in Photoshop for the web and embedded it in PDF files -- all without a single hitch. But OS X chokes on it. What does that tell you? You run gas in your car, it works fine; in your 4-wheeler fine; in your boat, fine; in your lawn mower, fine. If it won't run in the truck, that says there's something wrong with the truck! Not the gas! Believe me, it's a conspiracy!
It's a little embarrassing to be in this predicament, too; after all the articles I've written and seminars I've conducted for the desktop publishing industry. In fact, I should not even admit I'm having problems. But this is an important topic that needs to be explored. Thank goodness for Adam Engst and the folks at Take Control books who have come to rescue those of us struggling with the morass of fonts in Mac OS X.
You can flounder through this on your own -- or you can get specific, practical advice on managing, using, and troubleshooting fonts with this 255-page "Take Control of Fonts in Mac OS X" ebook.
People engaged in font-intensive professions such as graphic design and publishing, those who rely on character-rich Unicode fonts for working in non-Roman languages, and anyone who has suffered from mysterious font-related troubles will save time and money with the advice in these ebooks. They help readers work more efficiently with fonts; eliminate downtime related to duplicate or corrupt fonts; and avoid problems related to legacy fonts from Mac OS 9, fonts installed by third-party applications, and fonts in cross-platform documents. Written with clarity and humor during nine months of research by font expert and veteran Mac author Sharon Zardetto Aker, these unique ebooks go far beyond the scope of magazine articles, filling a void with a book-length exploration of exactly how fonts work - and don't work - in Mac OS X.
"Take Control of Fonts in Mac OS X" provides the knowledge that every Mac user working with fonts needs, including the details of Mac OS X's font support; how to use Font Book to manage, validate, and organize fonts; ways of dealing with old fonts; and instructions on making the most of the amazing wealth of special characters in Unicode fonts. The ebook also provides step-by-step instructions for cleaning up Fonts folders, compares the versions of fonts provided by Tiger and Microsoft Office, and discusses how to create documents that can be shared successfully with Windows applications.
Its companion volume, "Take Control of Font Problems in Mac OS X," focuses on what happens when something related to fonts goes kablooey. The ebook explains how to troubleshoot font problems and provides numerous solutions to specific problems. Anyone who has had trouble installing PostScript fonts, argued with Font Book, or had fonts seemingly disappear will appreciate Aker's real-world help.
Take Control publisher Adam Engst said gleefully, "Finally! I knew a lot about fonts in the old days, but since Mac OS X, trying to deal with my fonts has made me feel like an dolt. Thanks to the depth of these ebooks, I feel like I once again have a clue."
The ebooks are available separately for $20 and $10 respectively, or bundled together for $25.
Take Control of Fonts in Mac OS X
by Sharon Zardetto Aker
PDF format, 255 pages, free 39-page sample available - Price: $20
Take Control of Font Problems in Mac OS X
by Sharon Zardetto Aker
PDF format, 120 pages, free 27-page sample available Publication date: May 18, 2006 Price: $10
About TidBITS and Take Control Books:
TidBITS Electronic Publishing has been publishing highly regarded news and editorial since 1990 when Adam and Tonya Engst created their online newsletter, TidBITS, about Macintosh- and Internet-related topics. Their Take Control series has helped many thousands of readers with high-quality, timely, real-world, cost-effective documentation since 2003. To learn more, visit their FAQ
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