<HTML> <HEAD> <!-- Created with AOLpress/2.0 --> <!-- AP: Created on: 9-Mar-2005 --> <!-- AP: Last modified: 18-Apr-2005 --> <TITLE>Palm fonts</TITLE> <LINK REL="icon" href="ffanvil16.png"> <LINK REL="stylesheet" TYPE="text/css" HREF="FontForge.css"> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV id="in"> <H1> Palm fonts </H1> <P> Fonts on the palm pilot are rather limited. Each strike is stored in its own record of a database with no name or indication of whether it is connected to any other font (ie. there is no concept of a family of fonts. Each strike is alone). <P> On old palm pilots the font data structure stored a strike for a single screen resolution. On newer pilots there is a different data structure which can store multiple strikes for several screen resolutions (called "density" on the palm). <P> The new style font is unusable (causes crashes) on old palms. I am told that the old style font causes crashes on new systems. <P> I'm told that at the moment new systems are all the same (high) density (so there is currently no need for a multi-density font -- what is needed is a single (high) density font in a multi-density wrapper). <P> I am told that to be portable an application currently needs to supply an old style low-res font for old style palms, and a new-style font containing just a high-res strike. <P> The palm OS reference documents the following densities: <UL> <LI> single <LI> one and a half <LI> double <LI> triple <LI> quadruple </UL> <P> I'm told that only single and double are actually used. FontForge does not support the 1.5 density font. <P> If you want to generate an old-style (low-res) palm font you should specify a single strike size in the Generate Font bitmap sizes field. <P> If you specify two or more strike sizes in the bitmap sizes field then all sizes must be a small integer multiple (1,2,3,4) of the smallest strike. A dlg will come up asking whether you want these strikes: <UL> <LI> All within a multi-density font <LI> All (except the smallest) within a multi-density font -- FontForge calls this a high density font <LI> An old style low-res font containing the smallest strike in the first record of the database file and a new style multi density font containing all strikes within the second record of the generated file. <LI> An old style low-res font containing the smallest strike in the first record of the database file and a new style multi density font containing all strikes <EM>except the smallest</EM> within the second record of the generated file. </UL> <P> I believe the last format to be the most useful. This is the default, and is the format used for the script Generate command. <P> Note: You must include the low-density strike. This strike defines the metrics for all the others. However you may generate a font which does not include this strike (the second choice in the list above). <P> </DIV> </BODY></HTML>