Beginner Font Question

[CyberTaz]

Hi Norm;

OP back.

Very thoughtful.

We're all on *some type* of budget ;-)

And is there a way to:

1. Find a font that is very close to Palatino, AND

As one of the other responders suggested, launch Font Book and examine what
you already have. It's a rather simple to use but helpful utility. If you
need to look outside your system Google is as good a resource as any.

2. Will be one of the main fonts for Apple and MS for a "long" time?

Psychic I'm not ;-) but generally speaking the newer Unicode fonts/versions
supplied with OS X & Office should be a safe bet.

Thanks.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Norm]

Before you start to visually compare fonts on screen ‹ what version of OS X
are you running? Go to System Preferences - Appearance & check the font
smoothing display settings at the bottom of the panel. If they're not
correct you won't be getting a fair look. I don't have any experience with
the earlier Macbooks, but I seem to recall mention of their text display
being less than optimal. Perhaps John or Clive might confirm/negate that.

I have it set to "Medium" and turned off for "12" and smaller. Since 12
is what I usually use, I guess I've had it off.

I believe you're right about Cambria, however ‹ the loops are closed a
little more tightly than what you're accustomed to with Palatino, if I
understand your description... That's why I suggested Constantia, although
its serifs aren't quite as ornate. Actually, that's why I prefer it to
Palatino for paragraph text ‹ I find it cleaner and easier to read.

Thanks. I'll try Constantia as well

And Yes, it will take Office 2008 a bit longer to load than v.X, but if you
find that it's painfully slow let us know. I can't estimate how long it

Just did one test: 14.7 seconds. Of course my manual dexterity probably
resulted in a few tenths plus or minus inaccuracy.

"should" take on a 1 GHz, 1 MB system but that is ‹ no offense ‹ at the very
low end of the grunt required to handle OS X & Office 2008.

No offense taken at all. The more important person in the family has the
MBP. I'm waiting til Fall.


As a basis of

comparison my G5 dual 2 GHz, 3.5 GB takes about 6-8 seconds for Word to be
ready to go, maybe 4-6 seconds on my Intel 2.4/4 GB Macbook Pro.

Also, the apps take a little longer on first launch after a restart. Once
launched they'll take less time if Quit & restarted during the session.

Thanks for the info and tips.

 

[Norm]

As one of the other responders suggested, launch Font Book and examine what
you already have. It's a rather simple to use but helpful utility. If you
need to look outside your system Google is as good a resource as any.

Got it.

But what does it mean when Palatino is in the list of font options in MS
Word? Or saying again... how do I determine which are the newer ones?

Psychic I'm not ;-) but generally speaking the newer Unicode fonts/versions
supplied with OS X & Office should be a safe bet.

Thank you.

 

[Clive Huggan]

On 30/5/09 8:41 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed), "Norm"

And is there a way to:

1. Find a font that is very close to Palatino, AND

<snip>

In addition to the Book Antiqua that I mentioned earlier, the Garamond
Premier Pro family is very close. As a mate of mine said recently: "Garamond
is even more elegant and 'traditional' than Palatino, but in the same
ballpark. Premier Pro has 29 variants with subtle differences in weights and
shapes for caption, subheads, display. There is no "one' weight for print,
nor even one for screen use. It depends on the context, the screen and one's
eyesight."

But if you really love Palatino for all sorts of uses, as you say, why not
just invest the modest amount of money to get hold of it in OpenType file
format? Think of how often you use it: it's worth it. ;-)

Cheers,

Clive
=====

 

[Norm]

But if you really love Palatino for all sorts of uses, as you say, why not
just invest the modest amount of money to get hold of it in OpenType file
format? Think of how often you use it: it's worth it. ;-)

I think that makes the most sense. But being ever curious, I think I'll
look at these alternatives and learn in the process.

Thanks much.

 

[Phillip Jones, C.E.T.]

Oh I transposed the i and a

Yeah, we know, Phillip -- but it would help others to search for Benguiat if
you spelt it properly after all these years... ;-)

I like the italic condensed, but the Roman isn't optimized for fast reading
-- it makes some people dyslexic.

But it probably deserves its reputation as "the ultimate art nouveau
typeface".

Clive
======

 

[Clive Huggan]

I think that makes the most sense. But being ever curious, I think I'll
look at these alternatives and learn in the process.

Thanks much.

You're most welcome, Norm.

Actually, I used to use Palatino often before I moved to OS X. Flicking
through the alternative fonts as I have been (on my Mac or on websites)
during the past few days for this thread, I'm now tempted to get the updated
version and return to using it more -- although I do have the excellent
Garamond Premier Pro.

Given the need with today's finer (higher resolution) screens for thicker
fonts if one is working long hours on screen, I use Arial font on-screen. To
to avoid feelings of having committed typographical rapine when I produce
hard copy, I have a macro that instantly (temporarily or otherwise) converts
the body text from Arial to Goudy Old Style, Garamond Premier Pro, or a few
others. (Absence of macro capabilities is one of many reasons I haven't
"up"graded to Word 2008; I'm waiting till the next version of Word is issued
with VBA restored, and will evaluate my choice then.)

Well, Norm, I think we've all enjoyed the conversations that have followed
your innocent question about Palatino! ;-)

Cheers,
Clive
=====

 

[Phillip Jones, C.E.T.]

Hey Clive I've added it to my TypeIt4Me list If I type it wrong it will
reverse the a and the i.

 

[Phillip Jones, C.E.T.]

As for your comment. about the font itself. I find I can Read it much
better than Helvetica, Ariel. Even some MS fonts. In fact Helvetica,
Ariel puts me to sleep reading it.

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Norm:

"Cambria"

There, that was easy, wasn't it

Actually, the answer is "Calibri" because most of the world has switched to
sans-serif fonts for body text. But for the traditionalists, Cambria is it
It's the "New Times New Roman"

And Intel MacBooks' font display is FINE, provided you set the Font
Smoothing correctly (as recommended) in System Preferences.

Cheers

OP back.

Very thoughtful.

And is there a way to:

1. Find a font that is very close to Palatino, AND

2. Will be one of the main fonts for Apple and MS for a "long" time?

Thanks.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Clive:

Well, you "could" check out the C-Series fonts! And if you did, you might
save yourself quite a lot of money.

I fin Arial is too heavy on a modern screen, but I do like the "C" series
fonts.

Cheers

You're most welcome, Norm.

Actually, I used to use Palatino often before I moved to OS X. Flicking
through the alternative fonts as I have been (on my Mac or on websites)
during the past few days for this thread, I'm now tempted to get the updated
version and return to using it more -- although I do have the excellent
Garamond Premier Pro.

Given the need with today's finer (higher resolution) screens for thicker
fonts if one is working long hours on screen, I use Arial font on-screen. To
to avoid feelings of having committed typographical rapine when I produce
hard copy, I have a macro that instantly (temporarily or otherwise) converts
the body text from Arial to Goudy Old Style, Garamond Premier Pro, or a few
others. (Absence of macro capabilities is one of many reasons I haven't
"up"graded to Word 2008; I'm waiting till the next version of Word is issued
with VBA restored, and will evaluate my choice then.)

Well, Norm, I think we've all enjoyed the conversations that have followed
your innocent question about Palatino! ;-)

Cheers,
Clive
=====

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Norm]

Well, Norm, I think we've all enjoyed the conversations that have followed
your innocent question about Palatino! ;-)

I've learned lots plus enjoyed it.

A very positive, helpful and supportive group hangs out in this
newsgroup. I may not find the equal if I switch to Pages 09. Put a mark
on the MS Word side of the ledger.

Thanks to all. I appreciate.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Great idea, Phillip! ;-)

Clive
=====

Hey Clive I've added it to my TypeIt4Me list If I type it wrong it will
reverse the a and the i.

 

[Clive Huggan]

"Cambria"You brute!

CH
===

Hi Norm:

"Cambria"

There, that was easy, wasn't it

Actually, the answer is "Calibri" because most of the world has switched to
sans-serif fonts for body text. But for the traditionalists, Cambria is it
It's the "New Times New Roman"

And Intel MacBooks' font display is FINE, provided you set the Font
Smoothing correctly (as recommended) in System Preferences.

Cheers

 

[Clive Huggan]

Hi Clive:

Well, you "could" check out the C-Series fonts! And if you did, you might
save yourself quite a lot of money.

<snip>

I have.

I rest my case, Your Honour.

CH
==

 

[Norm]

I've been using Palatino as my default font for many, many years.

OP back.....

As a result of all the input, I've now briefly tried: Cambria, Garamond,
Book Antiqua, and Constantia.

Hmmm.... like aspects of all except maybe Cambria which seemed to harsh
(not sure of the proper font adjective). And Garamond is smaller so I'd
be continually guessing as to what it would equate to in Palatino.

So I think I'll use Palatino, Book Antiqua and Constantia for a bit.

Thanks again for the education on MS Word and opening my eyes as to font
alternatives.

Norm

BTW: how does one tell the source of the fonts and if they are new or
old?

 

[Tim Murray]

I've been using Palatino as my default font for many, many years.

I no next to nothing about fonts and whether they change over time and
which are always standard.

I don't know whether the fonts are provided by the OS or by a the
applications or by other means.

At any rate, are there reasons that I should not proceed with Palatino?

The Palatino that Apple shipped many, many years ago ... and continued for
many years ... was, as far as I'm concerned, defective. The suitcase had a
mix of Type 1 and TrueTypes inside, and to add insult to injury, Apple didn't
ship the outline files that should have accompanied the Type 1s that were
there.

Apple did that with a number of faces, actually, including Helvetica, Times,
and Symbol, plus others.

 

[Norm]

The Palatino that Apple shipped many, many years ago ... and continued for
many years ... was, as far as I'm concerned, defective. The suitcase had a
mix of Type 1 and TrueTypes inside, and to add insult to injury, Apple didn't
ship the outline files that should have accompanied the Type 1s that were
there.

Apple did that with a number of faces, actually, including Helvetica, Times,
and Symbol, plus others.

Thanks.

And the Palatino I find today when I list fonts in MS Word or Pages is:
_________ in your opinion.

Thank you.

 

[Tim Murray]

Thanks.

And the Palatino I find today when I list fonts in MS Word or Pages is:
_________ in your opinion.

Umm, not sure what you mean. If it says "Palatino", then it's Palatino,
although MS apps lately have been installing what's called Linotype Palatino.
(Palatino was a Linotype name all along.) If you're asking is it TrueType or
Type 1 or whatever, I couldn't tell you ... you'll have to examine them.

 

[Norm]

Umm, not sure what you mean. If it says "Palatino", then it's Palatino,
although MS apps lately have been installing what's called Linotype Palatino.
(Palatino was a Linotype name all along.) If you're asking is it TrueType or
Type 1 or whatever, I couldn't tell you ... you'll have to examine them.

I was trying to determine if it is installed by MS or Apple or ?

And if in your opinion it had the same faults as the earlier Palatino.

Since I know very little about fonts, I'm not sure how I'd tell whose
font and type and if it was likely to be supported in the future.

Thanks.