Fonts

[macandal]

Is there a way to transfer fonts from a mac to a windows-based system.
I'm using MSWord. The fonts I want to transfer are in my mac and I
want to share these with my windows computer at work. Thanks. Also,
is there a place where I can download fonts for free? Thanks again.

 

[Elliott Roper]

Is there a way to transfer fonts from a mac to a windows-based system.
I'm using MSWord. The fonts I want to transfer are in my mac and I
want to share these with my windows computer at work. Thanks. Also,
is there a place where I can download fonts for free? Thanks again.

I think TrueType and Open Type fonts work in both unchanged.
The usual tricks for sneaking binary attachments past your work's IT
security people apply.

If you are feeling larcenous, and lucky, monitor the
alt.binaries.mac.fonts newsgroup.

Sometimes legitimate free fonts are posted there. It is easy to tell
them apart. They are usually either silly or ugly or both.
Proceed with caution. Expect malware and booby traps.
Corrupt fonts and Word do not get on too well together.

Go on. Live dangerously. If you sneak a virus into your work network, I
wouldn't want to be in your shoes.

 

[CyberTaz]

I think TrueType and Open Type fonts work in both unchanged

Interesting - I've been under the impression that this is true for OpenType,
not so much for TrueType. Any attempt to copy TTs from one OS to another
hasn't worked for me. My understanding is that the names & specs are
[theoretically] the same, but the file coding is different.

 

[mmmmark]

I don't have the name of it right here in front of me, but there is a free
utility that will take Windows fonts and make them work on a Mac. I think
Taz is right that in some cases, the byte order or some such technical
mystery is inverted.

In any case, for a project a while back I needed a custom Gaelic font and
with about 5 minutes of googling, I found Windows fonts that installed
without a hitch on OSX.

A quick google might be in order:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=using+pc+fonts+in+osx

Good luck,
Mark

I think TrueType and Open Type fonts work in both unchanged

Interesting - I've been under the impression that this is true for
OpenType, not so much for TrueType. Any attempt to copy TTs from one OS to
another hasn't worked for me. My understanding is that the names & specs
are [theoretically] the same, but the file coding is different.

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

If you can get at the font files themselves, simply copy them into your Font
folder on Windows.

Note that you need to work with the individual font files with their .ttf or
..otf extensions. Suitcases will NOT work (Windows will ignore them).

When you get them there, you may find that they look poor. Mac fonts are
hinted for the Mac onscreen display: this often does not look so nice on
Windows. Printing should be pretty much the same.

Using Mac fonts in work documents is not always wise: as soon as you send a
document to one of your workmates, Word will substitute the "next closest"
fonts on their machines, which can lead to some very strange effects.

And of course, it's quite illegal: Fonts are copyright software. When you
bought your Mac, you bought a licence to use them. On one machine, as part
of Mac OS. If you copy them to the Windows machine, you are guilty of
piracy and the Federation Against Software Theft will be after you!

But there is a way to do it

Cheers

Is there a way to transfer fonts from a mac to a windows-based system.
I'm using MSWord. The fonts I want to transfer are in my mac and I
want to share these with my windows computer at work. Thanks. Also,
is there a place where I can download fonts for free? Thanks again.

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410