MORE INFORMATION
Adobe PostScript is a page description language (PDL). A PDL has
several components that allow it to manipulate fonts, raster graphics,
vector graphics, color, and peripheral support (that is, sheet feeders
and other resources). There are two levels of the PostScript language:
Level 1 and Level 2.
Level 1 PostScript Language
This is the industry standard used by desktop publishing (DTP)
companies, service bureaus, and supported by the PostScript printer
driver version 3.5 that ships with Windows 3.1.
Level 2 PostScript Language
This is an enhanced version of Level 1 that comes with additional
support for color imaging, data compression, improved forms handling,
and pattern manipulation for transferring raster data. This level is
currently supported by only a few printers, such as the Apple
LaserWriter IIF. The PostScript driver for Windows 3.1 does not
support Level 2.
Adobe Type 1 and Type 3 Fonts
Both of the two PostScript levels support the Adobe font technology
known as Type 1 and Type 3.
Adobe Type 1
Adobe Type 1 fonts are scalable typefaces that can be sized to almost
any point size, and rotated, twisted, bent, and manipulated in other
ways either by the PostScript interpreter in the printer or by an
application that uses the Adobe Type Manager (ATM) application
programming interface (API) functions that allow this. Type 1 fonts
are internally represented as mathematical equations. This is the
industry standard for DTP and service bureaus.
All PostScript printers have a certain number of these fonts built
into them, most commonly either 17 or 35 fonts, although many high-end
PostScript printers have hard disks for storing even more fonts. When
TrueType fonts are printed to a PostScript printer, they are sent to
the printer as Type 1 fonts unless small point sizes are needed, in
which case they are sent as Type 3 fonts.
Adobe Type 3
Adobe Type 3 fonts are most often bitmaps, but they can be scalable
fonts that lack the hinting that makes Type 1 fonts look good at all
point sizes. Therefore, Type 3 fonts are normally used only for small
point sizes. When Windows 3.1 sends a small point-size TrueType font
to a PostScript printer, it sends the font as a Type 3 font. This
determination is controlled by the "minoutlineppem=xxx" setting in the
WIN.INI file.
NOTE: If you change the minoutlineppem setting you must quit
and restart Windows in order for the changes to take effect.
For more information on this setting and other PostScript-related
WIN.INI file settings, query on the following words in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
postqa and postscript and minoutlineppem
NOTE: Adobe Type 2 fonts do not exist.