MORE INFORMATION
Earlier Printer Drivers
Printer drivers written for versions of Microsoft Windows earlier than
version 3.1 were not designed to work with TrueType font technology.
If you are using one of these earlier printer drivers, TrueType fonts
usually will not appear on a font list in an application. Check the
version number of your printer driver (usually by choosing the About
button in the printer driver's dialog box). If you are using an
earlier driver, switch to a different printer driver to see if the
TrueType font problems are eliminated, or update the earlier printer
driver to the most recent Windows version 3.1 release of the driver.
NOTE: Some applications do not query the printer driver for the list of
available fonts (Microsoft Excel for Windows is one such example), which
causes the application to show the TrueType fonts as available when they
are not.
If TrueType fonts display properly in Windows Paintbrush, Windows Character
Map, and Microsoft Excel but not in Windows Write and Microsoft Word for
Windows, you may be using the HPPCL.DRV, HPPCL5A.DRV, or DESKJET.DRV driver
from an earlier version of Windows. These drivers may be identified by file
dates prior to 3/10/92.
To Correct the Problem
- Delete the driver from the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
- Install the new driver from the Windows 3.1 disks. Note that
DESKJET.DRV is now HPDSKJET.DRV.
- Make the printer your default printer.
Enabling TrueType Settings
Make sure that TrueType is turned on (or off) as required by your
printer. To do this, run Control Panel, and choose the Fonts icon.
Choose the TrueType button, select the desired options, and choose the
OK button.
Printing TrueType As Graphics
If you print a document that is formatted for a TrueType font using
the HP LaserJet Series II printer driver and the printer form feeds
after it prints a line of text, you may need to select the Print
TrueType As Graphics option in the Printer Setup dialog box.
The following list describes the download capabilities of each HP
LaserJet printer model. It also describes how Windows version 3.1
handles the downloading of TrueType fonts by default.
- HP LaserJet, LaserJet Plus, and LaserJet 500 (all PCL III)
When these models are selected, TrueType fonts are always printed
as graphics, and are only available when the printer resolution is
set at 300 dots per inch (dpi).
- HP LaserJet Series II, IIP, IID (all PCL IV)
TrueType fonts are downloaded. If you want to print more than 16
fonts on a page, select the Print TrueType As Graphics option.
- HP LaserJet Series III family (all PCL V)
TrueType fonts are downloaded. If you want to print more than 16
fonts on a page, you must switch to the graphics band.
NOTE: In general, if you choose the Print TrueType As Graphics option,
printing speed will decrease.
PostScript: TrueType Settings in Driver
If you are using a PostScript printer, there are TrueType options in
the printer driver that determine whether TrueType fonts are
downloaded. In the printer driver's Setup dialog box, choose the
Options button. Choose the Advanced button; the settings in this
dialog box determine whether the printer uses printer fonts or
TrueType fonts and the type of download font (that is, Type 1 or Type
3). The fastest settings are generally the default settings for this
driver, as follows:
Send To Printer As: Adobe Type 1
Use Printer Fonts For All TrueType Fonts: not selected
Use Substitution Table: selected
Substitution Table
------------------
Arial Helvetica
Times New Roman Times
Courier New Courier
Symbol Symbol
Wingdings Download As Soft Font
LaserJet: Printer Settings in Driver
On earlier models of the Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet printers
(original, Plus, and 500), the printer resolution should be set to 300
dpi. This is because TrueType fonts on these printers are not
available at lower resolutions.
On later models, there is an option to print TrueType fonts as
graphics. This is used to override the downloading of PCL fonts. It is
useful in cases where the limitations of PCL fonts need to be
overridden by the graphics device interface (GDI) to create special
effects. (For example, PCL IV printers cannot print white text on a
black background. However, printing TrueType fonts as graphics enables
this.) If the printer resolution is set below 300 dpi, the Print
TrueType As Graphics check box is grayed.
Canon Printers
The Canon laser printer drivers that ship with Windows version 3.1
require that the resolution of the driver be set to at least 300 dpi.
Incorrect Printer Model Selected for HP LaserJet Printers
TrueType prints differently to different models of the HP LaserJet
family. On earlier LaserJet printers (original, Plus, and 500)
TrueType ALWAYS prints TrueType fonts as graphics because these older
printers do not support the downloaded PCL fonts TrueType creates.
Series II printers have a soft font page limit of 16 fonts per page.
Later models do not have these limitations. Mismatching the model will
cause TrueType to attempt to optimize for the wrong type of printer,
causing either incorrect output (pages only partially filled, wrong
fonts printing, text overprinting, and so on), or needlessly slow
output.
"Bad" Fonts
A "bad" or incompatible font can cause a wide variety of problems,
including (but not limited to) the following:
- Error messages (for example, "Invalid TrueType Font Detected,"
"Divide By Zero")
- Blank text on screen
- Incorrect line spacing
- Corrupt output
- System crashes
NOTE: The "bad" font does not have to be in use to cause problems; it
merely needs to be installed. To troubleshoot the problem, remove the
font. If the behavior does not persist, the font is the cause of the
problem.
Another cause of the problems listed above is a bad .FOT file, which
must be rebuilt. You can usually resolve this problem by reinstalling
the font using the Windows Control Panel or the installation program
that came with your soft font package.
For more information on installing fonts using the Windows Control
Panel, see pages 164-168 of the "Microsoft Windows User's Guide" for
version 3.1.
Old Video Drivers
Old video drivers cause some of the same problems as those caused by
old printer drivers. To determine whether your video driver is causing
problems with TrueType fonts, switch to a standard Windows version 3.1
video driver (for example, VGA).
For more information on changing video drivers, see page 82 of the
"Microsoft Windows User's Guide" for version 3.1.
Missing Font Files
The font files for TrueType fonts are referenced in the [fonts]
section of the Windows WIN.INI file. For example:
[fonts]
Arial (TrueType)=ARIAL.FOT
Arial Bold (TrueType)=ARIALBD.FOT
Arial Bold Italic (TrueType)=ARIALBI.FOT
Arial Italic (TrueType)=ARIALI.FOT
Courier New (TrueType)=COUR.FOT
(and so on)
The .FOT file is used by Windows to reference the .TTF file, which is
the actual TrueType font file. If either of these files is missing,
Windows will behave unpredictably. Typical behavior includes error
messages, blank text, screen failing to redraw properly, and incorrect
font mapping. Always verify that an .FOT file and a corresponding .TTF
file exist for each entry in the [fonts] section of the WIN.INI file.
Incorrect Printer Driver Memory Settings
Windows uses the printer driver memory setting to determine the best
way to print TrueType fonts. This is a dynamic process; if the memory
setting does not match the exact amount of memory available on the
printer, TrueType may not print correctly.
White on Black
If you are using white TrueType text on a black background, the type
does not show up.