Re: hidden composites

["Berthold K.P. Horn" <bkph@ai.mit.edu>]

   Thierry Bouche <Thierry.Bouche@ujf-grenoble.fr> writes:

   > Hi again & thanks!

   > nice explaination, I hadn't recognise these computations!

   > maybe it's doable in postscript?

   Hilmar Schlegel <hshlgaii@mailszrz.zrz.TU-Berlin.DE> writes:

   > Even more specifically, the tools for generating the complete (and
   > exact) AFM are available for years meanwhile. But of course please feel
   > free to reinvent the wheel...

   I'm not aware of any tools that generate the same `CC' entries and the
   same kern pairs provided by the font vendor (which is the only ``correct''
   AFM for a font). It is my understanding that kern pairs are usually hand
   tuned by the font designer, so I do not see how what you say can be
   true.

PFAtoAFM will reproduce virtually everything in an AFM file including
character bounding boxes even for unencoded characters.  This includes the
Composite character section.  The PFB (or PFA) file does not contain
kern pairs or kern tracking information, so that part is not available
by this method.

PFMtoAFM on the other hand will extract the kern pairs (and other
information).  PFAtoAFM can take output from PFMtoAFM as auxiliary
input to create essentially a complete AFM file.

Of course, all quality fonts should come with proper AFM files in the
first place - so there should be no need to ever to any of this :-)

   Nevertheless, if you feel I am reinventing the wheel, do please tell us
   all of the utilities that are available that Thierry should be using to
   solve his problem.

`Font Manipulation Package' see http://www.YandY.com

   P.S. Having corresponded with Hilmar Schlegel once before and been hurt
   by what I found an arrogant and condescending attitude, and disappointed
   at what I saw as lack comprehension and insight, I will likely not
   respond to anything else he might say on this matter.

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