Outline and bitmap fonts compared

["Nelson H. F. Beebe" <beebe@csc-sun.math.utah.edu>]

>From time to time on the PDF and tex-fonts lists, the question of
display quality of fonts has come up, often with regard to the display
of documents typeset by TeX.  I have responded privately, and on the
lists, to these questions when I had the time to do so.

Over the last few days, I've put together a Web page that discusses
the issues, and illustrates the problem with sample pages set with
outline fonts, and with bitmap fonts.  

The problem lies primarily with Adobe Acrobat Reader, acroread, since
other freely available software clearly demonstrates that bitmap fonts
can be displayed satisfactorily.  

	PERHAPS ENOUGH VOLUME OF COMPLAINTS TO ADOBE SYSTEMS WILL
	SURFACE THAT THEY WILL FINALLY FIX ACROBAT READER!

Although TeX documents are often the origin of bitmap fonts, other
document formatting systems also use them.  For historical reasons
documented in the Web page, Adobe has a responsibility to do better.

Please visit

	http://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/fonts/outline-vs-bitmap-fonts.html

Comments are welcome, but please keep them off the lists unless they
really are intended to be read by more than the author of that page.

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- Nelson H. F. Beebe                  Tel: +1 801 581 5254                 -
- Center for Scientific Computing     FAX: +1 801 581 4148                 -
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