[Fontinst] How to combine just one extra letter from another font

[Lars Hellström]

10 jun 2007 kl. 04.52 skrev na199 at gmx.de:
> Hello,
>
> I have the following problem:
>
> A book will be printed with Times typeface.
>
> As known, the letter "v" in Times in math looks very similar to the  
> greek "\nu"
> and both letters appear quite often.
>
> Therefore the idea is to replace the replace the "v" with the rounded  
> version
> from the NewCenturySchoolbook typeface (I found nothing better) - but  
> not in
> the upright fonts, only italics.

Ah, this brings back memories. I once had to replace the s in  
AGaramond-Italic because it just looked like a squiggle when used by  
itself in an index. A slanted s from AGaramond-Regular made a good  
substitute.

> This might have been done before with times font or similar. Question:  
> is there
> a script or sample available which would help (I have no intention to  
> invent
> the wheel again).

Previous advice being good too, I can at least provide you with my  
fontinst commands for this. The relevant subset is:


\transformfont{padrmo8r}{\slantfont{250}{\reencodefont{8r}{\fromafm{padr 
8a}}}}

\installfonts
   \installfamily{OML}{fadcm}{\skewchar \font =127}
   \installfont{zfadcmbm}{zpadcmbm}{oml} {OML}{fadcm}{b}{it}{}
   \installfont{zfadcmrm}{%
      zpadcmrm,\metrics \unsetglyph{s},kernoff,padrmo8r,kernon%
   }{oml}                                {OML}{fadcm}{m}{it}{}
\endinstallfonts


Noteable here is that there already existed a math font set-up for  
AGaramond (the zpadcmr* fonts) which I merely wanted to make a minor  
modification of (thus creating zfadcmr* fonts, collected in the family  
fadcm). This means you don't have to have access to scripts for  
generating a full Times math font set-up; the final TFM and VF files  
are sufficient. On the other hand, these VFs and TFMs then need to be  
available whenever you use the modified fonts you build, as one of the  
base fonts for the virtual fonts you create will itself be a virtual  
font.

Your workflow would be

Existing TFM files   --(tftopl)-->  PL files  --(fontinst)-->  VPL files
--(vptovf)-->  New TFM and VF files

A .dvi driver resolves the fonts as

Modified Times mathfont (VF)  --->   Original Times mathfont (VF)  --->  
   Base font (Type1 or whatever)

Lars Hellström