Bug 97468 - PostScript font alias name, `Helvetica Narrow' and `Helvetica Condensed'
Summary: PostScript font alias name, `Helvetica Narrow' and `Helvetica Condensed'
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: fontconfig
Classification: Unclassified
Component: conf (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Hardware: Other All
: medium normal
Assignee: fontconfig-bugs
QA Contact: Behdad Esfahbod
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2016-08-24 12:55 UTC by Masamichi Hosoda
Modified: 2016-09-17 13:16 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
i915 platform:
i915 features:


Attachments
[PATCH] Fix PostScript font alias name (2.48 KB, text/plain)
2016-08-24 12:55 UTC, Masamichi Hosoda
Details

Description Masamichi Hosoda 2016-08-24 12:55:16 UTC
Created attachment 125999 [details]
[PATCH] Fix PostScript font alias name

Current Fontconfig uses `Helvetica Condensed' as PostScript generic font name of `Nimbus Narrow' and `TeX Gyre Heros Cn'.
But, If I understand correctly, it is wrong.

In Ghostscript's Fontmap.GS
  http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=blob;f=Resource/Init/Fontmap.GS;h=a9fa335a2193fcf299f0b24cd473f4527b6e950b;hb=HEAD
`Helvetica Narrow' is used.
There is not `Helvetica Condensed'.

In TeX Gyre Heros Readme
  http://www.gust.org.pl/projects/e-foundry/tex-gyre/heros/readme-tex-gyre-heros.txt/view
The metric data of `Helvetica Narrow'
  ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/type/win/all/afmfiles/base35/hvn_____.afm
  ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/type/win/all/afmfiles/base35/hvno____.afm
  ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/type/win/all/afmfiles/base35/hvnb____.afm
  ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/type/win/all/afmfiles/base35/hvnbo___.afm
is mentioned.
There is not `Helvetica Condensed'.

In addition, Adobe ftp server
  ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/type/win/all/afmfiles/base35/
contains `Helvetica Narrow' instead of `Helvetica Condensed'.
Comment 1 Akira TAGOH 2016-08-25 06:35:48 UTC
Added a person who made this change in Cc.
Comment 2 Tom Yan 2016-08-25 06:44:39 UTC
I merely mapped the once-new Nimbus Sans Narrow to the long-existing mapping for "Helvetica Condensed" (to TeX Gyre Heros Cn). Read the patch more carefully.

In that case I suppose the conf simply has a long-time bug.
Comment 3 Masamichi Hosoda 2016-08-28 04:27:56 UTC
The following commit seems to add `Helvetica Condensed' first time.

https://cgit.freedesktop.org/fontconfig/commit/?id=643f8088f0d51107e58d142df47124efec6afab1
Comment 4 Masamichi Hosoda 2016-09-13 13:52:14 UTC
I think that this is simple long-time bug.
Is there a problem in my patch?

When you apply my patch, `Helvetica Condensed' will not be able to be used in many environments.
If you think it is a problem, I'll create a patch that adds `Helvetica Condensed' alias to `Helvetica Narrow'.
But, I think that the current patch is better since `Helvetica Condensed' and `Helvetica Narrow' are exactly different font.
Comment 5 Masamichi Hosoda 2016-09-13 14:00:28 UTC
I think that this is simple long-time bug.
Is there a problem in my patch?

When you apply my patch, `Helvetica Condensed' will not be able to be used in many environments.
If you think it is a problem, I'll create a patch that adds `Helvetica Condensed' alias to `Helvetica Narrow'.
But, I think that the current patch is better since `Helvetica Condensed' and `Helvetica Narrow' are exactly different font.
Comment 6 Akira TAGOH 2016-09-16 12:33:28 UTC
Sorry, I didn't have a time to take a look. merged into git now. thanks.
Comment 7 Tom Yan 2016-09-16 16:44:51 UTC
For the record:

'Because of the distortion problems, Adobe dropped Helvetica Narrow in its release of Helvetica in OpenType format, recommending users choose Helvetica Condensed instead. However, in Linotype's OpenType version of Helvetica Narrow, the distortions found in the Adobe fonts are non-existent'

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica#Helvetica_Narrow

Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostScript_fonts#Core_Font_Set
Comment 8 Masamichi Hosoda 2016-09-17 13:16:35 UTC
(In reply to Akira TAGOH from comment #6)
> Sorry, I didn't have a time to take a look. merged into git now. thanks.

Thank you for your commit.

(In reply to Tom Yan from comment #7)
> For the record:
> 
> 'Because of the distortion problems, Adobe dropped Helvetica Narrow in its
> release of Helvetica in OpenType format, recommending users choose Helvetica
> Condensed instead. However, in Linotype's OpenType version of Helvetica
> Narrow, the distortions found in the Adobe fonts are non-existent'
> 
> from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica#Helvetica_Narrow
> 
> Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostScript_fonts#Core_Font_Set

Thank you for your information.


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