How do I accomplish it without asking people to install the font?

Is it even possible, without of course turning everything into an image?

Thanks a lot!


Well, the only way I know is to use sIFR

http://novemberborn.net/sifr3

Requires Flash tho, and a bit tough learning curve


Yes. It is possible. That is, in theory. If it was practically possible wouldn't you think it would be used all over the place?

You probably will have to wait for W3 and CSS3 before there will be a common standard. And even then, if there are font embedding restrictions it still won't work.

Alas, a dream ... or rather, a nightmare.


Here's something that should work, but usually doesn't.

Microsoft Word gives you a number of Save As options, such as Word Document, Rich Text Format, WordPerfect document, etc. in the 'Save as type' field in the Save As dialog box. One of the options is to save the document as Web Page. If you don't use MS Word to make your web page, the program you use may offer this option as well. Saving an MS Word document as Web page creates an html document and a file folder which will contain any graphics which have been inserted into the document. This is very similar to what happens when you save a web page from the Internet.

In MS Word, go to Tools in the Menu Bar. Select Options.... from the drop down list. Select the Save tab in the Options dialog box. Check the boxes for Embed True Type fonts and Embed characters in use only. Click OK to close the document, and save the document.

For this to work, the font you're using must have embedding features enabled. This feature is determined by the font designer, but can be modified with some font making/editing programs. For example, I can change embedding settings with FontLab Studio5, but not with ScanFont.

The font being embedded must always be installed on the computer you're using to make the document. If you create a document with an embedded font, don't uninstall that font, because that can affect not only the document you've made, but also any other documents on your computer that have the same font embedded. It can also affect the font itself, and any copies of that font that are on your computer.- None of the character glyphs will appear when you open that font in preview!

This also happens if you rename a font that has already been installed. As far as I could tell, the only way to restore the font is to delete all copies on your computer, delete any documents which have the font embedded, and reacquire the font from wherever you got it in the first place. I have used this procedure to attempt to embed fonts, and it has worked succcessfully once, with a font called 24hourbauer. I've also caused myself a lot of grief by trying to do this with other fonts, even ones I've made myself, where I have personally set the embedding paramenters.

It's also possible that this works properly for any embedible font, provided that all features of MS Word have been properly installed. I don't wan't to test that feature badly enough to uninstall/reinstall MS Word, just to test embedding.

If you do want to try this, I recommend you do the following:

1) Before starting, send yourself an e-mail, with the font you want to use as an attachment. That way, you can retrieve it later, if other copies become corrupted.

2) Make sure you know where every copy of that font is on your computer, either installed, in a .zip, or in another folder. This includes copies which have the same font name in the header, but don't have the same file name, ie: You download a font named ASQRDBD_.TTF, and rename it to match the title given to the font by the author Both will be corrupted.

3) Create the document, and enable the embedding features.

4) E-mail the document with embedding to someone else, or to yourself, for the purpose of viewing it on another computer which does not have the font installed, to see if the embedding worked. The second computer used to check embedding is not at risk. Either the embedded characters will appear corrrectly, or MS Word will use a default font like Times New Roman or, in some cases, Fixedsys.

I make fonts, and have experimewnted with embedding, but I gave up on it when it corruped some of my fonts. This was a big problem when I was making new fonts. I often make multiple versions of a font with the same name, to see if the glyphs need additional editing. If I install version 1.0 of my font, embed 1.0 in a document, uninstall 1.0, then create and install version 1.1, I run the risk of having all versions of 1.0 and 1.1 corrupted. So the key things in this are:

1) Don't Uninstall a font which has been used in any ambedded document on your computer.

2) Test the embedding by viewing the embedded document on a computer which does not have the embedded font installed.

I learned all of this the hard way.

~bito


@bob istheowl: ... I often make multiple versions of a font with the same name, to see if the glyphs need additional editing. If I install version 1.0 of my font, embed 1.0 in a document, uninstall 1.0, then create and install version 1.1, I run the risk of having all versions of 1.0 and 1.1 corrupted. ...

It may be a good idea that for different versions you not only change the name of the font, v1, 2, 3 etc, but also change the unique font identifier and the postscript name. That could save you a lot of trouble.


Our cat likes to go on the roof above the entrance to my building.. It's about a five foot jump straight up from our porch. When it snows, however, he goes on the window ledge, then uses a bench as a springboard to leap a 7 1/2 foot distance, rising four feet, just so he doesn't get snow on his paws or bum.


Which is exactly how it should be done ...



Thanks everyone for their replies and links. I liked bob is theowl's option, so I went for that first. As he (sorry if you are a she) had warned: it didn't work. But then, I have no idea what "embed a font" means, this is actually the first time I have to deal with fonts; download&install is all I'm good at when it comes to fonts.

So I guess I'll have to sit down, take my time, and figure out how on earth to embed a font. I'm looking it up right now, so that will hopefully give me a clue on where to start.

Once again, thanks everyone for their collaboration!


Wicked, embed means to place within. The object of embedding is to display an uninstalled font..When a font is embedded properly, it becomes a part of the document itself, Like in an Adobe Acrobat Reader..pdf file.

In MS Word, from the persepective of the viewer, it's as if the font is installed in the page, rather than in the Fonts folder in the Control Panel.

~bito


Okay... So I found a nice, easy tutorial to embed a font using Microsoft Weft. The problem is the font I'm using is not embedable "'no embeding' font" said the programme. So I downloaded a Demo of FontLab Studio, which looks like a great programme, only I haven't used it yet. I reckon I clicked on every single option, or at least most of them, and I can't find any properties that let me set it to 'yes embeding please please please' font.

Just when I thought I was a genius, I bump into fonts and feel retarded. The latter would be a good signature..


If you e-mail the font in question to me, I'll change the embedding settings and e-mail it back. I'm bobistheowl on hotmail.

You can't change the embedding settings and generate a modified font with the demo version of FontLab Studio5. You can probalbly find a working copy of the full version on torrents or eMule, though. The one I downloaded has a key generator or serial number patch.


Wicked, for someone working with fonts for the first time FontLab may be a a bit too heavy and as Bob said you can only play with the demo and not save a thing.

Bob's offer is a nice one but you can - unless you are an apple -do it yourself, as long as you realize that changing the embedding settings is a violation of the license agreement. Goto high-logic.com, download FontCreator, which you can use for 30 days without limitations. FontCreator has less possibilities that FontLab but is a lot easier to work with - for a newbie.

Open the font > Format > Settings > General > Font embedding - Licensing rights > Edit > clear all but 'Preview and Print embedding' > OK > OK > Save. Done.

Why not use a font that has no embedding restrictions?


Thank you thank you thank you thank you both!

I've just e-mailed you the font, and I'm downloading both FontLab with serial and FontCreator.

I think I'm going to hang around this site more often now.


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