Can someone clarify the issue Dave raised.
For digital typefaces, the font designer /font copyright owner provides the vector font shapes and metric tables that enable computer automated placement of letters and also contain typical algorithms for automatically kerning particular letter pairs. As I understand it, there is no copyright requirement, however, for purchasers of a font to only use the vertical and horizontal metric tables supplied with a font/typeface. The designer assumes that software will be used to modify text characteristics.
Is this correct?
If so, Dave's point could be addressed by circulating alternative font metric tables - and this would be new 'intellectual property', potentially subject to its own patent rights (rather than copyright).
Most of the typographical designers I know have been shy to mess around with the font metric tables and lookups and instead have restricted themselves to manually adjusting text characteristics such as tracking and kerning through whatever graphic design software they are using. A more 'hands-on' approach to directly modifying the font metric and lookup tables of proprietary fonts is possible for hacker designers, see, for example,
http://xmlgraphics.apache.org/fop/0.95/fonts.html
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/font.html
http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/
http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/editexample5.html
Second question, does anyone know of any reliable/valid research that compares best practice in software-managed text arrangement with best practice by competent human typographers?
Best wishes,
Terry
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-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dave Crossland
Sent: Wednesday, 13 April 2011 3:12 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Learning & Teaching & Lettering & Typography
Hi,
It seems to me that the dominant proprietary font licensing culture
that puts control of kerning solely in the hands of the copyright
owner means that there is very narrow dissemination of type design
knowledge among type users; someone who learns the visual acuity
skills Robert Harland describes - and the software needed to put them
to use in improving the fonts they use - is typically acting against
the terms of their font licenses. Therefore such activity remains
underground, since the results cannot be redistributed (direct
copyright infringement) nor can the idea be widely publicized (at the
risk of contributory copyright infringement)
Therefore I'd like to suggest that fonts available under a 'libre
license' that allows commercial redistribution and modification are
the most relevant to typographic education, since they afford students
the full depth of practice possible.
--
Cheers
Dave
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