Using MS-DOS TrueType fonts
GEnie Roundtable
Copyright (c) 1994 Apple Users' Group, Sydney
Republished from Applecations, a publication of the Apple Users' Group, Sydney, Australia.
Source: GEnie Apple II bulletin board
Category 37, Topic 4, Messages 385-387
Yes, TrueType fonts from the MS-DOS world can be used on the Apple IIgs. This series of messages from the Westcode area on GEnie outlines what is involved and how to go about it.
C.BARROW writes:
Assuming one can get them onto a GS compatible disk, what has to be done to make MS-DOS TrueType fonts compatible?
T.BUCHHEIM replies:
You have to run the fonts through a converter program on a
Macintosh. Then you have to spend a few hours getting things like style bits, font names, and font ID numbers right. Then just put them on an HFS disk and pop it in a GS. :)
S.WEYHRICH replies:
It's not for the faint of heart...or those lacking in computers. You can make the conversion if you have an MS-DOS computer (possibly optional), a Macintosh, and your IIgs.
1) Make sure the TT fonts on the MS-DOS disk are "NAME.TTF", and not "NAME.TT_". The latter fonts have some compression that has to be decompressed before they are useable. This would be the only situation where you would NEED an MS-DOS computer. Just use the Utility included with the fonts to install them into Windows.
2) Transfer the MS.DOS "TTF" font files to a Macintosh using Apple File Exchange (AFE) on the Mac.
3) Download the shareware program TT Converter from the Mac RT. Run each TTF file through TT Converter, and it will make it usable by the Mac. Note that the filename given by TT Converter to some fonts with similar names may be close enough that you will get an error when trying to do it. (For example, Bozo Bold and Bozo Bold-Italic might both be given the name Bozo BO by TT Converter; attempting to convert the second one will cause an error and the program will quit).
4) Put the converted files on an HFS 3.5 disk, and put it into the IIgs.
5) Move the files from the HFS 3.5 disk to wherever you want them on the IIgs hard drive.
6) Use the Pointless control panel to load each of the converted Mac fonts. Pointless will change them from typeless files ($00/0000) to proper TT fonts ($C8/0001).
There's more if you want to be fancy, but that's the quick and dirty.

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