100% Processor on Font Selection

**sgiff** · 28 October 2005, 07:40 PM

I don't know what is happening here but when I open up the fonts pallete and just select any font, my processor jumps to 100%. I just tested it on XaraX1 and this does not happen.

s.g.

**sgiff** · 28 October 2005, 08:05 PM

Well, nevermind It was doing it on XaraX1 a minute a go as well so maybe it's just my issue and not a general bug. Now I can't seem to duplicate it. Although I just noticed it was happening with XaraX1 and it was minimized but when I opened it and closed the fonts pallete, it stopped.

s.g.

**sgiff** · 28 October 2005, 08:19 PM

Actually I am able to duplicate it but it only happens on this one font that is part of Microsoft's Vista platform (Segoe.ttf and it's family). It doesn't seem to happen to any other font so just ignore.

s.g.

**John Rayner** · 28 October 2005, 10:13 PM

hi sgiff,

It could be a flaky font definition that is maxing out your processor. Try that font in another app...

**sallybode** · 31 October 2005, 02:12 PM

Having some sort of font management is a good idea. Even though Windows XP can handle more fonts, you don't want so much of your resources minding the fonts. A font utility that leaves the minimal fonts in the font folder and stores your fonts outside of it and references their location is not a memory hog.

That way your system sees the font if you want to use it.

The font utility I use is Font Navigator and I really like it. Had CorelDRAW long time and didn't use it. My font folder crashed at work and I finally got around to using it at work, despite the font folder crashing (could not add or subtract fonts--using Windows 2000, I know ugh) Font Navigator allows me to install and unistall fonts. I can preview any font in my external font folder and if I need a new font, I install it to my external folder and drag a copy to the installed folder.

It also categorizes your fonts for you, so if you need a serif font you aren't looking through fonts you don't need to find the one you want, it has about 7 categories of font sorts.

You can also change the preview text, which is handy if there are letters in the font that really identify your search, you can make it read any thing and it is not permanent, you can always change it.

I am using it daily. It also allows you to install a font and have it immediately available to all of your programs. I have not found a program it does not support.

As of now it only comes bundled with CorelDRAW, but copies of DRAW can be really cheap on Ebay.

Other font utilities you can buy cost more than DRAW if you can believe. That is if you are not a smart buyer.

Never ever pay full price if you don't have to.

**amoore** · 31 October 2005, 03:23 PM

3 cheers for Font Navigator!

It's a key component in my toolbox, too. Works as advertised. Easy to use. Easy to read. Clean, uncluttered UI.

You didn't mention user-defined font groups. Very useful.

**stlewis** · 31 October 2005, 04:35 PM

I like FontRainbow from Everclear.

To install/uninstall a font you just click a spot.

And the categorisation is neat too.

**tellurian** · 01 November 2005, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by sallybode

Having some sort of font management is a good idea. Even though Windows XP can handle more fonts, you don't want so much of your resources minding the fonts. A font utility that leaves the minimal fonts in the font folder and stores your fonts outside of it and references their location is not a memory hog.

I have about 1300 fonts installed in Win 2000, I have't noticed any problems with this. Would you care to explain exactly what resources they are using, and now it affects the system? Does it slow it down or is it just using more RAM?

**John Rayner** · 01 November 2005, 10:08 PM

The less fonts you have the faster windows boots and runs... My son proved this to me. He too a machine twice as slow as mine, deleted all but the most required 13 fonts and his amchine ran faster than mine... I think I am running about 600 fonts.

**ZEBtoonz** · 01 November 2005, 11:48 PM

I've tried a few font managers and my all-time favorite is Font Xplorer found at http://www.moonsoftware.com/fxplorer.asp.

It can browse installed and not installed fonts, view the character set for a font, type in specific text to see how it looks in the various fonts, then individually select fonts and compare just those fonts to decide on which one to use for a particular need. You can install a font without copying it to the system font folder, move, copy, temporarily load, delete, etc.