.ttf and .pfm

[gpholman]

Hi

I downloaded a bunch of public domain fonts however many of them came as both .ttf and .pfm formats. This means the font list in Xara also now shows many duplicates.

Does anyone know of a painless way to automatically uninstall font duplicates and if so should I remove the ttf or pfm versions?

Thanks

[steve.ledger]

This is not really a Xara Xtreme topic.
If you don't want to use Windows Font manager, have you tried a third party font manager to remove unwanted Windows fonts?

[gpholman]

Sorry, I appreciate it doesn't relate directly to Xara but the problem manifest itself for me in Xtreme. I'll do a bit of Googling then.

[amoore]

You don't need the pfm fonts. They're just a different format. You're not going to gain anything by using them instead of the ttfs. There was a time when the format made a difference.

If you had a specific need for the pfm fonts, you'd know what the format is and why you should use it. Since you don't, just delete the pfms. You'll also need to delete the associated pfb files, as well as the afb files (if there are any).

A font manager is a very useful thing. So is doing some organized font management, especially if you have a lot of fonts.

BTW, although it took some work, I've gotten the most help re duplicate font files from using FontExpert 2009. Not free, but, for me, worth every penny. It also allows you to tag your fonts, which makes searching a lot easier.

[Richard S]

Sorry, I appreciate it doesn't relate directly to Xara but the problem manifest itself for me in Xtreme. I'll do a bit of Googling then.

I would suggest this is a valid comment - there are heaps queries about 'what font is this' ('Help ID Font' is current) and other related ones that have nothing to do with Xara, just the job at hand that is being worked on in Xara. I'd say its fair dinkum and keep the questions coming. Never know who else it benefits.

my 2 bobs worth from under the great land Downunder.

[Patman.nyc]

Speaking of a Font Manager, anyone know a good one. I had an old one that came with my HP Laserjet 5 that worked great, but that was back in '95' days, no longer works with Vista.

[Soquili]

I'm using Typograf, it is not free but works well in Vista.

http://www.neuber.com/typograph

[Patman.nyc]

Thanks Bill, I'll check it out.

[amoore]

Here are links to two threads on font managers:

http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=25905

http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=32906

After extensive evaluation a while back, I chose Proxima's FontExpert as my main font manager. I also have High-Logic's MainType, which I use for viewing character maps (the map display is much better than FontExpert's) and the complete set of font information (abbreviated in FontExpert).

BlackSun's X-Fonter is cheaper. It may do everything you need. I prefer its implementation of font groups (which it calls "collections") to the way FontExpert and MainType do it. Nice little app.

You can also google for freebies. I usually find the freebie interfaces too cluttered. Plus, I want more power than they usually offer. The main reason I took FontExpert over the others is that it lets you tag your fonts and search on your tags. So, if I want a medium-weight sans serif typeface with an old-style feeling, I just have to tick those qualities, and FontExpert displays the fonts that meet my criteria.

[gpholman]

I downloaded the freeware NexusFont as recommended by Gary Bouton in his excellent book 'Xara Xtreme 5: The Official Guide' which looked useful.

I actually ended up using an option I stumbled upon by sheer chance (this is for XP):

Go into Control Panel
Bring up the Fonts screen
Select Tools -> Folder Options from the drop down menu
Go to the TrueType Fonts tab and click the 'Only show TrueType fonts...' checkbox.

I as then prompted to Restart my PC and when it came back up the pfm copies were no longer showing in Xtreme.

amoore - thanks for the advice, I'll manually delete them as you suggested.

Richard S - thanks for the support! However I can appreciate moderators have to keep a close eye on the forums to ensure they stay 'on topic'.