Open Type Font. Why is it better, exactly?

[Mark321]

Learn me.

I'm trying to wrap my head around why Open Type Font is superior to True Type Font. If I download a font and have a choice, why would I choose one over the other?

Mark

[gwpriester]

http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.c...pe-vs-truetype

[mwenz]

I didn't read through the links entirely.

A nice thing about OTF is the rendering. TrueType fonts depend upon a process called hinting to display nicely. Hinting is a laborious process to get truly correct. These days, most font authors rely upon automatic hinting provided via a third-party application that while doing an acceptable job is nothing like hand-hinting (which is the laborious process).

OpenType fonts require far less hinting and instead rely upon the font rendering of the OS font subsystem. The OT renderer does an amazingly great job, so much so only a fraction of the OT fonts available have been hinted.

OTFs are often smaller when they are truly an OpenType font (versus a TT or TT flavor OTF). They render more quickly, they are processed quickly in the print sub-system. They are less prone to overrun problems in a RIP.

Of course, there are also the OT Features that set OpenType fonts apart from the TTF fonts of yesteryear. TTFs made today are often OpenType fonts wrapped in a TT wrapper and may or may not end with the typical .ttf filename extension. (There are reasons for this from a practical standpoint.) OpenType features can do amazing things in an OT-aware application if they have features written into them and/or are written properly.

A font is actually an application that requires another application (i.e., the font subsystem) to run them. This is much like a DLL. A DLL (Dynamic Link Library) contains executable code that requires another application to make them work. So with a font. A font contains both a display property (the glyphs/characters you see on the screen) that are written in code very much like a vector application displays curves, rectangles and the like. They are just mathematical expressions of points that are connected, just like if you drew the letter L in a vector drawing application. At a minimum there are 6 points for the letter L as shown here. But, there is code happening behind the scenes for you to see and act upon that letter. So too in a font. Aside from the basic code, there may be code contained to alter that letter, replace that letter under certain circumstances, replace that letter under certain circumstances except if there is another condition, etc., Basically there are if/then statements in a font with certain OpenType features.

Geez, I should get out more...

Mike

[Mark321]

Hey, Mike...
Great explanation! But I do have a question. This is the 3rd time I've seen the acronym RIP; what's it stand for (I'm guessing it doesn't stand for Rest In Peace, LOL!)?

Mark

[gwpriester]

Raster Image Processing. The process of applying a halftone screen to a file for commercial printing.

[mwenz]

Some would argue that Rest In Peace is exactly what it means...and they actively pray for peace when outputting files.

In this case, the acronym stands for Raster Image Processor. All printers have a RIP in them. Other than plotters, all image data be it a raster image or vector information gets rasterized before the print technology lays any type of colorant on a page. That applies to the $39 inkjet on sale at an office products store to high-end consumer and commercial print devices, to CTP (Computer to Plate) devices and film imagesetters, etc.

Mike

[mwenz]

Raster Image Processing. The process of applying a halftone screen to a file for commercial printing.

It isn't just about half-tones. It's just the conversion processing engine. Solid ink printers have a RIP but no half-tones, for instance.

[wizard509]

Thanks Mike, I found your explanation most illuminating.