Re: FLASH: Flash Font Test

[John Croteau]

Hi Mike,


> Here is why we did the test:

> >From Flash 4 manual page 115:

> "Flash exports type to your final movie with all of its system information

> intact. Type you create while authoring on one platform may not appear

> properly on other platforms; moreover, your audience must have the type's

> font installed for it to display properly, even on the same platform."

> Now I may be reading this incorrectly but this seems to suggest to me that

> if the viewer/ user does not have the font installed then it will not

> display properly. 

You are reading it correctly, but the book is WRONG. It was meant to

refer only to Text Field text but it did not. See my other post

(attached below) for the correct details.


>However, my experience has been the exact opposite. I have

> never had a problem displaying fonts.

This is correct but special attension should be paid to Text Field text

and the new designated device fonts _sans, _serif and _typewriter which

do not work the same as regular text.


> So the fonts are (by default) first converted into shapes, and thus it

> doesnt matter if the user/viewer has the font installed on their machine.

> I am reading this correctly?

Almost but not quite, all regular text has its shapes sent with the

Flash SWF file (they are not converted to shapes).

For regular text and Text Field text with use shapes selected all users

will see the same exact text shapes.



> > Of course they look the same.

> >

> > All regular text in Flash is sent with shapes.

> > The third broken apart text would be larger, is not efficient and is a

> > waste of bytes. It has 2 't's, 2 'i's, 2 's's and 2 'e's which have

> > their common shapes duplicated when the text is broken apart. Breaking

> > apart text is not a major problem with a single short line like this but

> > is a big problem with paragraphs of text increasing file size by huge

> > amounts. You should ONLY break text apart if you need to shape tween it

> > or modify its shape. Do not be mislead by speed increases in text

> > processing when playing an animation in the authoring environment

> > because it does not transfer to the SWF file (or Test Movie).

> >

> > Text not displayed with shapes supplied with Flash;

> >    1) If devicefonts  is set as true in HTML and the user has the exact

> > fonts on their system.

> >    2) _san, _serif and _typewriter use fonts on the users system

> >    3) Text field text uses the fonts on the user's computer unless one

> > of the Use font outlines is selected. If you do not select Use font

> > outlines, one of the designated device fonts (_sans, _serif or

> > _typewriter) and the user does not have the exact font on their system

> > then the user's computer will pick a font and it is very likely not be

> > even close to what you want.

> >

> > For text fields (not regular text) if you do not select Use font

> > outlines and you are not sure whether your audience has the exact fonnts

> > then you should use oone of the designated device fonts (_sans, _serif

> > or _typewriter) so the user will get a similar font shape to the one you

> > design. Note, it will be similar and not neccessarily the same.

> >

> > --

> > Coming Soon    Flash 4 Web Animation F/X and Design

> >   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576105555/flashcentral

> > -----------                               -----------------------

>

> John Croteau croteauerols [dot] com (mailto:croteauerols [dot] com)

> > -------------                             -------------------------

> > FlashTek  (Advanced Websites with Flash) http://www.FlashTek.com/

> > Flash Bible (Fast track to good Flash)  http://www.FlashBible.com/

> > Flash Central(The Universe Starts Here) http://www.FlashCentral.com/

> > The Flash Tech Resource (Tech Notes)   http://www.FlashCentral.com/tech/

> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> >

> >

> > flasher is generously supported by...

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> >

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>

> http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email helpchinwag [dot] com

> >

> 

> flasher is generously supported by...

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Streaming Media WEST '99 Conference & Exhibition

> "The Worlds largest Internet Audio & Video Event"

> December 7 - 9, San Jose Convention Center, California

> 

> Reserve your space today at http://www.streamingmedia.com

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

>

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email helpchinwag [dot] com

-- 

Coming Soon    Flash 4 Web Animation F/X and Design

  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576105555/flashcentral

-----------                               -----------------------

John Croteau

croteauerols [dot] com (mailto:croteauerols [dot] com)

-------------                             -------------------------

FlashTek  (Advanced Websites with Flash) http://www.FlashTek.com/

Flash Bible (Fast track to good Flash)  http://www.FlashBible.com/

Flash Central(The Universe Starts Here) http://www.FlashCentral.com/

The Flash Tech Resource (Tech Notes)   http://www.FlashCentral.com/tech/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Streaming Media WEST '99 Conference & Exhibition

"The Worlds largest Internet Audio & Video Event"

December 7 - 9, San Jose Convention Center, California


Reserve your space today at http://www.streamingmedia.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com