1. Home
  2. Computing & Technology
  3. Desktop Publishing

TrueType Fonts

From Jacci Bear's Desktop Publishing Glossary, for About.com

Type 1, TrueType, and OpenType font file

Type 1, TrueType, and OpenType font files.

Definition: TrueType fonts are one-half of the TrueType font technnology originally designed by Apple Computer but widely associated with the Microsoft Windows platform. The other part of the technology is the TrueType rasterizer software built into Mac and Windows operating systems which allows for the display and printing of TrueType fonts.

Like other digital typefaces, the TrueType font file contains information such as outlines, hinting instructions, and character mappings (which characters are included in the font). Available for both the Mac and Windows formats, there are slight differences in the TrueType fonts designed for each OS therefore Mac and Windows users cannot share TrueType fonts.

Also Known As: .TTF (Windows) | SFNT (Mac)
Alternate Spellings: Truetype
Examples:
"Under Windows, the icon for TrueType fonts is a dog-eared page with two overlapping Ts. All Windows TrueType fonts have a .ttf extension. For Macintosh, a TrueType file icon appears as a dog-eared page with three letter As in progressively larger sizes."
Explore Desktop Publishing
About.com Special Features

Stay connected and entertained with reviews on tips on the latest HDTVs, cellphones and more. More >

Easy ways to connect two computers for networking purposes. More >

  1. Home
  2. Computing & Technology
  3. Desktop Publishing
  4. Page Layout Tutorials
  5. Glossary / Mini-Tutorials
  6. 6. Just Type & Fonts
  7. TrueType Fonts - Defining TrueType Fonts and TrueType Technology>

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.