Re: [ft] Bytecode hinter producing bad results, seems to be a regression

[Werner LEMBERG]

> So it seems that the font I have is unhinted, hence the small size.

No.  It's hinted.

> I just assumed that all TrueType/OpenType fonts that came from
> Linotype or other well recognized foundries were loaded to the gills
> with hints but it seems I am mistaken.

Helvetica originally is a Type 1 font from Adobe which has been later
converted to TrueType.  This conversion process was obviously done
semi-automatically, and I suspect that all hinting bytecode
instructions have been applied by a program, not by a human, thus the
bad quality for B/W rendering at such small ppem values.  Remember
that this font is intended for printing, not for displaying fine on
the screen.

> The Adobe font I have seems to have plenty of hints so I will study
> it.

It's different technology...

> And I will try to find a version of Neue Helvetica 65 Medium that
> has a full set of glyphs along with hints.  Any ideas on where to
> get that?

The font *is* complete.  If you want better hinting for such small
ppem values I suspect that you need a different sans-serif font which
has been specially tuned for screen usage, like Arial.


    Werner