Configuring TrueType and OpenType support

The TrueType and OpenType fonts that are supported must be Unicode-enabled, and they are used for processing files in a Unicode environment. For ASCII text data (a non-Unicode environment), do not use TrueType/OpenType fonts. Whereas FOCA fonts are referenced in AFP with coded font names, Global Resource Identifiers (GRIDs), or code page and font character set name pairs, TrueType and OpenType fonts are always referenced by MDR structured fields using a name that is reflected in the actual font file: the full font name. This means that the actual font data is not needed in this referencing stage, just the full font names. At the printing stage, the font data is needed.

PSF uses two methods to resolve the font references:

  1. Inline within the resource group of the AFP file. This means the font is embedded into the AFP.
  2. Through the Resource Access Table (RAT).

The Resource Access Table is created using AFP Font Installer. It maps each Full Font Name to a file name within the current directory. When the RAT is used, each directory that contains TrueType and OpenType fonts should contain its own RAT file.

Enabling support for TrueType/OpenType fonts when RAT is installed

If you have installed the RAT, the AFP files will only reference the fonts using MDR structured fields. When AFP is submitted to PSF for printing, the fonts are resolved through the RAT. This situation is supported for both OTF and ABAP types of files.

To transform and print OTF files in Unicode environment using TrueType/OpenType fonts:

  1. Open the fonts.tab.unicode.truetype file using a text editor.
  2. Use the FullFontName column to map the OTF fonts to the desired TrueType/OpenType fonts.

To transform and print ABAP files in Unicode environment using TrueType/OpenType fonts:

  1. Open the pagedef.tab.unicode.truetype file using a text editor.
  2. In the PAGEDEF fields, specify the names of the page definitions mapping the TrueType fonts.

Enabling support for TrueType/OpenType fonts when RAT is not installed

When the RAT is not installed, the names of the font files are needed for embedding them into the AFP. When AFP is later sent to PSF for printing, the fonts are found inline, in the resource group, at the beginning of the AFP file. This case is supported for both OTF and ABAP files.

To transform and print OTF files in a Unicode environment using TrueType/OpenType fonts:

  1. Open the fonts.tab.unicode.truetype file using a text editor.
  2. In the TTF_PATH field, specify the path to the fonts.
  3. Use the FullFilePath column to map the OTF fonts to the desired TrueType/OpenType fonts.

To transform and print with ABAP files in Unicode environment using TrueType/OpenType fonts:

  1. Open the pagedef.tab.unicode.truetype file using a text editor.
  2. In the PAGEDEF fields, specify the names of the page definitions mapping the TrueType fonts.
  3. In the TTFembedNorm and TTFembedBold fields, specify the file names of the normal and bold TrueType fonts specified in the PAGEDEF.

For more information about the configuration files and their contents, see RICOH InfoPrint Manager: Reference.

Parent topic: Using TrueType and OpenType fonts