FontMachine screenshots
Screenshot 1: Selection of fonts used in Word, some with paragraph borders and background colours applied.
Screenshot 2: The Email application set with a handwriting font to personalise Emails!
Screenshot 3: Example Word document using new fonts.
Screenshot 4: Large font- TTF Vs ROM font.
Screenshot 5: Example of using installed fonts in Sketch to edit images.
Screenshot 6: Large text- TTF Vs ROM font.
Screenshot 7: Huge text with strike-through set.
Note that these screenshots display real text using TTF fonts taken straight from a Windows 2000 PC and installed on a Psion Series 7 with FontMachine. Apart from the Sketch screenshot, which simply shows real text that has been messed around with, they are not embedded images!
To find out more about FontMachine and to download a trial version visit the mBrain Software website.
Pro's
- Allows desktop fonts to be installed in seconds from the control panel for use in applications
- Doesn't require user to interfere with the System folder
- Doesn't require soft reset after (un)installing fonts
- Scalable fonts such as TTF's render smoothly at huge sizes
- Using TTF fonts is just as fast as normal bitmap fonts
- Fonts can be used when printing to paper, although a supporting driver is required
Con's
- Since formats like TTF use separate files for styles (bold, italic, etc) these functions will not be available in Word unless the extra style fonts are installed.
- Some fonts do not render smoothly at small-to-average sizes
- Since ER5 doesn't support anti-aliasing or multi-coloured fonts, some files may not produce text as intended.
- ER5 machines don't allow you to change the font used in the System screen or menus etc, so the fonts can only be used in documents and applications.
- Some fonts do not display the full character set. Non alpha-numeric characters either don't appear or are replaced with a box symbol.
- Existing printer drivers have a fixed font list meaning installed fonts don't show up. Additional printer drivers are available however and if compatible with your printer will allow full use of fonts for printing.
- Finding free fonts- If you don't have a PC with fonts ready to copy then you may spend a lot of time scouring search engines. Most fonts sites seem to be a large collection of links connecting each other or the front page says they have closed! Even the ones that do have fonts seem to only have the same fonts as everyone else so if you are looking for fonts try these pages for a start. Another good idea is to see if any fonts came with your printer.