@HEADLINE = FontGen IV+ Exposed

@BYLINE = by Don Kelley  



This is a review of FontGen IV+, available from:  VS Software, P.O. 
Box 6158, 2101 South Broadway, Little Rock AR, 72216, Phone: (501) 
376-2083.  The retail base price of this font editor was $250.  VS 
Software also has many different soft fonts available. 

The version of Font Gen IV+ I purchased was for the HP Laser Jet Plus 
series of printers.  They have versions for HP compatibles, Cordata, 
Canon/NCR, Ricoh LP4080 and Jlaser Plus.     

Font Gen IV+ is essentially menu driven.  It has extensive on line 
help and you can quickly forget the manual.  It takes input from a 
keyboard, mouse, or tablet.  My only major hang-up is with the keyboard/mouse 
combination.  With that, you sometimes MUST use the mouse and other 
times MUST use the keyboard.  You can't get by with just the mouse.  As 
an example, when editing a character, you MUST use the mouse (unless 
you set up with keyboard only, no mouse), you can't use the keyboard 
arrow keys to move the cursor around.  This requires a very steady 
hand for some movements.  

The program is really designed for a graphics card.  Apparently you 
could use it without graphics in a text mode but I don't think that 
would be an easy proposition. Review of Font Gen IV+ (Continued)      

The main menu offers several options: 

1) Create a new font from scratch; 

2) Load a font for editing; 

3) Convert all characters; 

4) Edit a character;  

5) Edit the header record;  

6) Save the edited font; and 

7) Reconfigure the editor.      

The capability exists to modify the entire font by changing its point 
size up or down, changing a fixed  space font to a proportional font, 
changing a proportional font to a fixed font, creating a bold font, 
an expanded font, a condensed font, a slanted font, etc.      

The main part or benefit of FontGen IV+ is its on screen font editor.  You 
can zoom in or out on each character.  

You have full editing capability at the dot or pixel level.  

There are several editing command available to help you modify or 
create characters such as drawing, window, conversion, character commands 
and function key actions.  You have the capability to tie several 
characters together to create a larger character, logo, or even a 
signature block using a multiple character command.  

You can bring one or more characters from another file and place them 
where you desire, edit them, save them, etc.

The manual walks you through creating a registered trademark symbol 
by starting with an 'R'.  The two furnished fonts contain only the 
top 127 characters.  

If you need the upper 127 characters, you will need to create a new 
font or read in a font with them already created and modify that font.  I'm 
currently working on a font that will print out the IBM or PC graphics 
character set.      

Not all the soft fonts I have available would load into or be loaded 
by FontGen IV+.  

Some of the PD/Freeware fonts by Gary Efling hung up the system and 
required reboot.  All of the HP soft fonts worked with the editor 
as did all of the Weaver Graphics softfonts.  

@BODY2 = The Glyphix generated fonts also worked with this editor. 
Will keep a list of what works and what does not.      Hope this long 
winded spiel has helped some of you out there.