TrueType Font

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What Does TrueType Font Mean?

A TrueType font is a font standard and is the major type of font found in both Mac and Microsoft Windows operating systems. It consists of a single binary file which contains a number of tables related to printer and screen versions of the typeface. Developed by Apple and Microsoft, it gave font developers the much needed flexibility for control of the precise characteristics for font display.

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Techopedia Explains TrueType Font

TrueType fonts come pre-installed in both Mac and Windows operating systems. Unlike other font formats, which use rasterization for hinting instructions, the hinting instructions reside in the font. This helps TrueType fonts to be faithfully reproduced right down to the pixels. It also has a far better control over the rasterization.

Since it is a single file, TrueType fonts are easier to manage. Excellent scalability and readability are benefits of TrueType fonts. They can be scaled to any size and are equally readable at all sizes. The glyphs associated can be shown at any resolution and at any specific point size. Most printers and output devices support TrueType fonts.

Many TrueType fonts are available on the Web for free. Professionally designed fonts can be expensive, but are highly tested at different angles and sizes for premium quality and also are heavily hinted. These features are much in demand for companies involved in advertising and publishing.

Improperly created TrueType fonts can cause errors, some of them potentially causing the computer to crash.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.