Using Mac OS 9 fonts on Intel Mac Mini ...

[YTSEMAC]

01.09.06

Hi again.

When I bought my Intel Mac Mini from Apple, the sales
person told me that there wouldn't be a problem using
OS 9 fonts on the new machine. This has not been my
experience so far. To date, I haven't been able to use
any OS 9 fonts even though I've tried several different
means of installing them.

I am a freelance designer and type is the lifeblood of
my work, but I'm STILL having to work between my old
G4 and the new machine!

Again, has anyone got any bright ideas or have the Apple
sellers simply been economical with the truth and misled
me in pursuit of a sale? Surely it doesn't mean having to
throw the baby out with the bath water and having to buy
a whole new type library? ... say it isn't so ... PLEASE!

Many thanks in anticipation of your advice and assistance.

Best wishes,

John McEvoy.

 

[Blue Velvet]

There should be no problems using Mac PostScript fonts on your Mini.

What kind of fonts are they? What software are you using to organise them and what problems are you having trying to use them?

More specifics would be helpful here.

 

[YTSEMAC]

01.09.06

Hi again 'BV' and thanks for your reply.

Firstly, I have only used a small selection of fonts, all
of which are PostScript and are installed in the system
fonts folder. I don't know if this is relevant, but when I
click on the font file and go to 'Get Info' now, the description
comes up as 'Unix Executable File'. When I do the same on
the font folder, it comes up as 'document'.

Secondly, as you will have guessed, I don't use any
software to organise my fonts. Could that be the problem,
and, if so, what would you recommend?

Next, I have just installed the Interstate type family. When
I open the fonts folder, the font file icons are graduated
Black with the word 'exec' in Green (top left) and they are
in landscape format. The font folder icon is White with no
type and is in portrait format, the right hand corner is folded
over. When I go to type and font in Illustrator, there is no
sign of the files having been installed - in other words, I can't
use the fonts because they aren't there.

I hope this is enough information for you to go on and for you
to offer a solution, but if not, please feel free to ask me more
questions.

Many thanks again for all your valued assistance.

All the best,

John McEvoy.

 

[Blue Velvet]

First off, it sounds as though the resource forks have been stripped from the font files as the OS is not recognising them as fonts. How did you transfer the fonts from your old Mac to the new one?

Secondly, OSX comes with a basic font management utility called FontBook. You can use this to install and activate your fonts... it's not the best tool for the job if you're dealing with many collections but it'll do for now.

The way fonts work and where they are installed is very different in OSX.

This is what I recommend:

1) If you can, on the old Mac, burn a Mac-formatted CD with your entire font collection onto it.

2) Take the CD and copy off the font collection into a new folder in your Home folder. Give the folder a name like 'John's Fonts'

3) Start up Font Book. There might already be an icon in the dock for this program. If not, the program is in your Applications folder... creating a link in the dock might be a good idea if there isn't one there already.

4) Use Font Book to install the fonts. This will place them where other programs can access them. You can create collections and manage them by sets or individually.

5) Either read Font Book Help (Help menu) or purchase OSX: The Missing Manual by David Pogue to read up more on OSX. Also, here's the Apple page about Font Book.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/fontbook/

Let us know how you get on. 🙂

 

[YTSEMAC]

01.09.06

WOWEE - what a reply 'BV'!

Will try and check this out tonight/tomorrow and
get back to you with my findings.

Once again, thank you so much for your much-valued
assistance.

Best wishes,

JMcE.

 

[YTSEMAC]

05.09.06

Belated hi again 'BV' - apologies for delay.

Tried as you suggested, but no joy so far.

As regards the resource forks, these are in
a separate folder within the fonts folder.

Whenever I open FontBook and go to 'Add
Fonts', all the font files are dimmed except
for the resource fork folder; and when I
open that, nothing. Help!

I have an AppleCare Plan, should I contact
them? It's just that the last time I did, it
sounded like I was talking to the computer!

Thanks for reading.

Best wishes,

JMcE.

 

[Macky-Mac]

05.09.06

...As regards the resource forks, these are in
a separate folder within the fonts folder....

is this on the new computer? I've never had a "resource forks" folder in any of my font folders so something odd has happened.

try this to see what happens.....no doubt you have your font files backed up somewhere......copy one or two fonts from your backup to your Mini for a test. Do the "get info" on them to make sure they show as font files instead of the "exe", check this before you drag them to a font folder.....you don't need to use Font Book to install them, just use the old fashion "drag and drop" method....at least that's continued to work for me. Put them in either "library>fonts" or in "users>(yourusername)>library>fonts" .....but don't install your own fonts in the "system>library>fonts" folder

Restart and then see if they show up in your programs

 

[YTSEMAC]

This is what I recommend:

1) If you can, on the old Mac, burn a Mac-formatted CD with your entire font collection onto it.

2) Take the CD and copy off the font collection into a new folder in your Home folder. Give the folder a name like 'John's Fonts'

3) Start up Font Book. There might already be an icon in the dock for this program. If not, the program is in your Applications folder... creating a link in the dock might be a good idea if there isn't one there already.

4) Use Font Book to install the fonts. This will place them where other programs can access them. You can create collections and manage them by sets or individually.

5) Either read Font Book Help (Help menu) or purchase OSX: The Missing Manual by David Pogue to read up more on OSX. Also, here's the Apple page about Font Book.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/fontbook/

Let us know how you get on. 🙂

O 'me' of little faith 'BV' ... I really ought to know better!😉

I have to admit that I thought the suggestion of copying
fonts onto a CD and then installing them on my Mac Mini
didn't make sense as I had done the same thing using
a LaCie PocketDrive, and without success. Obviously,
there IS a difference as I now have most of the fonts I
had installed on my G4 on my Mac Mini - the only down
side is that I'm wondering if they've caused a problem
with the machine's appearance - please see 'Has my Mac
Mini got Kryptonite poisoning?! ...' post:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/237939/

Anyway, I stand corrected about the fonts and I bow to
your superior knowledge ... mucho respect!

Would welcome your thoughts/comments/assistance in this
very bizarre matter.

Many thanks again,

JMcE.