Adobe Type Manager
The Adobe Type Manager ( ATM ) is a program from Adobe Inc. for the display of PostScript Type 1 fonts on computer screens ( ATM Light ), for the correct output of these fonts on non-PostScript-compatible printers and for the management of fonts the computer ( ATM Deluxe ).
In response to the development of the TrueType format by Apple , Adobe published the Adobe Type Manager in addition to the specifications of its PostScript Type 1 format, which subsequently strengthened the format's acceptance.
Original purpose
Since PostScript fonts are based on vectors, they have to be converted into pixels for output. A so-called PostScript interpreter, which is a PostScript-capable raster image processor, does this for output to printers . This conversion must take place in real time for the screen display . Since this was too computationally intensive for the computers of the 1980s, two separate font versions were used: a pre- rasterized ( raster graphics ) version for screen display and the PostScript version for printers.
After Adobe, together with NeXT, developed the Display PostScript software for the NextStep operating system in 1987 for displaying PostScript on the monitor, Adobe released the Adobe Type Manager for Macintosh in 1990. A Windows version was also released later. The ATM makes it possible to calculate a screen display of the font from the PostScript data, i.e. from the printer version. This means that a font for which there is no pre-rasterized representation in the correct size no longer appears jagged. Newer versions of the ATM are also capable of so-called antialiasing , i.e. the further smoothing of the text edges by using gray levels.
Later versions were equipped with the font management familiar from the Suitcase utility . This made it possible to group fonts and load them as required.
With Mac OS X and Quartz , the ATM became superfluous for the Macintosh. The representation of PostScript fonts was integrated in Windows 2000 and later versions, so that no ATM has to be installed here either.
For technical reasons (work on servers) it is still used in prepress to be able to assign job-related fonts.
ATM Deluxe and ATM Light
In 1996 Adobe introduced the ATM Deluxe. The original ATM has been renamed ATM Light.
In addition to edge smoothing, the ATM Deluxe was also able to manage fonts. The functions include grouping the fonts in so-called "sets", activating and deactivating, searching for fonts and displaying sample texts.
Development and sales of the "ATM Deluxe" were discontinued in 2005. The "ATM Light" is still available and can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe. (See web links) However, it can no longer be installed on Windows 10 .
Versions, operating systems
macintosh
- October 1989 - ATM 1.0 for Macintosh
- October 1993 - ATM 3.6.1 for Macintosh
- August 25, 1995 - ATM 3.8.3 for Macintosh
- May 1997 - ATM Deluxe 4.0 for Macintosh
- April 26, 1999 - ATM Deluxe 4.5 for Macintosh
- October 24, 1999 - ATM Deluxe 4.5.2 for Macintosh
- July 7, 2000 - ATM Light 4.5 for Macintosh
- October 19, 2000 - ATM Deluxe 4.6.1 for Macintosh
- June 25, 2001 - ATM Light 4.6.2 for Macintosh
- July 17, 2002 - ATM Deluxe 4.6.1a for Macintosh
- July 17, 2002 - ATM Light 4.6.2a for Macintosh
- December 31, 2005 - ATM Deluxe for Macintosh stopped selling
Windows
- June 1990 - ATM 1.0 for Windows
- November 1991 - ATM 2.0 for Windows
- January 1993 - ATM 2.5 for Windows
- June 10, 1993 - ATM 2.6 for Windows
- September 1994 - ATM 3.0 for Windows
- August 25, 1995 - ATM 3.02 for Windows (last version compatible with Windows 3.1)
- 1996 - ATM 4.0 for Windows
- July 7, 2000 - ATM Light 4.1 for Windows
- July 18, 2000 - ATM Deluxe 4.1 for Windows
- December 31, 2005 - ATM Deluxe for Windows stopped selling
Web links
supporting documents
- ↑ a b ATM Deluxe product information page , accessed September 1, 2011