Ted Harrison, co-founder of Fontlab, recently gave us a glimpse into the workings of the company and how fonts and font design programs are changing. We asked him about everything from the state of the industry to his upcoming offerings for 2010--read on for all the information and a look at an incredible new development in font licensing.
MacTribe: How did you get started with Fontlab?
Ted Harrison:I met my partner, Yuri Yarmola, on a trip to Russia during the period of Glasnost and Perestroika. He was working on a font editor product and needed someone to bring it to market. I had just gotten my MBA and was looking for interesting projects. One thing led to another and pretty soon we had a software company.
MT: Can you describe Photofont ID?
TH: It's a plugin for InDesign that allows users to employ photofonts (bitmap fonts with color and transparency) in almost the same way that they use vector fonts. This gives designers much more flexibility in their typography. Trying to use color with vector fonts is pretty clunky. Photofont ID solves that problem.
The ongoing recession has, of course, been a drag, but the advent of web fonts promises to give the industry a needed boost.
MT: Photofont has been a game changer for designers; how is the response > going for ID?
TH: We haven't actively promoted Photofont ID, so not many people know about it yet. It's been just word of mouth.
MT: Would you say Fontlab's products are complimentary to Adobe's Creative Suite?
TH: Absolutely! We work closely with Adobe to produce products that add value to what you can do with applications like InDesign and Photoshop.
MT: How do you keep your pricing so competitive?
TH: We run a very lean organization and we frequently outsource work that can be done more efficiently by outsiders. Everybody except the programmers works out of home offices. Plus, of course, the competition keeps us in line.
MT: How do you feel the font industry's doing in general?
TH: So-so. We had a boom in the early 90s, followed by a bust in the late 90s. Now things are stabilizing. The ongoing recession has, of course, been a drag, but the advent of web fonts promises to give the industry a needed boost.
MT: Are the majority of your users on the Mac?
TH: It's about an even split between Mac users and Windows users.
MT: What is on your current/new release calendar for 2010?
TH: First and foremost is the newly revitalized Fontographer 5. We've been working on this for years now and we're glad to finally get it out the door. The new version will retain most of the old GUI so there won't be a steep learning curve, but there will be lots of new stuff as well. OpenType compatibility is the big thing that everyone has been asking for. It will be there and will even be automated to some extent.
Next up will be TransType 4. TransType is our universal font converter and our best selling product by unit sales. It has undergone a major overhaul with lots of new features and capabilities. Hopefully it will be out by this summer.
Both of these products will include the capability to use a new OpenType table called EPAR (for Embedding Permissions And Recommendations). We've worked with a lot of people in the font industry over the last few years to develop this table. It will allow font users to quickly and easily see the terms of their font EULAs and get advice from the foundry on how to best use a font. Most font users aren't aware that fonts, like virtually all other software, are licensed and have conditions attached.
We at Fontlab get questions all the time about "Can I do this with my font?" or "Can I do that with my font?". Up until now the only way to know was to see if you could find the font EULA and get a lawyer to interpret it. But with the EPAR table font vendors will be able to put an abstract that answers the most frequent questions about the EULA right into the font. So the user will be able to see almost instantly whether, for example, they're allowed to share the font with a service bureau or to convert it to a different format.
For more information, products and pricing, visit http://www.fontlab.com.
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OS 4.0
Here's what we're looking at: people want multi-tasking, global email integration and GPS Navigation because (let's face it) Android phones already have them. If the iPhone wants to keep up it can't just be the most stylish handset around. Looks and brains, right? So hopefully we'll b introduced to those features come 10am PST Thursday. We know, we know...they've been a few years coming. But this Android thing is so new and--we think--the first wave of real competition the iPhone has faced since its debut. Ergo, it's time to step it up, fellas.
On the wish list but highly unlikely (no matter how much you want it): a Verizon iPhone. They just inked the iPad deal. Doubtful Apple's going to turn its back on AT&T now, even if the masses would prefer a little more choice in their providers. We'd love a screen rotation lock like the iPad has too, but we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed and see!
iPad Opinion
There have been hundreds of iPad opinion columns posted over the web in the past few days, but ComputerWorld's Michael DeAgonia has done one thing in his we haven't seen yet: an honest attempt to capture the feeling you get when you use one for the first time. We've all been running on and on about screen resolution, brilliant graphics, ease of use: DeAgonia is trying to quantify the emotional aspect of this device...and trust us, there is one.
The column is long and involved but worth the read--it's so interesting to see a different tack taken. If you're tech nerd like us you know you want one...or you already own it. But the intuitive interface, seed and portability make it a worthy consideration for anyone in the market for an e-reader or netbook.
Point of Sale?
We've worked in a retail environment or three in our time and the worst thing about them is old, clunky, outdated Point of Sale Systems--especially when your employer is still using a Micros from 1985 in 2008. Why didn't they switch? They're EXPENSIVE.
But enterprising businesses are already making use of the iPad as a POS...like the Sightglass coffee shop in San Francisco. Brilliant. And about ten grand cheaper than updating your Micros.
Any more awesome iPad sightings? Tweet us!
