DoubleByte TrueType Font Interface

The DoubleByte TrueType Font Interface allows Smart Characters for Windows to use and export to any other Windows application any Japanese, traditional, or simplified Chinese TrueType font under any version of Windows. Use to display and print in a variety of typefaces and styles, for very high resolution printing or typesetting, to print Chinese under Japanese Windows, or vice versa. Avoids the expense, hassles, and penalties of actually running Japanese or Chinese Windows. Works with Windows or Macintosh fonts. Asian TrueType fonts (not included) are available separately from font dealers and makers.

Font Vendors

Dynalab (English) Traditional, Simplified, and Japanese TrueType fonts.

Ricoh (Japanese) Japanese fonts. You can download samples (which contain just a few hundred characters), install them into the DoubleByte TrueType font interface (see directions), and view the example file here, or your own files (which will display mostly missing characters).

Microsoft supplies TrueType fonts in their far east versions of Windows. Japanese Windows contains two fonts, Mincho and Gothic, Traditional Windows contains a Ming Light font, and Simplified Windows contains a Ming and a Hei font. You can install these fonts into the interface for use with or without running the far east Windows version. You may have these Windows versions without knowing it, Level 2 membership of the Microsoft Developers Network includes all versions of all international operating systems.

Microsoft now supplies TrueType fonts to support their Internet Explorer version 3.0 web browser. You can download these fonts for free and install them in IE 3.0 to view Japanese, traditional and simplified Chinese, and Korean. Apparantly, these are some of the same fonts distributed with the Far East versions of Windows. Access them via ftp at ftp1.microsoft.com in the /msdownload/ieinstall directory, or via their web site. These addresses change frequently. You can also obtain the language support packages via their web site, under the topic of Downloading Internet Explorer.

Monotype makes Chinese and Japanese TrueType fonts. You can buy fonts from them directly, or from a dealer (here's one).

Far east TrueType fonts typically install into their corresponding native Windows versions. Contact Apropos Customer Service for installation instructions to install into other Windows versions. Alternatively, we can purchase these fonts for you and supply them with an installation program into any version of Windows.

The DoubleByte TrueType font interface works with any far east TrueType font designed for Macintosh or Windows. It may not work with other scalable fonts that claim to be "TrueType quality", but are not actually far east TrueType fonts. If you are using TrueType fonts that are not up to spec, Customer Service may be able to help you install and use these fonts anyway. Contact Customer Service for details.

Free or Shareware Fonts

A few sites contain TrueType fonts that you can download and try. The quality of these fonts is typically not nearly as good as commercial fonts, especially at low resolutions and low point sizes, but you may enjoy playing with them anyhow.

• There are eight Chinese TrueType fonts located at iffcss. Download their catalog, select one or more fonts, download all the parts, unarchive them using arj according to the directions. You may prefer to use the ftp interface ftp.ifcss.org and look in the /pub/software/fonts/big5/ms-win directory.

Download the Latest Version (1.0 Build 022)

See directions for viewing and annotating Chinese and Japanese pages using Smart Characters. See also the Smart Characters brochure, product list, Smart Characters for Windows and Smart Characters for Students product comparisons.

Need more info? Try the Customer Service Page or E-mail to Apropos Customer Service