Page 239 - DCAP303_MULTIMEDIA_SYSTEMS

Unit 14: Designing for World Wide Web (WWW)

should be presented concisely under clear separate headings such as location, services available, notes
prices, contact details, etc.
14.2.1 Concept of text
Text is the graphic representation of speech. Unlike speech, however, text is silent, easily stored
and easily manipulated. Text in multimedia presentations makes it possible to convey large
amounts of information using very little storage space. Computers customarily represent text
using the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) system. The ASCII
system assigns a number for each of the characters found on a typical typewriter. Each character
is represented as a binary number which can be understood by the computer. On the Internet
ASCII can be transmitted from one computer to another over telephone lines. Non-text files (like
graphics) can also be encoded as ASCII files for transmission. Once received, the ASCII file can
be translated by decoding software back into its original format.
14.2.2. fonts

The graphic representation of speech can take many forms. These forms are referred to as fonts
or typefaces. Fonts can be characterized by their proportionality and their serif characteristics.
Non-proportional fonts, also known as monospaced fonts, assign exactly the same amount of
horizontal space to each character. Monospaced fonts are ideal for creating tables of information
where columns of characters must be aligned. Text created with non-proportional fonts often look
as though they were produced on a typewriter. Two commonly-used non-proportional fonts are
Courier and Monaco on the Macintosh and Courier New and FixedSys on Windows.
Proportional fonts vary the spacing between characters according to the width required by
each letter. For example, an “l” requires less horizontal space than a “d.” Words created with
proportional fonts look more like they were typeset by a professional typographer. Two commonly-
used proportional fonts are Times and Helvetica on the Macintosh and Times New Roman and
Arial on Windows.
font samples
Times and Times New Roman are proportional serif fonts.

Helvetica and Arial are proportional sans serif fonts.
Courier and Courier New are non-proportional serif fonts.
Monaco and FixedSys are non-proportional sans serif fonts.
14.2.3 font standards

There are basically two font standards of interest today. The first is called Postscript. Postscript
fonts are designed to produce exceptionally good looking type when printed on a high-resolution
printer. To use a Postscript font, a set of files must be installed on the host computer. These
files include a printer font that is downloaded to the printer when a page containing the font is
printed, and a set of screen fonts which represent the font on screen at various point sizes. If the
user chooses to view the font at a size not provided for by the font file, the computer interpolates
and produces an unattractive font on screen. The printed output, however, will always appear
attractive. Postscript is a complete page description language that encompasses all elements of a
printed page including high-resolution graphics.
The second standard is called TrueType. TrueType fonts use a variant of postscript technology.
To use a TrueType font only one file must be installed on the host computer. This file is used by
the printer and by the screen to produce attractive text at any point size. TrueType technology,
however, is limited to text. For high-resolution graphics, Postscript is the standard to use.

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