Microsoft Extends TrueType Fonts to the Web, Enabling Richer Web Pages

BOSTON, Feb. 27, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that its TrueType® font technology has been extended to the World Wide Web, allowing designers to create great-looking Web pages that consumers can view – even if they haven’t bought the specific typefaces for their PCs. Forty industry leaders – including Hewlett-Packard Company, Macromedia and Oracle Corp. – have announced support for the Microsoft®
solution. The TrueType-for-the-Web solution will include a core set of no-charge fonts designed for superb on-screen appearance and readability; embedding technology that downloads TrueType fonts to consumer PCs as needed; and a royalty-free cross-platform licensing program for Microsoft’s high-performance TrueType rasterizer, which allows all platforms to support TrueType technology.

“For too long, Web designers were free to use any font – as long as it was Times,”
said Brad Silverberg, senior vice president of the Internet platform and tools division at Microsoft.
“Web designers have been demanding the same typographic flexibility on the Web as they have in print and in other PC applications. By extending the industry-standard TrueType technology to the Web, we have combined the best of Windows® with the best of the Internet to unleash a new generation of dazzling creativity, style and individuality on Web pages that will make the Internet a more attractive and compelling place to be.”

Microsoft Builds on Font Expertise to Offer Complete, Cross-Platform Solution for Web

Today, most Web designers who want attractive typefaces are forced to turn their type into bitmapped graphics that are memory-intensive, take a long time to download, cannot be updated easily, cannot be resized by the user, and are invisible to search engines looking for text. By extending TrueType to the Web, Microsoft will expand the typographic options for Web designers. TrueType is already integrated into the Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows® for Workgroups, Windows®
95 and Windows NT
™operating systems as well as the Apple® Macintosh®
, making it the most-used font technology in the world, with over 3 billion TrueType fonts shipped. Unlike other font technologies that optimize type for the printed page at the expense of the screen, anti-aliased TrueType fonts provide the highest-quality text on screen as well as on the printed page.

“TrueType is the best solution for type on the screen,”
said Roger Black, president of Interactive Bureau.
“Microsoft’s new set of fonts gives people a better way to read the billions of words available on the Internet, and the font-embedding technology allows content providers to show their sites in their own chosen typefaces. It’s like getting to wear your own clothes instead of a uniform.”

“Microsoft’s TrueType and anti-aliasing technologies give everyone the opportunity to use and experience better fonts,”
said David Siegel, president of v e r s o.
“This technology will take the quality of on-screen type up two full notches.”

Also, TrueType technology can be supported on all computer platforms with Microsoft’s high-performance TrueType rasterizer, which extends the TrueType solution to platforms, such as UNIX® , that do not already support the technology. Hewlett-Packard is the first to announce that it will license the TrueType rasterizer, for implementation on HP-UX® , and will distribute the core set of fonts to HP-UX users. The TrueType rasterizer is already shipping with HP®
printers and HP personal computers.

“The licensing of this technology means that the same set of fonts and font technology will now be available across the entire HP product line,”
said Richard (Dick) C. Watts, vice president and general manager of the computer systems organization at Hewlett-Packard.
“For document authors, these common fonts and font technology will provide enterprisewide sharing across heterogeneous environments.”

TrueType Font-Embedding Technology Enables Faster Download, More Functional Web Pages

With TrueType font-embedding technology, Web designers and users can access high-quality fonts without having to download entire font files across the Internet. Authoring tools will provide the option to download only the characters used, saving bandwidth and enabling pages to download faster. Users can view Web sites as intended by the designer, without having to purchase special font software. In addition, a font manufacturer can specify an embedded font as read-only, for viewing and printing; editable within that particular document; or fully installable, therefore helping protect the intellectual property of font designers. The technology will be incorporated into Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft authoring tools later this year.

“The ability to embed TrueType fonts creates a clear market for fonts on the Web,”
said David Berlow, president of The Font Bureau.
“It allows Web publishers to buy and include read-only fonts in their Web sites without licensing hassles. It gives readers the quality of well-hinted TrueType fonts, and gives font publishers protection, with read-only embedding. It’s a win for everyone concerned.”

TrueType Fonts and Technology Broadly Available

Microsoft will make available to developers a core set of world-class, royalty-free TrueType fonts designed to look good on computer screens. They include fonts developed by Matthew Carter, one of the world’s premier font designers. The first set of TrueType fonts designed for the Web is expected to be available this quarter from the Microsoft TrueType Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/truetype). Any Internet browser that implements the proposed hypertext markup language (HTML) stylesheet standard from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) can use these core fonts immediately.

Microsoft will submit the technology for embedding TrueType fonts to W3C as a proposed specification to support the W3C’s efforts to define stylesheets, a standard graphic design language for HTML. Microsoft has been working with W3C and its members on HTML stylesheets since last fall.

Microsoft will also freely license the technology for downloading fonts to developers of browsers, authoring tools and other applications, enabling the thousands of TrueType fonts already on the market to be used on the Web.

Broad Industry Support

Web site and font designers, publishers, software developers and hardware manufacturers supporting TrueType for the Web technology include:

AGENCY.COM, Chan Suh or Kyle Shannon, (212) 522-6882

Agfa Division, Bayer Corp., Greg Porell, (508) 658-0200 ext. 2015

Atomic Vision Inc., Jennifer Petersen, (415) 522-5542

Benjamin Graphics, Frank Campanaro, (805) 642-9080

Blue Hypermedia Inc., Timothy Roven, (212) 995-2096

Carter & Cone Type Inc., Matthew Carter, (617) 576-0398

Cerebral Systems Development Corp., Leslie Owens, (416) 651-6818

Ethos Corp./Investors Edge, Patrick Connolly, (415) 389-4799

FontHaus Inc., Andrew Schwartz, (203) 367-1993

Font Shop, Bruno Schmidt, +49 (30) 69579200

Gal
á
pagos Design Group Inc., Larry Oppenberg, (508) 952-6200

Garagefonts, Betsy Kopshina, (619) 755-4761 or (619) 755-3913

Glyph Systems, Steven Reef, (508) 557-9001

Hewlett-Packard Company, Gary McCormack, (970) 229-2370

House Industries, Rich Roat, (302) 888-1218

InContext Corp., Marianne Kupina, (416) 922-0087

Interactive Bureau, Michael Kaminer, (212) 627-8098

Lanston Type Company Ltd., Gerald Giampa, (902) 676-2835

Macromedia, Mary Leong, (415) 252-2118

Meta Design, Bruno Schmidt, +49 (30) 69579200

Micrografx, Margaret Turbeville, (214) 994-6288

Monotype Typography Inc., Steve Kuhlman, (312) 855-1440

NCSA Mosaic, Briand Sanderson, (217) 244-7404

NetManage, Donna Loughlin, (408) 973-7171

Oracle Corp., Jennifer Keavney, (415) 506-3429

Projective Solutions Inc., Henry Pinkham, (212) 678-6595

QMS Inc., Robson Grieve, (415) 363-0982

s.a.x. software GmbH, Aurel Chauane deDalmassy, +49 (72) 1490020

SoftQuad, Lucy Ventresca or Linda Hazzan, (416) 239-4801

Spyglass Inc., Randy Pitzer, (217) 355-6000

Starwave Corp., Rebecca Levy, (206) 637-9097

Sub Pop Advanced Media, Ian Dickson, (206) 441-8441

The Font Bureau, David Berlow, (508) 627-9042

Treacyfaces Inc., Joseph Treacy, (203) 389-7037

TypeHaus Inc., Bill Bailey, (214) 690-1770

Type Solutions Inc., Sampo Kaasila, (603) 382-6400

URW America, Henry Mikiewicz, (603) 664-2130

(URW) ++ Design & Development GmbH, Gerald Gabriel, +49 (40) 606050

US News & World Report, Bruce Zanca, (202) 955-2578

Visio Corp., Morgan Brown, (206) 521-4449

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Apple, TrueType and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.

UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.

HP and HP-UX are registered trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Co.

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