Font Emulation System Using Character Mapping Tables
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Printers often struggle to accurately print documents with non-resident fonts, as substitute fonts can create visual artifacts and disrupt pagination and line breaks when stretched or compressed.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system that uses a font strategy table to emulate target fonts with substitute fonts, including Unicode mapping, width, and encoding tables, while allowing users to select and download suitable fonts for printing, thereby preserving original document formatting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a printer substitutes a resident font for a non-resident font and stretches/compresses the substitute font, then the printer can print documents with fonts not resident on the printer, but visual artifacts are created and original pagination and line breaks are substantially different
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the target font's character set in the substitute font, mapping each target character to a corresponding substitute character. This allows the printer to reproduce the visual appearance of non-resident fonts using resident substitute fonts without stretching or compressing, thereby maintaining font rendering accuracy while achieving font compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter mapping between target fonts and substitute fonts by creating character set mappings that preserve the visual characteristics of original fonts. Instead of changing the physical dimensions of substitute fonts through stretching/compression, the system maps characters to maintain original font metrics, thus preserving pagination and line breaks while achieving font substitution.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a printer uses substitute fonts that are significantly stretched or compressed, then the printer can accommodate different font sizes, but visual artifacts are created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates accurate character set copies in substitute fonts that maintain the original visual characteristics. By mapping target font characters to substitute font characters with matching visual properties, the system achieves font size flexibility without the need for stretching or compressing substitute fonts, thereby eliminating visual artifacts.
3Ease of manufacture
If a printer uses substitute fonts with different contours than the original fonts, then the printer can use available font resources, but original pagination and line breaks are substantially different
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mapping parameters between target and substitute fonts to preserve critical formatting parameters such as character widths, heights, and spacing. By carefully selecting substitute fonts and creating precise character set mappings that maintain these parameters, the system achieves font resource availability while preserving original pagination and line breaks.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for printing a document when it includes one or more target fonts that are emulated with at least one substitute font suitable for printing on a printing device. The substitute font appears visually similar to the target font, substantially preserves the original pagination and line breaks of the provided document, and the printing device is capable of printing the substitute font. A table is provided that lists strategies/logic for enabling the printing device to emulate each of a plurality of predetermined target fonts with a substitute font. These emulation strategies may include but are not limited to, identifying at least one of a resident font for the printing device, stretchable font, local font, or downloadable font to be substituted for the non-resident target font in the provided document.