How to use/install .AFM and .PFB fonts?

[Scott Shepherd]

I had a customer provide a font for their work and they also provided the fonts in .AFM and .PFB formats. Not sure how to install those in Windows, as it doesn't like the normal method.

Can I use them or not? If so, any tips on how to use them? It's a $35-79 font/font package, and it's a small name tag job, so I'm probably not able to get the cost of the font back out of this customer, since he already has the fonts.

Any ideas?

Thanks-

[Mike Null]

If you have anything that shows the font you can look through you Corel book to see if there's a match. Usually there are a number of fonts so close that you really have to look hard to see a difference. Or you can use Fonts101.com and see if they can help you.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks Mike, I've spent way too long looking for a font that's close. They have all their items with logos, name tags, signs, etc. all using the same logo, so "close" isn't going to work for me this time.

I've bit the bullet and bought the font pack. Hopefully the quality will be superior to the one's they were getting from a Rotary machine (where the guy didn't have their font either).

I have a sample of his work and now I have a sample of mine. It's night and day so hopefully it'll lead to more work. Nothing else, I'll get some of the cost of the font back.

[Mike Null]

Scott
Well both of us should have looked a little harder. Here's a site that tells you how. You may need to buy ATM manager but maybe not. http://www.buyfonts.com/installatm.htm

[Dave Jones]

Windows XP should have no problem installing Adobe Type 1 postscript fonts. The ones I use have the font in PFM and PFB files. The PFM is contains metrics and the PFB contains the font shapes. I would guess the AFM is an earlier version, but not sure.

I place both sets of files in a folder. Adobe Type Manager kept the two types in seperate folders, but for XP and not using ATM I put them all in the same folder.

Then I just go to Setings > Control Panel and double click on Fonts.

In the window that pops up go to File Install New Font. In that window change the drive, if needed, and browse to the folder with the filess. It should find the fonts and make a list. They'll each probably say "(Type 1)" after the names. If you get that far then you should be able to select fonts and install them.

[Scott Shepherd]

Dave, that's just what I did and it won't take them. Thanks for that Mike, I'll look into that for future instances.

Thanks for trying!

[Dave Jones]

OK, did a little searching on the web. It looks like the AFM file (plus the PFB) are used by Adobe Type Manager and by Unix and Linux. The PFM file (plus the PFB) is what is used by Windows. So you need to convert your AFM files into PFM.

There is a 15 day trial copy of a converter program called "Crossfont" available at http://www.asy.com/ If you download the trial copy you should be able to convert the AFM files into PFM files. Then stick them in the same folder as the PFB files and they should install.