[P1] Fonts Won't Install; Fonts Confuse Me

[Richard McKay]

Fred Stevens K2FRD wrote the following:

> I don't know if there's any font junkies on the list,

Certainly not a font junkie but I may be able to shed some light on some
items...

> First, however, I need some clarification on fonts in
> general::
> 
> Fonts are stored on my machine in four separate locations:  (1) In
> the Library in the OS X System Folder in Mac HD; (2) In just the
> Library in the HD; (3) In the Library under my Username in Users on
> the HD; and (4) In Appleworks Extra Fonts in Applications on the HD
> (these seem to have to be moved to be accessible). When I click onto
> Text in a word processing document within Appleworks or Text Edit,
> not all fonts from the first three locations show up in the pull down
> menu. Why not and what can I do to make them appear? Wouldn't it be
> better to have them stored in one location (I'm the only user of my
> iBook 900)?

The four areas of storage for fonts are to be regarded as such:

1) as your 1) above or more clearly at your HD name//System/Library/Fonts,
this is strictly for the OS and in general do not place any fonts
here...This is what the system uses for basic tasks in the OS. Anything you
place in these folders is not supposed to be here and will most likely cause
problems later...Regard this System folder as sacred...

2) as your 2) above or more clearly at your HD name//Library/Fonts, this is
for any fonts that you (or the Admin) wishes to be available system wide to
all users and all apps. This is also why you 'should' require admin rights
to place any fonts here!

3) as your 3) above or more clearly at your HD name//Users/User
Name/Library/Fonts, the Library in your user folder is for any items that
you wish to be available for this user and only this user...as such placing
fonts here will only allow the fonts to be used by that user.

4) Sorry don't use Appleworks but having looked at Word from Office v.X.
located (at least on most drives) at your HD name//Applications/Microsoft\
Office\ X/Office/Fonts...normally I would suggest that any app you install
that comes with extra fonts in this application folder is only available to
users that need them if moved to either the Library folder as in 2) above
for all users to access them or to the individual users Library folder that
requires them...However, MS is not known for its holding to the Apple
guidelines for applications so maybe the others are also doing the
same...after testing this it seems that I have access to these fonts when
using office but they are not located anywhere except the /Applications
folder...so I can only guess that sometimes the application can use them if
they are here and sometimes they will need to be moved to the other
'Library' locations...depending on if they hold to the guidelines and if
they wrote the app one way or the other...

The one advantage that I have heard of with this type of system (sorry pun
not intended) is that you can create a user for each project that you are
working on and then install only the extra fonts needed for that project
into the project user Library thereby keeping things organised and tidy.
Afterwards when the project is finished you can delete the user directory
and not have to worry about whether all of the fonts are gone as well...this
is all only relevant if you take the licensing fees for fonts seriously of
course...big money there...

HTH,

Richard
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