Adobe Type Manager

Adobe Type Manager (ATM) is the name of a family of computer programs created and marketed by Adobe Systems for use with their Type 1 fonts.

Macintosh

The original ATM was created for the Apple Macintosh computer platform to scale PostScript Type 1 fonts for the computer monitor, and for printing to non-PostScript printers. Mac Type 1 fonts come with screen fonts set to display at certain point sizes only. In Macintosh operating systems prior to Mac OS X, Type 1 fonts set at other sizes would appear jagged on the monitor. ATM allowed Type 1 fonts to appear smooth at any point size, and to print well to non PostScript devices.

Around 1996when, Adobe had expanded ATM into a font-management program called ATM Deluxe; the original ATM was rechristened ATM Light. ATM Deluxe performed the same font-smoothing function as ATM Light, but performed a variety of other functions: activation and deactivation of fonts; creating sets of fonts that could be activated or deactivated simultaneously; viewing and printing font samples; and scanning for duplicate fonts, font format conflicts, and PostScript fonts missing screen or printer files.

Around 2001when, with Apple's Mac OS X (and Microsoft's Windows 2000 and XP), support for Type 1 fonts was built into the operating system using ATM Light code contributed by Adobe. ATM for Mac was then no longer necessary for font imaging or printing.

Adobe discontinued development of ATM Deluxe for Macintosh after Apple moved to Mac OS X. Adobe in 2005 ceased selling ATM Deluxe.Fact|date=October 2007 ATM Deluxe does not work reliably under OS X (even under Classic). ATM Light is still helpful to Type 1 font users under Classic, however.Dubious|date=March 2008

Windows

Adobe ported these products to the Microsoft Windows operating system platform, where they managed font display by patching into Windows (3.0, 3.1, 95, 98, Me) at a very low level. The design of Windows NT made this kind of patching unviable, and Microsoft initially responded by allowing Type 1 fonts to be converted to TrueType on install, but in Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft added "font driver" support to allow ATM to provide Type 1 support (and in theory other font drivers for other types).Fact|date=October 2007

As with ATM Light for Macintosh, Adobe licensed to Microsoft the core code, which was integrated into Windows 2000 and Windows XP, making ATM Light for Windows obsolete, except for the special case of support for "multiple master" fonts, which Microsoft did not include in Windows, and for which ATM Lite still acts as a font driver.Fact|date=October 2007 ATM Light is still available for Windows users [ [http://www.adobe.com/products/atmlight/download.html ATM Light Download] ] , but ATM Deluxe is no longer developed or sold.

Users of ATM 4.0 (Light or Deluxe) on Windows 95/98/ME who upgrade to Windows 2000/XP may encounter problems, and it is vital not to install version 4.0 into Windows 2000 or later; affected users are encouraged to visit the Adobe web site for technical information and patches. Version 4.1.2 is fully compatible with Windows 2000 and XP (It will run on XP 64 bit, but the installer doesn't work so you have to install it on a 32bit version then copy over the files).

Windows Vista is incompatible with both ATM Light and ATM Deluxe.Fact|date=October 2007 Windows Vista can use Adobe Type 1 fonts natively, making add-ons like ATM unnecessary.

The latest version of ATM for Windows 3.1 is 3.02. There was no ATM Deluxe for Windows versions prior to 95.

Acrobat Reader, starting with version 2.1, installs a version of ATM for its own use, referred to as a Portable Font Server, but there is no control panel or other user interface for it. [ [http://hepunx.rl.ac.uk/~adye/acrobat-facts.pdf Adobe Acrobat 2.1 Fact Sheet] ] It is therefore unsuitable for the tasks which most people need to install ATM for.

Other Operating Systems

Adobe Type Manager was also made available for a select few PC operating systems available during the early 1990s, including NeXTSTEP [ [http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=Adobe+Type+Manager&i=37551,00.asp PC Magazine: Adobe Type Manager Definition] ] , DesqView [ [http://www.non.com/news.answers/desqview-faq.html DESQview/QEMM Frequently Asked Questions] ] [ [http://toastytech.com/guis/dvx2.html DESQview/X ] ] , and OS/2 [ [http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/os2/faq/os2faq0505.html OS/2 Warp FAQ List (20 Feb 95) Section 0505] ] [ [http://h18000.www1.hp.com/info/SP4150/SP4150PF.PDF Microsoft OS/2 for DECpcs, Version 1.3 Software Product Description] ] . Unlike the Windows and Mac versions, these versions of ATM were bundled with the OS itself.

There were also ATM versions for extremely popular DOS applications, the most notable being WordPerfect 5.0 and 5.1. [ [http://www.cbronline.com/article_cg_print.asp?guid=0D10B952-85DC-4B97-9937-4B574E942CA2 Computer Business Review, Issue 2046, November 1992: Adobe Launches Type Manager Release 2.5] ] This incarnation of ATM, made by LaserTools was named PrimeType in the United States and Adobe Type Manager for WordPerfect elsewhere. [ [http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/typeinstall.html#installer WPDOS - A font installation utility for Type 1 soft fonts and WPDOS 5.1] ] An alternative to ATM for WordPerfect 5.1 was infiniType Plus by SoftMaker. [ [http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/tools.html#primetype WPDOS - TrueType and Type 1 Fonts with WPDOS 5.1] ] WordPerfect 6.0 and newer included its own Type 1 system, making third-party solutions obsolete.

Chronology of releases

; October 1989 : ATM for Macintosh; June 1990 : ATM for Windows; November 1991 : ATM 2.0; January 1993 : ATM 2.5 for Windows; 1994 : ATM 3.0; 25 August 1995: ATM 3.02 for Windows; May 1997 : ATM Deluxe 4.0 for Macintosh; 26 April 1999 : ATM Deluxe 4.5 for Macintosh; 24 October 1999 : ATM Deluxe 4.5.2 for Macintosh; 07 July 2000 : ATM Light 4.5 for Macintosh; 07 July 2000 : ATM Light 4.1 for Windows; 18 July 2000 : ATM Deluxe 4.1 for Windows; 19 October 2000 : ATM Deluxe 4.6.1 for Macintosh; 25 June 2001 : ATM Light 4.6.2 for Macintosh; 17 July 2002 : ATM Deluxe 4.6.1a and ATM Light 4.6.2a for Macintosh

Competing products

* Bitstream FaceLift
* SoftMaker infiniType

ee also

* Adobe Type

References

External links

* [http://www.adobe.com/products/atm/ Adobe Type Manager official website]
* [http://www.computerhistory.org/corphist/view.php?s=themes&id=91&PHPSESSID=303d1129484f8b4610433fd8785bbf12 List of Adobe product releases]
* [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/69564 Using Adobe Type Manager with Windows 3.0]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SMG/is_n15_v10/ai_9754223/pg_1 Font packages for Windows - Bitstream's FaceLift and Adobe Systems' Adobe Type Manager]