The Font Maker Bitmap Editors operate in three internal formats:
DVL format
DVL is the basic BitMap format designed for maximum efficiency during operations of the main Editor and also the Utilities and Attributes modules.
In addition, the powerful Mapping Utility also operates on the DVL format.
The scale of DVL fonts is based on a standard printer resolution of 300dpi.
Most of the data from the DVL file header is available in a printout from the PST (Proportional Spacing Table) module.
WIN format
Win is a format almost identical to DVL except that the scale is based on a screen resolution, for example 120 dpi for SVGA. WHY have two formats? The screen format must be scaled before use and that is likely to cause mathematical rounding errors. So the method is scale a DVL font to give a WIN font and then Edit the WIN font before Exporting it to a Windows FON screen font.
SCR format
SCR is the resolution for DOS screens, normally 8 dots wide and 14 or 16 dots high.
Strictly this is not an internal font, but the actual format used by DOS
Utilities, Attributes and Mapping
These modules all operate on the DVL format. If it is necessary that a WIN font to be operated on with these modules then it is possible to change the extension of the font to DVL. BUT remember to change it back to WIN. It is expected that such operations be completed before creating the WIN file. If a WIN file has been Imported from some other source then the above procedure will allow changes to be made.
Importing Bitmap fonts
Bitmap fonts may be Imported from several sources. Printer fonts, Windows FON screen fonts, and PCX picture files.
Printer fonts are expected to be at a resolution of 300dpi. The Import is largely automatic, but may need a little extra data, which is requested in a Dialog Box.
Windows Raster FON fonts, note that there other FON Vector fonts, the FON extension is NOT an indication of font format. Many of the FON Bitmap files contain about six fonts of various point sizes. When such a file is Imported all fonts will be displayed showing the data applicable to each, one font at a time should be selected for the Read.
The Read may be to a DVL file or to a WIN file. It is recommended that if a screen font is to be Read then it should be to a WIN file to avoid any confusion as to its purpose. If Mapping and/or Utilities are required then, as mentioned previously, the extension be changed and restore immediately after modifications have taken place.
PCX picture files may be Imported in two ways. As a font, when each character is selected from the picture and allocated to a character code. Also the whole picture may be Read as either one character, if small enough, or to several characters as a set of tiles. These tiles are allocated to characters, say ABCD, for later use. There is an article on Importing PCX pictures in this library.