Adobe Type Manager
Encyclopedia
Adobe Type Manager is the name of a family of computer programs created and marketed by Adobe Systems
for use with their Type 1 fonts. The current version is Adobe ATM Light 4.1.2, available from Adobe's FTP (English).
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 1996, 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 2001, 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. 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.
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).
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.
ATM Light is still available for Windows users, 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. 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. It is therefore unsuitable for the tasks which most people need to install ATM for.
, DesqView
, and OS/2
. 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. This incarnation of ATM, made by LaserTools was named PrimeType in the United States
and Adobe Type Manager for WordPerfect elsewhere. An alternative to ATM for WordPerfect 5.1 was infiniType Plus by SoftMaker
. WordPerfect 6.0 and newer included its own Type 1 system, making third-party solutions obsolete.
June 1990 : ATM for Windows
November 1991 : ATM 2.0 for Windows
January 1993 : ATM 2.5 for Windows
October 1993 : ATM 3.6.1 for Macintosh
September 1994 : ATM 3.0 for Windows
25 August 1995: ATM 3.02 for Windows
ATM 3.8.3 for Macintosh
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
7 July 2000 : ATM Light 4.5 for Macintosh
7 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
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
for use with their Type 1 fonts. The current version is Adobe ATM Light 4.1.2, available from Adobe's FTP (English).
Apple Macintosh
The original ATM was created for the AppleApple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
Macintosh computer platform to scale PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
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
Point (typography)
In typography, a point is the smallest unit of measure, being a subdivision of the larger pica. It is commonly abbreviated as pt. The point has long been the usual unit for measuring font size and leading and other minute items on a printed page....
sizes only. In Macintosh operating systems prior to Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, 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 1996, Adobe had expanded ATM into a font-management program
Font-management program
Font management software is utility software that computer users use to browse and preview fonts and typically to install and uninstall fonts. In addition, depending on the individual font management program's capabilities, users can also...
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 2001, 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. 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.
Microsoft Windows
Adobe ported these products to the Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
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
TrueType
TrueType is an outline font standard originally developed by Apple Computer in the late 1980s as a competitor to Adobe's Type 1 fonts used in PostScript...
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).
As with ATM Light for Macintosh, Adobe licensed to Microsoft the core code, which was integrated into Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
and Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
, making ATM Light for Windows obsolete, except for the special case of support for "multiple master
Multiple master fonts
Multiple master fonts are an extension to Adobe Systems' Type 1 PostScript fonts, now mostly superseded by the advent of OpenType...
" fonts, which Microsoft did not include in Windows, and for which ATM Lite still acts as a font driver.
ATM Light is still available for Windows users, 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
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
is incompatible with both ATM Light and ATM Deluxe. 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. 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 NeXTSTEPNEXTSTEP
NeXTSTEP was the object-oriented, multitasking operating system developed by NeXT Computer to run on its range of proprietary workstation computers, such as the NeXTcube...
, DesqView
DESQview
DESQview was a text mode multitasking program developed by Quarterdeck Office Systems which enjoyed modest popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, and OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
. 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
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
applications, the most notable being WordPerfect
WordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing application, now owned by Corel.Bruce Bastian, a Brigham Young University graduate student, and BYU computer science professor Dr. Alan Ashton joined forces to design a word processing system for the city of Orem's Data General Corp. minicomputer system in 1979...
5.0 and 5.1. This incarnation of ATM, made by LaserTools was named PrimeType in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Adobe Type Manager for WordPerfect elsewhere. An alternative to ATM for WordPerfect 5.1 was infiniType Plus by SoftMaker
SoftMaker
SoftMaker Software GmbH is a software company that produces office software and is located in Nuremberg, Germany. SoftMaker was founded in 1989 by Martin Kotulla. In 1991, it also added digital fonts to its offerings...
. WordPerfect 6.0 and newer included its own Type 1 system, making third-party solutions obsolete.
Chronology of releases
October 1989 : ATM for MacintoshJune 1990 : ATM for Windows
November 1991 : ATM 2.0 for Windows
January 1993 : ATM 2.5 for Windows
October 1993 : ATM 3.6.1 for Macintosh
September 1994 : ATM 3.0 for Windows
25 August 1995: ATM 3.02 for Windows
ATM 3.8.3 for Macintosh
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
7 July 2000 : ATM Light 4.5 for Macintosh
7 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
- SoftMakerSoftMakerSoftMaker Software GmbH is a software company that produces office software and is located in Nuremberg, Germany. SoftMaker was founded in 1989 by Martin Kotulla. In 1991, it also added digital fonts to its offerings...
infiniType - Linotype FontExplorer X
- ExtensisExtensisExtensis is a software company based in Portland, Oregon. Its three main products are Extensis Portfolio, Suitcase Fusion, and Universal Type Server....
Suitcase Fusion - Bohemian Coding FontCase