Font character sets

Fonts are named in a number of ways. One way is with a character set name. These character sets are downloaded to the printer. Multiple code pages can be used with a single character set. For valid code pages that can be used with a character set, see the manual About Type: IBM's Technical Reference for 240-Pel Digitized Type, GS544-3516.

Some font character sets come with i5/OS; some can be downloaded from a System/390® to an iSeries server; some can be received from another iSeries server; and some are available as licensed programs.

The following printers accept downloaded font character sets:

• 3112 (has resident fonts also)
• 3116 (has resident fonts also)
• 3130 (has resident fonts also)
• 3160 (has resident fonts also)
• 3812 (has resident fonts also)
• 3816 (has resident fonts also)
• 3820
• 3825
• 3827
• 3828 (MICR printer)
• 3829
• 3831
• 3835
• 3900–001
• 3900–AFCCU (has resident fonts also)
• 3912 (has resident fonts also)
• 3916 (has resident fonts also)
• 3930 (has resident fonts also)
• 3935 (has resident fonts also)
• 4028 (has resident fonts also)
• 4312 (has resident fonts also)
• 4317 (has resident fonts also)
• 4324 (has resident fonts also)
• Infoprint® 20 (has resident fonts also)
• Infoprint 32 (has resident fonts also)
• Infoprint 3000 (has resident fonts also)
• Infoprint 4000 (has resident fonts also)

The use of font character sets provides consistent or similar fonts across printers. For example, a document created at one location using a specific font character set could be sent to a different location, printed on a different model printer, and still look the same.

With some exceptions, the above printers support font character sets that are 240 pels. The Infoprint 3000, Infoprint 4000, Infoprint 20, Infoprint 32, 4028, 3130, 3935, 4312, 4317, and 4324 printers support 300-pel fonts. A pel is a picture element, representing the number of dots in a square inch (for example, 240 across and 240 down).

The 3130, Infoprint 3000, and Infoprint 4000 printers support both 240 and 300 pel fonts. The operator can select which mode the printer is in through the printer operator panel.

Naming convention for font character sets

Font character set names on i5/OS can be up to 8 characters long. Each character or group of characters tells something about the font character set.

For example, in the font character set name C0D0GT10:

C0

The C0 means that this object is a font character set.

D

The D indicates the origin of the font. In this example, C0D0GT10 is a font character set designed for Document Control Facility (DCF) for a 3800 Model 1 printer or a 3825 printer.

0

This 0 indicates that this font is for uniformly spaced and mixed-pitch font character sets.

GT10

The GT10 indicates the type family, typeface, and pitch for uniformly spaced and mixed-pitch fonts. In this example, the GT10 means that this font character set is a Gothic Text style and the characters are 10 pitch or 10 characters per inch.

For more information about font character sets, see the manual About Type: IBM's Technical Reference for 240-Pel Digitized Type, GS544-3516.

Selecting font character sets

Select a font character set to use with an application program by specifying the 8-character font character set name as the value on the FNTCHRSET parameter of the printer file.

If you choose to use font character sets with your applications, you must also specify a code page (by providing a value for the CDEPAG parameter of the printer file being used).

Substituting font character sets

Substitution is determined by i5/OS based on which font character sets are specified in the application, the type of printer to be used, and the value assigned to the fidelity parameter of the printer file being used (*CONTENT or *ABSOLUTE).

Example 1

Assume:

• The application calls for font character set C0D0GB10 (Gothic Bold, 10 pitch).
• The printer supports only resident fonts.
• The fidelity parameter value is *CONTENT.

In this example, the spooled file will print with substituted font ID 39 (Gothic Bold 10 pitch) because the fidelity parameter value is *CONTENT. If the fidelity parameter value had been *ABSOLUTE, the spooled file would be held on the output queue and it would not print.

Example 2

Assume:

• The application calls for FGID 51 (Matrix Gothic).
• The printer supports only downloaded font character sets.
• The fidelity parameter value is *CONTENT.

In this example, the spooled file will print. i5/OS substitutes a font character set (C0S0CR10, Courier Roman 10 pitch) for FGID 51. This is not an exact match. The system matched (as closely as possible) the font character to the FGID specified in the application.