MF(1) UNIX System V(11/18/90) MF(1)
NAME
mf, inimf - Metafont, a language for alphabet design
SYNOPSIS
mf [ first line ]
inimf [ first line ]
virmf [ first line ]
DESCRIPTION
METAFONT reads the program in the specified files and outputs font
rasters (in gf format) and font metrics (in tfm format). The METAFONT
language is described in The METAFONTbook by Donald E. Knuth, published
by Addison-Wesley.
Like TeX , METAFONT is normally used with a large body of precompiled
macros, and font generation in particular requires the support of several
macro files. The basic program as compiled is called inimf; it can be
used to precompile macros into a .base file. The virmf variant is used
to reload the .base files quickly. Typically, virmf has links to it by
the names of the various base files. For example, if you link foo to
virmf and then execute the program foo, you get the base file foo.base.
You can load a different base by saying, e.g., virmf\|&mybase.
As described in The METAFONTbook, the command line (or first input line)
should otherwise begin with a file name or a \controlsequence. The
normal usage is to say
mf '\mode=<printengine>; [mag=magstep(n);]' input font
to start processing font.mf. The single quotes are the best way of
keeping your shell from misinterpreting the semicolons and from removing
the \ character, which is needed here to keep METAFONT from thinking that
you want to produce a font called ``mode''. (Or you can just say mf and
give the other stuff on the next line, without quotes.) Other control
sequences, such as batchmode (for silent operation) can also appear. The
name ``font'' will be the ``jobname'', and is used in forming output file
names. If METAFONT doesn't get a file name in the first line, the
jobname is ``mfput''. The default extension, .mf, can be overridden by
specifying an extension explicitly.
A log of error messages goes into the file jobname.log. The output files
are jobname.tfm and jobname.<number>gf, where <number> depends on the
resolution and magnification of the font. The ``mode'' in this example
is shown generically as <printengine>, a symbolic term for which the name
of an actual device or the name ``localfont'' (see below) must be
substituted. If the mode is not specified or is not valid for your site,
METAFONT will default to ``proof'' mode which produces large character
images for use in font design and refinement. Proof mode can be
recognized by the suffix .2602gf after the jobname. Examples of proof
mode output can be found in ComputerModernTypefaces, (Volume E of
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MF(1) UNIX System V(11/18/90) MF(1)
ComputersandTypesetting), by Donald Knuth. The system of magsteps is
identical to the system used by TeX , with values generally in the range
0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0. A listing of gf numbers for 118-dpi,
240-dpi and 300-dpi fonts is shown below.
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