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Fact
sheet
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One afternon, a charming
Korean gentleman called me, because he wanted a sans serif font
"very thin". I designed what I thought he wanted, but
he kept asking for thinner. Here is one of the very final copies.
I gathered that what he was doeing was very, very fine marking
on textile. More recently, the topic of fonts so thin that they
could not be photocopied at small size was raised. I think ike1
would be a good candidate. A size small enough that stroke width
is well under what most printers understand, and only typesetting
(press would probably print it correctly).
I had to display a
comparison with one of my current sans serif font, Parlante,
to see the drastic difference of aspect. For technical reasons
pertaning to the pityfyl resolution of screen , I did not even
atempt small print.
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Technical requirements
Powerful PC with Windows XP, Vista or more recent, or the most recent versions of NT.
A high resolution printer (300 dpi minimum, 600 dpi and over preferable).
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These typefaces are
hinted and kerned, and suited for any kind of printing work.
They have been used by famous European printers to set text,
using typesetting equipment.
Fontmenu.com offers hundreds of original typefaces and font families
for Windows XP and more recent organized by categories and names.See full character map, download
free fonts samples, purchase online and get the fonts immediately. Fonts are optimized for :
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Windows XP
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Windows Vista a.k.a. Lomghorn (and OpenType Glyph Substitution technology)
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The small print controversy
Such
fonts can be used for rather convoluted legalese blocks of text at the
bottom of insurance contracts, and often would require a pair of strong
binoculars to be legible at point five. Some designers went as far as
raise a problem of ethics for font designers who would dare venturing
into ultra-thin.
As
makers of fonts, we do not condone the use of our tools for
questionnable business practices, but must point out that like any
technological object, fonts can be used to create art, as well as other
things. To write honest books and articles, or to concoct the most
outrageous half-truths, inuendos, or even blatant lies. Don't blame the
pencil, could we paraphrase...
Not
all classical fonts are used to set Shakespare or Marcel Proust, and
are in fact more often used to promote vulgar make up, cheap perfume,
altogether tasteless or uninteresting things. If you decide to print
questionnable legalese at the bottom of your contracts, or barely
readable warning on boxes of dangerous products, please consider that
you, yourself, could be the victim of such practices.
On
a lighter note, ultra-thin typefaces have many other uses, pertaining
to art such as creating repetitive motives, or giant letters, such as
neon signs.
Signage
houses will also appreciate the very thin construction of this face to
cut plastic with, as single stroke formats (such as Adobe Type 3) have
now disapeared and pose problem to pilot plastic cutters.
As in any craft (let us be modest about "typeface art", egos are inflated enough around graphics), fonts are but tools.
Let us try to use fonts for enjoyment and fantasy, won't we ?
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Ike
family
of ten thin and ultra-thin fonts that can be used to prevent copy,
or set small print blocks
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$29.95 only instant download
for Windows
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(Back
to the Sans serif
Ike 1
Ike 2
Ike 3
Ike 4
Ike 5
Ike 6
Ike 7
Ike 8
Ike 9
Ike 10
Ike 10 is close in weight, but still
lighter than regular Halotique, our popular sans-serif font.
Here is an example of Ike
thin 1 at size 450, paradoxically, this gives a good idea of
the stroke size when this is used as size 7 or so... You may
as well step back from the screen until the size is small enough
on the examples above.
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The problem in representing small
text on the screen, is that pixels are so large, they are indeed
quite far from what a good press can do. An approximation of
the result would be to print this, and step back until the size
of the character corresponds to what is desired.
Interesting enough, such very
thin stroke width is more appropriate for very large signs than most standard
fonts. Ike can be used to design neon signs, for instance, almosts
from direct print.
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10 fonts
Price : $29.95, including TrueType and ATM PostScript Type 1
format.
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