Fonts on Macintosh

Apple's '''Macintosh''' computer supports a wide variety of '''fonts'''. This support was one of the features that initially distinguished it from other systems.

== Fonts == {{See also|List of macOS fonts}}

=== System fonts === The primary system font in [[OS X El Capitan]] and above is [[San Francisco (sans-serif typeface)|San Francisco]]. [[OS X Yosemite]] used [[Helvetica|Helvetica Neue]], and preceding versions largely employed [[Lucida Grande]]. For labels and other small text, 10 pt Lucida Grande was typically used. Lucida Grande is almost identical in appearance to the prevalent Windows font Lucida Sans, and contains a larger variety of [[glyph]]s.

[[MacOS]] ships with multiple typefaces, for multiple scripts, licensed from several sources. MacOS includes [[Latin alphabet|Roman]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and [[Chinese character|Chinese]] fonts. It also supports sophisticated font techniques, such as [[Typographic ligature|ligatures]] and filtering.

Many of the classic Macintosh typefaces included with previous versions remained available, including the [[serif]] typefaces New York, [[Palatino]], and [[Times New Roman|Times]], the sans-serif Charcoal and Chicago, Monaco, Geneva and [[Helvetica]]. [[Courier (typeface)|Courier]], a [[monospaced font]], also remained.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fonts/mac.htm |title=Fonts supplied with Mac OS |accessdate=2008-07-17 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |date=2001-05-29 }}</ref>

In the initial publicly released version of Mac OS X (March 2001), font support for scripts was limited to Lucida Grande and a few fonts for the major Japanese scripts. With each major revision of the OS, fonts supporting additional scripts were added.

=== Zapfino === [[Image:Zapfino.svg|thumb|312px|Demonstration of alternate letters, including the full-word ligature for the name of the Zapfino typeface]][[Zapfino]] is a [[Calligraphy|calligraphic]] typeface designed by and named after renowned typeface designer [[Hermann Zapf]] for [[Mergenthaler Linotype Company|Linotype]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://creativepro.com/hermann-zapf-itc-apple-the-history-of-itc-zapf-chancery-itc-zapf-dingbats/|title=Hermann Zapf, ITC & Apple: The History of ITC Zapf Chancery & ITC Zapf Dingbats|last=Strizver|first=Ilene|date=2015-06-29|website=CreativePro.com |access-date=2017-05-27}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.schnarff.com/file-formats/truetype/RM06/Chap6Zapf.html|title=The TrueType Font File - The Zapf table|last=|first=|date=2000-09-14|website=TrueType Reference Manual|publisher=Apple Computer, Inc. |access-date=2017-07-25}}</ref> Zapfino utilizes advanced typographic features of the [[Apple Advanced Typography]] (AAT) "morx" table format and is included in OS X partially as a technology demo. Ligatures and character variations are extensively used. The font is based on a calligraphic example by Zapf in 1944. The version included with macOS is a single weight. Since then, Linotype has introduced “Linotype Zapfino Extra” which includes the additional “Forte” weight with more options and alternates.

Several of the GX fonts that Apple commissioned and originally shipped with System 7.5 were ported to use AAT and shipped with Mac OS X 10.2 and [[Mac OS X v10.3|10.3]]. [[Hoefler Text]], Apple Chancery and [[Skia (typeface)|Skia]] are examples of fonts of this heritage. Other typefaces were licensed from the general offerings of leading font vendors.

=== LastResort === [[Image:LastResort samples.svg|300px|thumb|Sample glyphs from the LastResort font]]The [[LastResort]] font is invisible to the end user, but is used by the system to display reference [[glyph]]s in the event that glyphs needed to display a given character are not found in any other available font. The symbols provided by the LastResort font place glyphs into categories based on their location in the [[Unicode]] system and provide a hint to the user about which font or script is required to view unavailable characters. Designed by Apple and extended by [[Michael Everson]] of Evertype for Unicode 4.1 coverage, the symbols adhere to a unified design. The glyphs are square with rounded corners with a bold outline. On the left and right sides of the outline, the [[Unicode]] range that the character belongs to is given using [[hexadecimal]] digits. Top and bottom are used for one or two descriptions of the [[Unicode block]] name. A symbol representative of the block is centered inside the square. The typeface used for the text cutouts in the outline is Chicago, otherwise not included with macOS. LastResort has been part of Mac OS since version 8.5, but the limited success of [[Apple Type Services for Unicode Imaging]] (ATSUI) on the classic Mac OS means that only users of macOS are regularly exposed to it.

=== Lucida Grande === Of the fonts that ship with macOS, [[Lucida Grande]] has the broadest character repertoire. This font includes most of the [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]], [[Latin alphabet|Roman]], [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]], [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew]], [[Thai alphabet|Thai]] and [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] letters and an assortment of common symbols. All in all, it contains a bit more than 2800 glyphs (including ligatures).

In Mac OS X 10.3 ("Panther"), a font called [[Apple Symbols]] was introduced. It complements the set of symbols from Lucida Grande, but also contains glyphs only accessible by glyph ID (that is, they have not been assigned Unicode code points). A hidden font called ''Keyboard'' contains 92 visible glyphs, most of which appear on Apple keyboards.

== Font management == {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2008}}

=== System 6.0.8 and earlier === Originally, the Macintosh [[QuickDraw]] system software supported only bitmapped fonts. The [[#Fonts of the original Macintosh|original font set]] was custom designed for the Macintosh and was intended to provide on-screen legibility. These system fonts were named after large cities, e.g. New York, Chicago, and Geneva. (See [[Fonts on Macintosh#Fonts of the original Macintosh|Fonts of the Original Macintosh]].)

Bitmapped fonts were stored as resources within the System file. A utility called [[Font/DA Mover]] was used to install fonts into or remove fonts from the System file. Fonts could be embedded into Macintosh applications and other file types, such as a [[HyperCard]] stack. Unused fonts were stored in a ''suitcase'' file.

The [[ImageWriter]] printer supported a higher resolution mode where bitmap fonts with twice the screen resolution were automatically substituted for 'near letter quality' printing. (For example, a 24-point bitmapped font would be used for 12-point printing.) This feature was sometimes called ''two-times'' font printing. Some later Apple QuickDraw–based laser printers supported ''four-times'' font printing for letter quality output.

With the introduction of the [[LaserWriter]] and support for [[PostScript]]-compatible printers, the Mac system software initially supported outline fonts for printing only. These outline fonts could be printed in letter quality at any size. PostScript fonts came with two files; a bitmap font was installed into the System file, and an outline font file was stored in the System Folder. Some of the bitmapped “city” fonts were automatically replaced by PostScript fonts by the printer driver. Commercial typefaces such as Times and Helvetica began to be distributed by Apple, [[Adobe Systems]] and others.

The [[Adobe Type Manager]] (ATM) system extension allowed PostScript outline fonts to be displayed on screen and used with all printers (PostScript or not). This allowed for true [[WYSIWYG]] printing in a much broader set of circumstances than the base system software, however with a noticeable speed penalty, especially on [[Motorola 68000]]–based machines.

After the release of System 7, Apple added System 6 support for [[TrueType]] outline fonts through a freely available system extension, providing functionality similar to ATM. Apple provided TrueType outline files for the bitmapped 'city' system fonts, allowing letter quality [[WYSIWYG]] printing.

A reboot was required after installing new fonts unless using a font management utility such as Suitcase, FontJuggler or MasterJuggler.

=== System 7 – Mac OS 9 === A highly touted feature of [[System 7]] was integrated TrueType outline font support, which received industry support from [[Microsoft]]. Fonts were still stored in the System file but could be installed using [[drag-and-drop]]. To install new fonts, one had to quit all applications.

Despite this, ATM and PostScript Type 1 fonts continued to be widely used, especially for professional [[desktop publishing]]. Eventually Adobe released a free version of their utility, called ATM Light.

In System 7.1, a separate Fonts folder appeared in the System Folder. Fonts were automatically installed when dropped on the System Folder, and became available to applications after they were restarted. Font resources were generally grouped in ''suitcase'' files. However, rules for storing printer fonts varied greatly between different system, printer and application configurations until the advent of the new Fonts folder. Typically, they had to be stored directly in the System Folder or in the Extensions Folder.

System 7.5 added the [[QuickDraw GX]] graphics engine. [[QuickDraw GX#TrueType GX|TrueType GX]] supported ligatures and other advanced typography features. However little software supported these features and PostScript remained the standard.

Starting with Mac OS 8.5, the operating system supported [[data fork]] fonts, including [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] TrueType and [[OpenType]]. In addition, Apple created a new format, called data-fork suitcases. At the same time, support was added for TrueType collection files, conventionally with the [[filename extension]] {{mono|.ttc}}.

System versions 7 to 9 supported a maximum of 128 font suitcases, each storing multiple fonts.

Starting with version 7.1, Apple unified the implementation of non-roman script systems in a programming interface called [[WorldScript]]. WorldScript I was used for all one-byte character sets and WorldScript II for two-byte sets. Support for new script systems was added by so-called Language Kits. Some kits were provided with the system software, and others were sold by Apple and third parties. Application support for WorldScript was not universal, since support was a significant task. Good international support gave a marketing edge to word-processing programs such as [[Nisus Writer]] and programs using the [[WASTE text engine|WASTE]] text engine, since [[Microsoft Word]] was not WorldScript aware.

Beginning in 1996, Apple included Microsoft's [[Core fonts for the Web]], which included common [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] fonts as well as new ones, resolving cross-platform font issues. In 8.5, full Unicode support was added to Mac OS through an [[Application programming interface|API]] called [[Apple Type Services for Unicode Imaging|ATSUI]]. However, WorldScript remained the dominant technology for international text on the classic MacOS, because few applications used ATSUI.

=== Mac OS X / macOS === Mac OS X / macOS 10.x supports a wide variety of font formats. It supports most of the font formats used on earlier systems, where the fonts were typically stored in the [[resource fork]] of the file. In addition to the data-fork version of TrueType and the Adobe/[[Microsoft]] OpenType fonts, Mac OS X also supports Apple's own data-fork-based TrueType format, called data-fork suitcases with the filename extension {{mono|.dfont}}. Data-fork suitcases are old-style Mac TrueType fonts with all the data from the [[resource fork]] transferred unchanged to the [[data fork]]. The system also supports the instances created using the "[[multiple master fonts|multiple master]]" [[PostScript]] variant.

Fonts in the {{mono|/System/Library/Fonts}} folder and the {{mono|/Library/Fonts}} folder are available to all users. Fonts stored in a user's {{mono|~/Library/Fonts}} folder are available to only that user. Previously, up to Mac OS X 10.4, both [[Mac OS 9]] applications running in the legacy [[Classic Environment]] and native applications could access fonts stored in the Mac OS 9 system folder

macOS includes a software [[rasterize]]r that supports PostScript. Thus eliminating the need for the [[Adobe Type Manager]] Light program. The built-in text editing supports advanced typesetting features such as adjustable kerning and baseline, as well as a few [[OpenType]] features.

Support for [[QuickDraw GX]] fonts was dropped in macOS in favor of TrueType fonts using [[Apple Advanced Typography|AAT]] features. Bitmap fonts are only used on screen if there is a corresponding vector form (which is always used in printing).

Since Mac OS X Panther, a utility called [[Font Book]] has been included with the operating system allowing users to easily install fonts and do basic font management.

In Mac OS X Snow Leopard (2009), Apple abandoned its proprietary {{Mono|.dfont}} format, instead bundling many fonts in the [[TrueType Collection]] format which was supported since Mac OS 8.5.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foresman |first=Chris |date=2009-06-12 |title=Font changes coming to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (Updated) |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2009/06/font-changes-coming-to-mac-os-x-snow-leopard/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref>

=== Third-party font managers === As desktop publishing took off and PostScript and other outline font formats joined the bitmap fonts, the need for unified font management grew. A number of third parties have created tools, such as [[Suitcase (font manager)|Suitcase]], for managing font sets. For example, they allowed enabling or disabling fonts on-the-fly, and storing fonts outside of their normal locations. Some even allow the use of Windows [[TrueType|.ttf]] font files natively on systems prior to macOS.

== Font technology == {{Refimprove section|date=July 2017}}

=== TrueType and PostScript === {{main|TrueType|PostScript}}

[[TrueType]] is an outline font standard developed by Apple in the late 1980s, and later licensed to [[Microsoft]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brownlee |first=John |date=2016-11-22 |title=How Apple Helped Democratize Typography In The '90s |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3065804/how-apple-helped-democratize-typography-in-the-90s |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=Fast Company |language=en-US}}</ref> as a competitor to [[Adobe Systems|Adobe]]'s [[Type 1 font]]s used in [[PostScript]], which dominated [[desktop publishing]].

The outlines of the characters in TrueType fonts are made of straight [[line segment]]s and quadratic [[Bézier curve]]s, rather than the cubic Bézier curves in Type 1 fonts. While the underlying mathematics of TrueType is thus simpler, many type developers prefer to work with cubic curves because they are easier to draw and edit.

While earlier versions of the Mac OS required additional software to work with Type 1 fonts (as well as at least one bitmap copy of each Type 1 font to be used), macOS now includes native support for a variety of font technologies, including both TrueType and PostScript Type 1.

Microsoft, together with Adobe, created an extended TrueType format, called [[OpenType]]. Apple, however, continued to develop TrueType. A {{mono|[[OSType|Zapf]]}} table, for example, maps composite glyphs to characters and vice versa and adds other features. The table was named after typeface creator [[Hermann Zapf]] with permission.<ref name=":0" />

=== QuickDraw GX === [[QuickDraw GX]] was a complete overhaul of the Macintosh graphics system, including the font system, which was rolled out for System 7.5 in 1995. QuickDraw GX fonts could be in either TrueType or PostScript Type 1 formats and included additional information about the glyphs and their purpose. Advanced features, such as ligatures, glyph variations, kerning information and small caps, could be used by any GX enabled application. Previously, they had typically been reserved for advanced typesetting applications.

Microsoft was refused a license to GX technology and chose to develop OpenType instead. GX typography and GX technology as a whole never saw widespread adoption. Support for GX was dropped in later versions.

AAT covers much of the same ground as OpenType. It incorporates concepts from the Multiple Master font format, which allows multiple axes of traits to be defined and an ''n''-dimensional number of glyphs to be accessible within that space. AAT features do not alter the underlying characters, but do affect their representation during glyph conversion.

AAT is supported in IBM’s open source [[International Components for Unicode|ICU]] library, which implements support for AAT fonts under [[Linux]] and other open source operating systems.

=== Hinting technology === [[Font hinting|Hinting]] is the process by which TrueType fonts are adjusted to the limited resolution of a screen or a relatively low resolution printer. Undesired features in the rendered text, such as lack of symmetry or broken strokes, can be reduced. Hinting is performed by a [[virtual machine]] that distorts the control points that define the glyph shapes so that they fit the grid defined by the screen better. Hinting is particularly important when rendering text at low effective resolution: that is, with few pixels per character.

Hinting is part of the TrueType specification, but Apple held three patents in the [[United States]] relating to the process: *{{patent|US|5155805|"Method and apparatus for moving control points in displaying digital typeface on raster output devices"}} (filed May 8, 1989) *{{patent|US|5159668|"Method and apparatus for manipulating outlines in improving digital typeface on raster output devices"}} (filed May 8, 1989) *{{patent|US|5325479|"Method and apparatus for moving control points in displaying digital typeface on raster output devices"}} (filed May 28, 1992)

Until they expired, Apple offered licensing of these patents. Microsoft had access to Apple's TrueType patents through cross-licensing. These patents have proven problematic to developers and vendors of open source software for TrueType rendering, such as [[FreeType]]. To avoid infringing on the patents, some software disregarded the hinting information present in fonts, resulting in visual artefacts. [[FreeType]] developed an automatic hinting engine, but it is difficult to beat the explicit hinting guidelines provided by the typeface designer. The problem of lacking hinting could also be compensated for by using [[Anti-aliasing filter|anti-aliasing]], although a combination of the two produces the best result.

=== Subpixel rendering === [[Image:Quartz subpixels.png|frame|right|A sample of text rendered by the Quartz engine in macOS, using traditional and subpixel rendering. [[:Image:Subpixel demonstration (Quartz).png|Expanded version, with explanations.]]]] Mac OS X / macOS uses [[subpixel rendering]]. Version 10.2 introduced subpixel rendering of type and [[Quartz (graphics layer)|Quartz]] [[vector graphics]]. This feature is enabled using the System Preferences panel "General" (10.2) or "Appearance" (10.3), by setting the font smoothing style to "Medium — best for Flat Panel". Mac OS X 10.4 introduced an "Automatic" setting which transparently chooses either "Medium" or "Standard," depending on the type of main display. The quality of the rendering compared to Microsoft's [[ClearType]] and [[FreeType]] is contested, and is largely a matter of reader preference. However, Apple's approach differs from that of ClearType and FreeType in that TrueType hinting instructions are discarded for all but the smallest type sizes. This results in more consistency of rendering on Mac OS at the expense of allowing type designers a level of fine tuning through hints.

== Fonts of the original Macintosh == {{Refimprove|date=February 2015|talk=Number of fonts}} [[Image:Original Mac fonts.png|right]]

Approximately 12 fonts were included with the [[classic Mac OS]] (versions 1–9). With the sole exception of [[Bill Atkinson]]'s Venice typeface, the fonts included with the [[Macintosh 128K|original Macintosh]] were designed by [[Susan Kare]], who also designed most of the Macintosh's original icons.

The Macintosh was an early example of a mainstream computer using fonts featuring characters of different widths, often referred to as [[Typeface|proportional]] fonts. Previously, most computer systems were limited to using [[monospaced font]]s, requiring, for example, ''i'' and ''m'' to be exactly the same width. Vector-based fonts had yet to appear in the [[personal computer]] arena, at least for screen use, so all the original Mac's typefaces were [[Computer font|bitmaps]]. Fonts were available in multiple sizes; those sizes installed on a system would be displayed in the font menu in an outline style. Some fonts would vary in appearance with size, with smaller sizes of one font having tremendous differences from the larger sizes which otherwise stayed truer to the outline version—for instance, in small sizes of [[Monaco (typeface)|Monaco]] lowercase L and uppercase i were bereft of the distinguishing marks present in larger sizes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.masterstech-home.com/the_library/font_samples/font_indices/Image_Pages/M/Monaco.html |title=Monaco Font |accessdate=2023-07-03 |publisher=masterstech-home.com}}</ref>

From [[System 1]] through [[System 7|Mac OS 7.6]], the default system fonts for Mac OS were Chicago for menus and window titles and Geneva for Finder icons, and starting in System 7 the fonts for Finder icons became customizable from the "Views" control panel. In [[Mac OS 8]] and [[Mac OS 9|9]], Charcoal replaced Chicago as the default system font for menus and window titles, but it could be customized in Preferences.

=== Naming === After designing the first few fonts, the team decided to adopt a naming convention. First, they settled on using the names of stops along the [[Paoli, Pennsylvania]], [[commuter rail]] line: Overbrook, Merion, Ardmore, and Rosemont. [[Steve Jobs]] had liked the idea of using cities as the names, but they had to be "[[world city|world class]]" cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=World_Class_Cities.txt |title=World Class Cities |accessdate=2008-07-17 |publisher=Folklore.org}}</ref>

=== Variants === [[Image:Mac font variants.png|right]]

Variants of each font were [[algorithm]]ically generated on-the-fly from the standard fonts. Bold, italic, outlined, underlined and shadowed variations were the most common, though some applications also included subscript and superscript.

Outline, shadow and underline are not always supported by modern software and fonts.

=== Apple logo === Apple's fonts and the [[Mac OS Roman]] [[character set]] include a solid Apple logo. One reason for including a trademark in a font is that the copyright status of fonts and typefaces is a complicated and uncertain matter. Trademark law, on the other hand, is much stronger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Trademark Infringement |url=https://www.uspto.gov/page/about-trademark-infringement |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=www.uspto.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> Third parties cannot include the Apple logo in fonts without permission from Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Legal - Copyright and Trademark Guidelines - Apple |url=https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/guidelinesfor3rdparties.html |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=Apple Legal |language=en-US}}</ref> Apple states in the MacRoman to Unicode mapping file that:

<blockquote>On regular US [[QWERTY]] keyboards, the logo character can be typed using the key combination ''Shift Option K'' (⇧⌥K). In [[Mac OS Roman|MacRoman]], the Apple logo has a [[hexadecimal|hex value]] of 0xF0. The Apple logo has not been assigned a dedicated Unicode code point, but Apple uses [[U+F8FF]] ({{PUA|}}) in the [[Private Use Area]].</blockquote>

Note that the logo does have a unique [[PostScript]] name in the [[Adobe Glyph List]]: /apple, mapping to F8FF.

=== List === {{Globalize|date=June 2012}} * [[Athens (typeface)|Athens]] ([[slab serif]]) * [[Cairo (dingbat font)|Cairo]] was a [[bitmap]] [[dingbat]] font, most famous for the [[dogcow]] at the ''z'' character position. * [[Chicago (typeface)|Chicago]] ([[sans-serif]]) was the default [[Macintosh]] system font in [[Mac OS|System]] 1–7.6. Also seen on LCD screens of earlier [[iPod]] models. * [[Geneva (typeface)|Geneva]] (sans-serif) is designed for small [[point (typography)|point]] sizes and prevalent in all versions of the Mac user interface. Its name betrays its inspiration by the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] typeface [[Helvetica]]. Nine point Geneva is built into [[Old World ROM]] Macs. * [[London (typeface)|London]] ([[blackletter]]) was an Old English–style font. * [[Los Angeles (typeface)|Los Angeles]] ([[script (font family)|script]]) was a thin font that emulated handwriting. * [[Mobile (typeface)|Mobile]] was a [[bitmap]] [[dingbat]] font. Before [[System 6]], it was known as Taliesin. * [[Monaco (typeface)|Monaco]] (sans-serif, monospaced) is a fixed-width font well-suited for 9–12 pt use. Ten point Monaco is built into [[Old World ROM]] Macs. * [[New York (1983 typeface)|New York]] ([[serif]]) was a [[Times Roman]]–inspired font. The name alluded to the inspiration, even though the ''Times'' for which Times Roman was created was that of London, not New York. * [[San Francisco (1984 typeface)|San Francisco]] was a whimsical font where each character looked as if it was a cutout from a newspaper, creating an intentional [[ransom note effect]]. * [[Toronto (typeface)|Toronto]] ([[slab serif]]) was a geometric design. It was removed from [[System 6]] and later. * [[Venice (typeface)|Venice]] (script) was a [[calligraphy|calligraphic]] font designed by [[Bill Atkinson]].

==See also== * [[List of macOS fonts]] * [[Typography of Apple Inc.]]

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== * {{cite web |url=http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=18078 |title= Mac OS 7.x, 8.x 9.x: Fonts Included With Major System Releases |accessdate=2008-07-17 |publisher=[[Apple Inc.]] |date=2002-06-11}} * [http://www.kreativekorp.com/software/fonts/urbanrenewal.shtml "Urban Renewal", TrueType versions of the original Mac fonts, by Kreative Korp]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fonts On Macintosh}} [[Category:Apple Inc. typefaces| ]] [[Category:Articles with unsupported Private Use Area characters]] [[Category:Digital typography]] [[Category:Macintosh operating systems user interface]]