1. Forum
  2. USENET
  3. comp.fonts

  • the history of the Hershey fonts (was Re: reprints of old AI memos)

    From Kragen Javier Sitaker@kragen@canonical.org to alt.sys.pdp10,comp.fonts on Wed Sep 2 15:55:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.fonts

    Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> writes:
    Kragen Javier Sitaker wrote:
    Lars Brinkhoff <lars.spam@nocrew.org> writes:
    No, the fonts are pixelated at around 200 DPI.
    I wonder where they came from?

    The Hershey fonts were originally designed for computer output on
    microfilm (COM) which entailed using a cathode ray tube to expose photographic negatives. Dr. Hershey designed them as an alternative
    to the use of the entirely mechanical Varityper. Since he was working
    in a US Navy lab, his work was automatically in the public domain.

    I see this was unclear, but what I meant to ask is whether the 200-dpi
    XGP fonts Brinkhoff is using are derived from the Hershey fonts, or
    whether they come from some other source, such as someone creating a new
    font on ITS with FED.

    The story of the Hershey fonts is indeed fascinating, and Dr. HersheyrCOs achievements were remarkable. I wrote a 4200-word article about Hershey
    fonts that may be of interest to those who arenrCOt familiar with the
    details. It draws from my reading of the following sources:

    - _Calligraphy for Computers_, by Hershey
    - _A Contribution to Computer Typesetting Techniques_, by Wolcott and
    Hilsenrath
    - Patrick Michael DoylerCOs masterrCOs thesis
    - rCLA computer system for scientific typographyrCY, by Hershey
    - HERSHEY.DOC in GhostScript
    - GNU plotutils
    - Pete HolzmannrCOs original mod.sources posts containing the Hershey
    fonts in the James Hurt Format (JHF)
    - rCLThe Last Bit: Missionaries Lag No MorerCY, about Pete Holzmann
    - rCLExploring Dr. HersheyrCOs TypographyrCY, by David M. MacMillan and
    Rollande Kandall
    - rCLCartography and Typography with True BASICrCY, by Hershey
    - Frank Grie|fhammerrCOs TypeCon speech about Hershey fonts
    - Kamal MostafarCOs hershey-fonts C library
    - The hersheypy Python library by UsenetrCOs own Lawrence DrCOOliveiro
    - Paul BourkerCOs exploration of the JHF format

    If there are some of these you havenrCOt read, the article may be of
    interest to you. It is hershey-fonts.md in the pavnotes2
    repository:

    git clone http://canonical.org/~kragen/sw/pavnotes2.git

    Kragen
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to alt.sys.pdp10,comp.fonts on Wed Sep 2 21:31:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.fonts

    On Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:55:04 -0300, Kragen Javier Sitaker wrote:

    - The hersheypy Python library by UsenetrCOs own Lawrence DrCOOliveiro

    Source code is here <https://gitlab.com/ldo/hersheypy>, done as an
    addon to my Python wrapper for the Cairo 2D graphics library <https://gitlab.com/ldo/qahirah>, built on its rCLuser fontrCY
    functionality.

    Hershey fonts cannot be directly represented in common font formats
    like TrueType or Type 1, because the former are defined in terms of
    strokes (e.g. for rendering on a plotter), while the latter work in
    terms of filled outlines.

    On the other hand, you can get a lot of variations out of a single
    Hershey font by varying the thickness and patterning of the strokes
    used to render it.

    Examples of use of the Hershey fonts are here <https://www.deviantart.com/default-cube/gallery/54390594/hersheypy-examples>. --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Kragen Javier Sitaker@kragen@canonical.org to alt.sys.pdp10,comp.fonts on Thu Sep 3 09:59:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.fonts

    Lawrence DrCOOliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
    On the other hand, you can get a lot of variations out of a single
    Hershey font by varying the thickness and patterning of the strokes
    used to render it.

    Examples of use of the Hershey fonts are here <https://www.deviantart.com/default-cube/gallery/54390594/hersheypy-examples>.

    These are very nice!

    IrCOve been thinking about other variations as well; stroke fonts handle variations in aspect ratio and obliquing much better than outline fonts
    do, for example, and I suspect that some simple heuristics for replacing
    some straight lines with curves ought to be able to produce high-quality lettering from some Hershey fonts.

    Kragen
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2