Working with TrueType and Raster Fonts
Windows CE supports raster and TrueType font technologies, but it accepts only one type to be used on a specified system. The choice of TrueType or raster font type is made when the system is designed and cannot be changed by an application.
The differences between raster and TrueType fonts have to do with the way the glyph for each character or symbol is stored in the respective font resource file. A raster font glyph is a tiny bitmap that represents a single character size. Because the bitmaps for each glyph in a raster font are designed for a specific resolution on a particular device, raster fonts are generally considered device-dependent.
A TrueType font glyph contains outlines and hints. Windows CE uses these hints to adjust the outlines used to draw the glyphs. These hints and the respective adjustments are based on the amount of scaling used to reduce or increase the size of the glyph. Because TrueType characters can be scaled up or down and still retain their original appearance, they are considered device-independent.
A font's glyphs are stored in a font resource file. A font resource file for a raster font is stored in a .fon file. A font resource file for a TrueType font is stored in a .fot file.
See Also
Last updated on Wednesday, April 13, 2005
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