Using VOLT: Samples

Accessing supplemental files

To access VOLT's supplemental files, select the 'VOLT supplemental files setup' option from the Windows Start menu (Start/All Programs/Microsoft VOLT).

The VOLT supplemental files EULA (End User License Agreement) appears first. After you accept the EULA, you are asked where to install the supplemental files on your local hard drive.

Mangal

This copy of Mangal contains OpenType layout tables and was constructed using VOLT. We hope you find it useful.

Mangal was designed for Devanagari and supports complex typographic requirements of the script. A non-exhaustive list of such requirements includes:

• generating 'akhands'
• substituting the appropriate Ra vattu forms
• substituting half forms of consonants
• selecting appropriate vowel signs to replace the default vowel signs that go with consonants, conjuncts for syllable formation
• positioning mark(s) and vowel signs with respect to base glyphs and ligatures

This font is a 'work in progress' and illustrates just one of the many ways to build OpenType font tables with VOLT. One of our prime objectives in this illustration is to represent as many features of VOLT as possible. To cite examples here: we have classified glyphs in a large number of groups and provided mark-to-mark positioning using pair-positioning tables. To achieve similar results, you might choose to classify glyphs differently, with fewer groups, or use anchors for mark-to-mark positioning.

These tables provide a way of seeing and understanding the underlying thinking process for building OpenType tables with VOLT. They are not the 'typical' way for creating tables for Devanagari. VOLT provides the OpenType type designer a 'visual' tool with a lot of flexibility and options to create OpenType layout tables!

The font itself has been designed with simple construction in outlines, for use as a Sans Serif UI font. It is the font that is mentioned in Appendix C of the OpenType Indic specification.

Mangal can be considered a flagship Indic font that has the full implementation of OpenType, from glyph repertoire to tables. Mangal is provided under the terms of the VOLT supplemental files EULA, and may not be redistributed.

Arabic Typesetting

The Arabic Typesetting font is distributed with VOLT, under the terms of the VOLT supplemental files End User License Agreement (EULA). It is provided for illustration only, and may not be altered or redistributed.

Arabic Typesetting supports all characters from the Unicode Arabic and Arabic Extended blocks. As such, it can be used to produce documents in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Sindhi, Malay, and Uighur. The font is the Arabic naskh style of calligraphy.

Arabic Typesetting contains layout information and glyphs to support all of the required features for the supported scripts and languages, and contains over 1600 Arabic glyphs. It is not necessary for all fonts to support this many glyphs or ligatures. Each font should be designed as the font creator desires.

Many shaped glyph forms (such as ligatures) have no Unicode encoding. These glyphs have ID's in the font, and applications can access these glyphs by "running" the layout features that depend on these glyphs. An application can also identify non-Unicode glyphs in the font by traversing the OpenType layout tables, or using the layout services for purely informational purposes.

Arabic Typesetting contains three OpenType Layout tables: GSUB (glyph substitution), GPOS (glyph positioning), and GDEF (glyph definition, distinguishing base glyphs, ligatures, classes of mark glyphs, etc.).

Uniscribe

For testing your fonts, we've included an updated test version of Microsoft's Unicribe (Unicode script processor). The .dll and installation instructions are included in the usp.zip file.

Uniscribe is also provided under the terms of the VOLT supplemental files EULA, and may not be redistributed.