For reasons not worth going into, I have a set of typefaces in Mac format that I need to convert to something useable by the Windows XP version of MS Word (I guess that would be into a .TTF file). The only utilities I could find to do this cost 30 or 40 dollars, which I don’t want to spend for this single task. What can I do to perform this conversion using free software? I have access to a Mac and a Windows environment, so the utility could run on either.
Your Mac-format fonts: old-world (MacOS 9, 8, 7…) fonts, or modern (OS X) fonts?
An old piece of freeware called TTConverter will convert a TrueType font from the MacOS 9 (and earlier) era to a Windows-style “.ttf” font.
If your font is already a “.ttf” font, it doesn’t need converting. (MacOS X can use that style of font, so that’s possible).
If your font is one of the new-style “.dfont” font files, the only way I’ve figured out how to do it is in two stages: use freeware dfontifier to convert the .dfont file to a MacOS 9 style font; then use TTConverter to convert that onwards to a Windows-style “.ttf” font.
I’m not sure exactly what type it is–I assume OS X. “Get Info” on the filename shows “Postscript Type 1 outline font”.
Ouch. Postscript font. Dunno beans about converting a PS font for Windows use.
My research indicates it’s easier to convert a TrueType font to Type 1 than vice versa–and the quality of conversions either way is not always perfect.
So in order to use this Mac Adobe Type 1 font on my resume, I switched to the free NeoOffice (Mac version of OpenOffice) rather than use MS Word. It opened the word document with no trouble,. NeoOffice seems like a very nicely done application, with the Aqua look and feel; I may stop using MS Word at home altogether.