FAQ Frequently Asked Questions This document outlines ---------------------- 1 - The nature of shareware 2 - Support 3 - Limited warranties 4 - ASP Ombudsman 5 - Technical questions, and the answers/tips we came up with -=<*>=- 1 - DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT Users of the fonts placed on this disk must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "These fonts are supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse- quential, which may result from the use of these fonts." The fonts placed on this disk are registered versions, and should under no circumstance be passed around. They are reserved to your own use, or the company who acquired them. If you feel like sharing your enthusiasm for our font products, please pass around our shareware evaluation packages, which you can find on Compsuerve, America Online, major BBS, ASP shareware vendors, and on our web site : http://members.aol.com/MatchSoft. 2 - SUPPORT While we do our best to make sure you enjoy our fonts to their fullest, please remember that they are both technical, and artistic creations. We will gladly provide support for technical questions. Requests for artistic changes will be taken as suggestions, which implies one should not expect aesthetic touches as part of a normal support. Nevertheless, artistic point of views and suggestions are always welcome, and appreciated. Before contacting us, please make sure you have read the end of this document. It has been written, based on questions asked very frequently, by users who requested support. Finding the answer in this document will save you time and aggravation. For practical and financial reasons, we cannot provide phone technical support. You may, however, report any problem at (213) 656-4244. We will usually follow-up within 24 hours, by email or fax. You can also contact us by fax at (310) 338-0908, or by email at support@matchfonts.com. Please try to be as specific as possible, in order to get appropriate help. Remind us the name of the font you are using, on which platform (Mac, Windows or OS/2), and the exact nature of the problem. Depending on the complexity of the question, you will receive a reply, usually within 24 hours. Reported technical bugs will be fixed as rapidly as possible. However, given the necessity for tests and verifications, it is impossible to give standard time limit. In general, past experiences have shown an average response in less than a week. When completed, font updates will be sent to the customer who has reported the bug by email (or regular mail, if no email is available). 3 - LIMITED WARRANTY If for any reason the registered version of the font/program was provided to you directly by Match Software on a defective media (disk), it will be exchanged for a new one at no cost. If you have suggestions for improving this font/program, we appreciate your comments. It does not mean we will fix or modify the font in the way you wish in a given time, or that we must do it in any way. However, if we feel the suggestion is appropriate, next version of the font may be inspired from these advises. We decline any responsibility if for any reason this font/program is put to bad use in any way. It worked fine on a regular configuration, and on a regular printer, with the most usual software packages. If, for any reason, it could not work on your specific configuration, Match Software cannot be held responsible. As technical combinations are almost infinite, and because systems evolve in ways we cannot predict, it might happen a new system, or a particular configuration, does not work with a font. For instance, because a new version of the system requires a new font format. In general, we will try to keep up with the system versions, and eventually offer upgrades, if possible, but it does not constitute an obligation, nor would it be the case if you acquired a set of seats cover for your specific car, and require they fit any new car you may decide to buy later on. 4 - ASP OMBUDSMAN This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to ASP Ombudsman 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA FAX 616-788-2765 or send a message to ASP Ombudsman - via CompuServe mail 70007,3536 - email 70007.3536@compuserve.com 5 - TECHNICAL QUESTIONS/ANSWERS/TIPS Here are some questions frequently asked about our fonts, and the answers we where able to come up at the time. You may also want to read the answers, even if you experienced no problem with the present font. As a matter of fact, we have come up with some solutions of our own, which may help you get better results with all your fonts. This list of questions and answers will be regularly updated, in order to spare as much as possible aggravation for our customers. After reading them, please contact us, if anything was still bothering you. We will do what we can to help you the best way we can. Thank-you for all your reports. Q: I downloaded your font, but Windows does not want it. It does not want to install BABY_TT.ZIP. A: Before using our shareware packages, you must unpack them with the appropriate program. You may find WINZIP on most shareware sites. After unpacking the archive, you will find the BABYFACE.TTF file, which Windows will accept as its own. Q: How do I install TrueType fonts under Windows ? A : Open the "Fonts" control pannel, and click "Add". Then, look for the font files (extension *.TTF) where you copied or unpacked them. Select them, and click OK. You may install several fonts at the same time, simply by selecting them. Windows 95 requires a slightly different procedure. Open the "Fonts" folder you will find in the Control Panel located within "My Computer" icon. Then, simply copy the TrueType font into it. Q : I do not find the *.FOT files to install the *.TTF TrueType fonts. A : this type of file is generated by Windows 3.xx when a new font is installed. In other words, if you use the correct Control Panel procedure to install a new *.TTF file, Windows 3.xx will automatically create the corresponding *.FOT file. Windows 95 does not use this type of file at all, and directly takes advantage of *.TTF fonts. Q: How do I install PostScript fonts under Windows ? A : PostScript fonts come with the extension *.PFB and *.PFM, one of each for each font. In order to use them, you first must install Adobe Type Manager (ATM) for Windows. Then, copy *.PFB files in the WINDOWS\PSFONTS directory, and the *.PFM in the WINDOWS\PSFONTS\PFM directory. Then, use the ATM control panel to install the fonts. PostScript fonts offer lots of advantages over their TrueType Windows counterpart, as kerning and more precise printing. If you are serious about desktop publishing, you may want to acquire ATM Windows. This install process may have changed with newer versions of ATM. please refer to the manual of that utility for more details. Q : Some complex characters do not display normaly with ATM fonts A : This phenomenon has been reported most often when ATM Type 1 fonts of complex character shapes are used with Windows 95. The characters appear on top of each other, and are difficult to read on the screen. They do print perfectly, though. The only way we have found to circumvent this glitch seems to be to first enter the text in a simpler shaped font, for instance Arial, and after entries have been verified, select the text you want, and bring it to the desired font and attributes. Q : Under Windows, some characters of a given font do not print at all sizes, or show only on screen, or the opposite. This happens most often with complex fonts, such as DinosoType, Bujardet Vignettes of Nahkt Hieroglyphs. Some characters print as squares, when they appear fine on the screen, or the opposite, or both. It happens most often when the output is to be made on a dot-matrix printer, would it be impact or ink-jet. It does happen, sometimes, though, with laser printers, as well. A : The problem seems to reside within Windows itself, and the way TrueType is handled. We where unable to get any explanation from Microsoft which could help us understand how to solve the problem. However, as in general this type of fonts are most used on isolated basis (letterheads, titles, etc.), it is possible to use another approach : - Create a new document under Windows Paint - With the TEXT tool, enter the appropriate message - Copy the image, and paste it into your word processor or desktop publishing software. Of course, if you use more sophisticated tools than Windows Paint, like Corel Draw on the PC, the result may be better. Although TrueType fonts may pose this problem, PostScript Type 1, even extremely complex, do display and work perfectly under Windows with Adobe Type Manager (ATM). If you want do do any type of serious desktop publishing, we strongly recommend you use ATM and PostScript fonts. Q : I do not find the accented characters, or the punctuations. They are not available through my regular keyboard. Why is that ? A : The free evaluation fonts do not contain punctuations, nor the upper-ascii characters, including the accented characters. If you need these characters, simply register for the font, and you will receive the registered version, which contains the full set of characters. You can register on line on our site, and immediately download the registered version, at http://www.matchfonts.com. Q : I need a font in a language not yet available. A : Creating fonts for new languages is not only challenging, it is also culturally very rewarding, very inspiring. We do not always know the language you plan to use. But if you provide us with the proper information, we will use it to create a new font. It is fairly simple : we only need the best representation of the alphabet, character by characters, and eventually it's pronounciation, if it is not a Roman set of letters (Japanese, for instance, or Russian are in that case). Call us for more details. Q : I want a font made according to my specifications. A : If you already have a printout of the desired font, or any graphic representation that we can use to draw the characters, our regular price for designing a new font is very reasonable. If you want a creation from scratch, it will be more difficult. Please call us for a quotation. Q : How can I obtain a printout of all of your fonts ? A : Just send us your complete address, and we will gladly send you a documentation showing the diversity of Match Software fonts. You can already find a pretty good representation of our offering, on our web site : http://members.aol.com/MatchSoft Q : You must provide thorough phone hot line support for any brand and type of computer. If Adobe and others can, why not you ? You should be able to be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ! A : We are sorry, with our small operation, not to be able to compete with giants who see more money in 10 minutes than we may be able to earn in one year. However, our prices are lower beyond comparison. That is also because you are not paying for million dollars advertisement, and plethoric staffs. Besides, we are prepared to fix glitches if any, and gladly accept advises from our customers. Remember, however, that a font is somewhat equivalent to a bumper sticker to an automobile. Please do not ask us to solve the problems generated by your system, no more than you would think about requiring driving lessons from a stickers publisher. We do our best for our fonts to work properly on STANDARD configurations, including STANDARD printers, STANDARD system versions, STANDARD applications, when our fonts are installed through STANDARD procedures. All that said, we do want to help you benefit from our software products. You can contact us by phone at (213) 656-4244, and leave a message on the voice mail if unfortunately we where not able to answer immediately. You can also reach us at any of our e-mail address matchsoft@aol.com or on Compuserve 73267,1701. Q : In your Martian font, you placed a dot above the glipnol character, and forgot to put an accent above the weirdoo. It is unforgettable. I am furious and you are just as stupid as a bunch of lunar dogs ! You should be whipped, and give me my money back, too, plus maybe a little extra, because I suffered incredible damage to my much sophisticated sense of intellectual properness and inherent graceful sophistication. A : We are sorry not to know Martian as well as such a refined literate as your highness. Please do not blow your desintegrator at us, poor ridiculous clumsy uneducated filthy computer groomers. More seriously, please consider that ignorance may not be such a crime, after all, and have mercy for the less taught. We all learn all our lives new concepts and new ways. If for any reason we committed a mistake in transcribing your native language, be assured it is not intentional. Please courteously provide us with the proper information, and we will try to make appropriate updates are made, if they are technically possible and logical. All we know of, as humble and insignificant artisans, is the fonts craftsmanship. It is not our fault, then, if the subtleties of a foreign language do not strike us like light over the saint's head. However, we are bending our knees to the more educated. Thank you for helping us improve. At the present time, our foreign fonts have been thoroughly review d, so they satisfy our customers. Some have helped perfect already very nice fonts. But we will appreciate any additional help ! Any report or suggestion is taken very seriously, and usualy fixes are carried out through regular updates. All the more reason to register, to be able to benefit from these improvements. Q : When I use too many fonts, my printer crashes. A : Try setting the option "Print TrueType fonts as graphics" in the Windows Printer Control panel. Q : Why do you ask for money for your fonts ? They should be free ! A : There is a strange curse around computer software, these days. Nobody would ever consider getting a movie for nothing, or walking into a book store and require a sample for free. For programs, however, the matter is quite different. So many people consider computer software piracy as a light little mistake, that eventually, some may indeed start considering software authors as thieves, because they pretend to get a small reward for their job. Some luminaries (noticeably around GNU project, or some Internet ayatollahs) even have the nerve to play with the very strange notion that computer software should only come free, and that any commercial distribution, including shareware, has some analogy to a rip-off. Fine and good, then, but why do they at the same time insist to get paid for their conferencing, or to get royalties from their books ? Match Software is a small business based on shareware distribution. Anyone can browse at our productions in the same way a reader could read book as many times and as completely as wished, before actually paying for it. Please do not pirate us. If you feel a font is really of use, please register. That small usage fee will help us continue creating new original, exclusive and fine fonts for you. We sincerely thank all users who have, through their registration, helped pay the rent, the phone, and the electricity which powers our equipment to create all these fonts. Please continue to support the shareware concept. It is the only way out of the commercial monopolies. Small software companies are as much a liberty warrant as small book publishers are : without them, big companies would have their way, culturally and financially. Nobody would ever want that to happen ! Match Software 8205 Santa Monica Blvd #1-205 West Hollywood, CA 90046-5912 (213) 656-4244 Internet : MatchSoft@aol.com Compuserve : 73267,1701 America Online : MatchSoft Acknoledgement : "Match Software" is intellectual property of Match Software. All other intellectual properties, such as Trademark and Brand Names mentionned in this document, belong to their respective holders.