Post correct info about how to use opsz

davelab6 commented 4 years ago

On the optical size page, we should explain everything that is mistaken in this video :)

davelab6 commented 4 years ago

@dberlow we also need to update this page (or add a new page, as its a top-line key concept) that Apple and Microsoft (and many others) have shipped mere "size-range-aware" fonts instead of "true size-aware" fonts. You wrote,

Eg Microsoft's Sitka Small is a range-aware instance selected when opsz is between 0 and 9.5pt (per https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/sitka)

Apple's SFPro opsz seems to be [a size aware range of] spacing and then thresholded somewhere, between text and display.

The difference [between "size-aware" and "size-range-aware" fonts] is substantial, from the type designer to the user. But, as long as the umbrella of Latin, sans and slab serif, mono-weight styles, spreads its shadow over thinking...

What the difference is, what it means for users and why that matters, and what it means for type designers, needs to be explained.

Indeed, before interpolation was available to users at run-time, type designers made optical size styles available as static-font sibling families, such as "Family Text" and "Family Display", with rough ranges of suitable Points to use them at. (And some had Micro, Banner, etc.) That is what users are most familiar with, and I expect there is a strong desire from more changee-averse users to have opsz work as a simple 'compress' value proposition to package such sibling families into a 'step function' axis without interpolated styles.

There are also some articles and web pages well ranked by Google Search on the optical size topic, which may purvey some misunderstandings that this page (or section) should seek to correct:

dberlow commented 4 years ago

I can add a piece on this before “Fluid Size”?

We are talking, in short, about fonts that scale between the beginning and end of the range and switch to the next master at the end, rather than interpolating between some number of masters along the size scale.

The cause to document these and what differentiates these from regular fonts with names like “Text” or “Deck”, which are indeed old, is the inclusion of opsz in the font data augmenting the names to allow operability.

That will dovetail with the primer before,it, which deals with the old ways, before opsz.

davelab6 commented 4 years ago

Yes perfect

dberlow commented 4 years ago

And... I agree that https://youtu.be/Buw4vOXcr_4 is a bit off, but the depth to which you plunged into it in the comments, might perhaps be too deep for the audience.

It’s also rather old, at 8 mos. ago, but since the author is using Amstelvar, I’m happy to approach to coach and will let you know.

Thanks.

TypeNetwork / variable-fonts-info-site

Post correct info about how to use opsz #109