Chyron infinit! series - 13.2 Machine Fonts vs. Flash Fonts

CHYRON Corporation
Flash Font 13-2 Revision D
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When using the same Machine Font in a number of mes-
sages, the information used to create the characters all
comes from the Machine Font file stored in the
MACHINE directory. Only font identification informa-
tion is stored with the message. When the message is
read, the font information necessary to create the charac-
ters is accessed.
When using a PC word processor, it is similar to import-
ing a graphic by reference. If the graphic is changed at
the source, all documents that use that graphic will dis-
play the updated graphic. Similarly, if a Machine Font is
created to replace the Machine Font at that ID number, all
messages using that Machine Font reflect the change.
The advantage to using this system is that the font infor-
mation is stored only once, requiring much less memory
than if stored with every message.
In contrast, a particular Flash Font(s) is available for use
in any message during the Message Compose session in
which it was created. However, once Message Compose
is exited, all Flash Font information is lost. The only way
to save the Flash Font(s) is to record the message con-
taining it, or to convert the Flash Font(s) into a Machine
Font.
When a message containing a Flash Font(s) is recorded,
all information necessary to create the characters is
stored with the message. Additionally, unlike a Machine
Font, where a full character set is created upon conver-
sion, Flash Font characters are created individually as
they are typed. Because the amount of memory Flash
Fonts consumes can add up quickly, it is recommended
that if building the same Flash Font for use in different
messages, the Flash Font should be converted into a
Machine Font. Figure 13-1 illustrates the differences
between the two.