Utopia (typeface)
Encyclopedia
Utopia is the name of a Didone serif
typeface
designed by Robert Slimbach
, who worked at Adobe Systems
, and which was released in 1989.
It was one of the first typefaces to be part of the collection of selected fonts called Adobe Originals
. New versions of the typeface are released in the OpenType
format and include variations in design (generally with more than the basic two weights, ligatures, optical variants, and small capitals
, among other features), in what the industry calls an Expert Set of typefaces.
Type 1 files) to the X Consortium, for use in the X Window System
, a popular graphical environment for Unix
workstations.
There was controversy around the license regarding the status of the font files as free software
. Many distributors (with one of the prominent being the Debian
project), to prevent being sued, opted to state clearly that the fonts had a non-clear license which prevented it from being freely redistributable with modifications.
's program TeX
, a digital typesetting system for computers. The version donated consisted of the Roman (Regular), Italic, Bold, and Bold Italic versions of the typeface, differently from the commercial version offered as part of the Adobe Originals Pack.
On November 17, 2006, Karl Berry, the TeX Users Group President, gave irrevocable permissions of the font to any third party and it constitutes free software, provided that the fonts derived from it don't carry the name trademarked by Adobe.
The OpenType version that Adobe now distributes commercially were based on modifications of the PostScript
fonts, and Adobe does not guarantee that the font metrics are the same. This potential change of font metrics which can lead typesetting programs (like Adobe InDesign
or TeX
) to break lines of texts in different places, resulting in documents with different number of pages, depending on the version of the fonts used. For high-end typesetting, such differences can be important, especially regarding variations in different printings (if fonts with the same metrics are not used) and also problems with generation of indices.
other than the basic Latin script: at least two projects have emerged from the sources that Adobe has donated, one being an adaptation to Vietnamese, called Vntopia, by Hàn Thế Thành.
Another further development of the original was made by Andrey V. Panov, in a derivative called Heuristica (also: "Эвристика"), with the primary intent of adding Cyrillic symbols. Andrey has also incorporated Hàn Thế Thành's Vietnamese glyphs in Heuristica and the development of the project is open.
Serif
In typography, serifs are semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols. A typeface with serifs is called a serif typeface . A typeface without serifs is called sans serif or sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning “without”...
typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
designed by Robert Slimbach
Robert Slimbach
Robert Slimbach is a type designer, who has worked at Adobe Systems since 1987. He has won many awards for his digital typeface designs, including the rarely-awarded Charles Peignot Award from the Association Typographique Internationale, and repeated TDC2 awards from the Type Directors Club.-...
, who worked at Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
, and which was released in 1989.
It was one of the first typefaces to be part of the collection of selected fonts called Adobe Originals
Adobe Originals
The Adobe Originals program began in 1989, when Sumner Stone hired Carol Twombly and Robert Slimbach to create a new series of type families for Adobe Systems. At the time, the desktop publishing revolution was in full swing, and designers had a growing need for high-quality digital fonts. The...
. New versions of the typeface are released in the OpenType
OpenType
OpenType is a format for scalable computer fonts. It was built on its predecessor TrueType, retaining TrueType's basic structure and adding many intricate data structures for prescribing typographic behavior...
format and include variations in design (generally with more than the basic two weights, ligatures, optical variants, and small capitals
Small caps
In typography, small capitals are uppercase characters set at the same height and weight as surrounding lowercase letters or text figures...
, among other features), in what the industry calls an Expert Set of typefaces.
Initial donation to the X Consortium
In 1992, Adobe Systems donated the Utopia typeface (in the form of PostScriptPostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
Type 1 files) to the X Consortium, for use in the X Window System
X Window System
The X window system is a computer software system and network protocol that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces and rich input device capability for networked computers...
, a popular graphical environment for Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
workstations.
There was controversy around the license regarding the status of the font files as free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
. Many distributors (with one of the prominent being the Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
project), to prevent being sued, opted to state clearly that the fonts had a non-clear license which prevented it from being freely redistributable with modifications.
Rerelease with clarified license to the TeX Users Group
After considerable debate, Adobe formally donated the Type 1 version of the font, on October 11, 2006, to the TeX Users Group (TUG), with clarified concerns regarding its use licensing, so that it could be used with, for instance, Donald KnuthDonald Knuth
Donald Ervin Knuth is a computer scientist and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University.He is the author of the seminal multi-volume work The Art of Computer Programming. Knuth has been called the "father" of the analysis of algorithms...
's program TeX
TeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
, a digital typesetting system for computers. The version donated consisted of the Roman (Regular), Italic, Bold, and Bold Italic versions of the typeface, differently from the commercial version offered as part of the Adobe Originals Pack.
On November 17, 2006, Karl Berry, the TeX Users Group President, gave irrevocable permissions of the font to any third party and it constitutes free software, provided that the fonts derived from it don't carry the name trademarked by Adobe.
The OpenType version that Adobe now distributes commercially were based on modifications of the PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
fonts, and Adobe does not guarantee that the font metrics are the same. This potential change of font metrics which can lead typesetting programs (like Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a software application produced by Adobe Systems. It can be used to create works such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers and books. In conjunction with Adobe Digital Publishing Suite InDesign can publish content suitable for tablet devices...
or TeX
TeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
) to break lines of texts in different places, resulting in documents with different number of pages, depending on the version of the fonts used. For high-end typesetting, such differences can be important, especially regarding variations in different printings (if fonts with the same metrics are not used) and also problems with generation of indices.
Derived typefaces
The original Utopia typeface has, since being released as free software, been improved to support glyphs in scriptsWriting system
A writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
other than the basic Latin script: at least two projects have emerged from the sources that Adobe has donated, one being an adaptation to Vietnamese, called Vntopia, by Hàn Thế Thành.
Another further development of the original was made by Andrey V. Panov, in a derivative called Heuristica (also: "Эвристика"), with the primary intent of adding Cyrillic symbols. Andrey has also incorporated Hàn Thế Thành's Vietnamese glyphs in Heuristica and the development of the project is open.