20211 - [FONT MAC]Text shifted left at style change when using PostScript fonts

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Core :: Layout, defect, P3)

Description

[Henri Sivonen (:hsivonen)]

Overview Description:
On some pages (eg. http://www.mozilla.org/hacking/) text is shifted left when the
style or color of the text changes. Style change can be simply bolding or a
change in color (eg. links). The styled text can shift left to cover the
preceding space or even overlap with the previous word.

The probelm does not occur on all pages and not necessarily at all style changes
on the same page.

The problem does not occur when the TrueType version of Times from Apple is
installed. It occurs when Adobe's PostScript version of Times is used instead.

Steps to Reproduce:
1) Make sure Apple's TrueType version of Times is not installed.
2) Make sure Adobe's PostScript version of Times is installed. (If you have an
Adobe product such as Photoshop installed, the PostScript version of Times may
already be lurking on the hard disk even if it is not in the Fonts folder.)
3) Make sure system level Adobe Type Manager (ATM) is installed and turned on. (I
have experienced problems with ATM if the color depth is merely 256 colors.
Switching to millions of colors appears to solve problems with ATM itself.)
4) Load the page at: http://www.mozilla.org/hacking/

Actual Results:
Styled text (such as links) is shifted left.

Expected Results:
Expected the positioning of words to be unaffected by the color of the text and
not severely affected by bolding etc.

Build Date & Platform Bug Found: 1999112208 Mac

Environment: Mac OS 8.5.1, ATM 4.0.2, PostScript version of Times from Adobe.

Comment 1

[troy]

This sounds like a Mac specific problem and not a layout issue.

Don, I assume you're the Mac gfx owner so I'm reassigning

Comment 2

[Henri Sivonen (:hsivonen)]

With Mozilla SmoothType is able to anti-alias PostScript fonts, too. I suppose

this means that Mozilla uses both TrueType and Type 1 font through the same Mac

OS API instead of using the ATM API for Type 1 fonts.

Comment 3

[Henri Sivonen (:hsivonen)]

It appears that the text isn't actually shifted left. Instead, Mozilla seems to 

be using inaccurate font metrics. Text displayed with a Type 1 font occupies a 

space wider than the space reserved for it.

Comment 4

[Henri Sivonen (:hsivonen)]

This bug is a special case of bug 39811.

Comment 5

[dcone (gone)]

I think this was fixed when other mac font issues were fixed.