Zpravodaj Československého sdružení uživatelů TEXu, ISSN 1211-6661, eISSN 1213-8185, http://bulletin.cstug.cz/
Volume 20, Number 3, pages 176198, 2010. BibTEX source; DOI:10.5300/2010-3/176
Published by CSTUG, printed and distributed by Konvoj, s. r. o.
OpenType Japanese Font Tutorial: Kazuraki
Abstract: Adobe System’s Type Engineering & Design team in Japan has developed a ground-breaking and innovative new typeface design that breaks the mold that has constrained Japanese typefaces for decades. The typeface design, created by Adobe’s own Ryoko Nishizuka, was inspired by the calligraphy of the 12th century Japanese calligrapher and writer Fujiwara-no-Teika, and its final production to produce a functional OpenType font leveraged three powerful afdko (Adobe Font Development Kit for OpenType) tools, tx, mergeFonts, and rotateFont, to implement its complex metrics.
Kazuraki is unique among other mainstream Japanese typefaces in that it is fully proportional, in both writing directions. Some glyphs are wider than they are tall, and some are taller than they are wide, and this is reflected in their metrics. For this reason, and because subtle shifting is required for correct positioning of each glyph, there are separate glyphs for both writing directions. In other words, for the 1,082 kanji that are supported in the current version, the font contains 1,082 glyphs for horizontal use, and 1,082 glyphs for vertical. In addition, Kazuraki also includes a significant number of two-, three-, and four-character hiragana ligatures for vertical use.
The tutorial that is reprinted here in its entirety is designed to guide font developers in building special-purpose OpenType fonts, using Kazuraki as an example of how to build a fully-proportional Japanese font. The current version can always be accessible here:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/font/pdfs/5901.Kazuraki_Tutorial.pdf
The Kazuraki specimen book, which demonstrates how this font can be used, is available here:
http://store4.adobe.com/type/browser/pdfs/Kazuraki_SPN.pdf
© 2010 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Better by Adobe and Kazuraki is/are either [a] registered trademark[s] or a trademark[s] of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
Keywords: Kazuraki font, Proportional glyphs, Japanese font, OpenType font, afdko, Adobe, makeotf, tx, mergeFonts, rotateFont.
Kazuraki: tutoriál k japonskému OTF písmu
Abstrakt: Článek představuje klíčové technické kroky tvorby proporcionálního japonského písma nazvaného Kazuraki. Toto písmo je oproštěno od konvenčních omezení přetrvávajících v Japonsku po desetiletí. Design je inspirován kaligrafií z dvanáctého století umělce, spisovatele a jednoho z největších básníků v japonské historii Fujiwara-no-Teika. Písmo bylo poprvé oficiálně představeno 7. prosince 2009 v předváděcí místnosti firmy Adobe (North America Type Showroom).
Písmo by se mohlo stát inspirací a vzorem pro další tvůrce a písmolijny, především k vyjádření individuálního a osobitého stylu, silných výrazových prostředků a decentnějšího stylizování.
V ukázkách a přílohách tohoto článku je konkrétně použito OpenType písmo KazurakiStd-Light. Užité nástroje makeotf, tx, mergeFonts, rotateFont jsou součástí volně dostupné softwarové kolekce AFDKO (Adobe® Font Development Kit for OpenType), stáhnutelné z webových stránek http://www.adobe.com/devnet/opentype/afdko/.
Klíčová slova: písmo Kazuraki, proporcionální glyfy, japonské písmo, písmo OpenType, AFDKO, Adobe, makeotf, tx, mergeFonts, rotateFont.
Author

Dr. Ken Lunde
Senior Computer Scientist, CJKV Type Development
Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95120-2704 USA
References
  1. Homepage of Adobe Font Development Kit for OpenType: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/opentype/afdko/
  2. The current version of special-purpose fully-proportional Japanese OpenType font Kazuraki (かづらき): http://www.adobe.com/devnet/font/pdfs/5901.Kazuraki_Tutorial.pdf
  3. The Kazuraki specimen book is available at http://store4.adobe.com/type/browser/pdfs/Kazuraki_SPN.pdf
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