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Dynamic Internet Font Embedding for MICR, OCR and Barcode Fonts

New TrueDoc and OpenType font formats make it possible to embed fonts into HTML WebPages for display on web browsers running from multiple operating systems. This technology allows webmasters to create web-based applications that include IDAutomation Barcode, MICR and OCR Fonts without having to install the fonts on the machine your web visitor is on.

It is strongly suggested that webmasters consider a server-side solution for creating barcodes on web pages such as the IDAutomation ASP Barcode Server for Microsoft IIS or Java Barcode Servlets, because server-side solutions are compatible with all web browsers. For more information about creating barcodes on the Internet, see the Internet Barcode FAQ.

How Do Embedded Fonts Work?

When the IDAutomation font is embedded into a web page, that visitor can view the font from their own web browser. The font is temporary and cannot be used for any other purpose, however, and is discarded after the visitor leaves the page.

Barcode automation can be accomplished by retrieving the text-to-barcode from a database or the ActiveX Font DLL, and then present it in HTML where the appropriate font is selected. Using Font Tools, IDAutomation fonts may be embedded in the HTML codes and applications according to the IDAutomation Software License Agreement, with the purchase of a Developer License.

Embedding TrueDoc Fonts

TrueDoc is an embeddable font format developed by Netscape and Bitstream and can be accessed with Netscape 4 natively from all operating systems. A minimum of Netscape Navigator 4.03 or Internet Explorer 4.0 is required to view TrueDoc embedded fonts. If Internet Explorer is used to view a web page with TrueDoc embedded fonts for the first time, a "BitStream WebFont Player" control will need to be installed. If the BitStream control is not installed, TrueDoc fonts will not be viewable with Internet Explorer. TrueDoc embedded fonts cannot be viewed using Internet Explorer on the Macintosh.

Note: Netscape 6.0 does not work with TrueDoc fonts and there are no plans to implement the technology in Netscape 6.0.

Three products embed TrueType fonts into TrueDoc BitStream's Font Fusion, TrueDoc, and HexMac Typograph. The following are samples of IDAutomation fonts that were embedded into this web page with the trial version of Bitstream's WebFont Wizard, which has since been discontinued and replaced by Font Fusion and TrueDoc. Using these tools, IDAutomation fonts may be embedded in the HTML codes and applications according to the IDAutomation Software License Agreement.

Font Symbology	Font Example
Code 39	!CODE=39! CODE 39
OCR-A	OCR-A TrueDoc Fonts

See a TrueDoc Embeddable Code 39 Font Example.

Embedding OpenType Fonts

Created by Microsoft, OpenType is a dynamic embeddable font format for the Internet that only works with Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher. Bugs may be found in the font converter such as the inability to convert extended characters like ASCII 159 that are used as the space character in IDAutomation Code 128 Fonts. Unlike TrueDoc which does not work with Netscape 6.0, OpenType does work with the latest version of Internet Explorer.

Microsoft provides the free Microsoft Web Embedding Fonts Tool (WEFT), which allows web designers to create embeddable OpenType fonts from TrueType fonts that are linked to their web pages. These font objects are compressed and subsetted, so they contain only the characters used by a particular website or page. For more information, visit Microsoft's guide to Implementing Fonts on Web Pages.

OpenType MICR: A12389B

Additional Information

Due to lack of TrueDoc support in Netscape 6, IDAutomation recommends using Internet Explorer and OpenType for embedding fonts into web pages. Please contact the appropriate vendor for any questions regarding these embedding technologies.

For technical support of internet fonts, contact the vendor of the product used to convert the fonts into web fonts.

Visit the Internet and Web Page Barcode Integration Tutorial for more information about the various products IDAutomation provides for integrating barcode technology on your website.