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Author Topic: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer  (Read 13029 times)

lanux128

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FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« on: January 03, 2008, 10:54 PM »
FastFontPreview, a basic but quite handy font manager. after installation, the file-size is quite big - 2.04Mb but can be UPX'ed to only 786KB

some of the features:
- Install/uninstall fonts on-the-fly.
- Add folders to Favorites list so you can access to them later fast.
- Windows Character Map, Font Sample or File properties dialog for selected font.
- Fonts preview samples with their names or with your own text sample.
- Sample font size from 2 up to 100 points

ws-font-preview-1.pngFastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
http://www.lanmisoft.../fastfontpreview.htm

Curt

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2008, 10:01 AM »
Do "you" know of any font manager capable of extracting fonts from zip containers?
- I have a lot of fonts I haven't bother to install  because they are zipped.

Veign

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2008, 10:13 AM »
How would you want them handled?  Explain.

I have a free font manager called Cfont Pro that I would be willing to add requested features to.

f0dder

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2008, 10:16 AM »
How would you want them handled?  Explain.

I have a free font manager called Cfont Pro that I would be willing to add requested features to.
Hm, gotta try that one out sometime.

PS: please add 1:1 screenshots on the page, and consider .png instead of .jpg.
- carpe noctem

mouser

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2008, 10:21 AM »
My general feature request for all font programs is:
A display more where the main pane is 99% just pure font previews.

In other words, what i find frustrating in most of these advanced programs is all the extra text they want to show me along with the font (underneath it or above it), including filename, etc.

The main thing i use these programs for is for choosing fonts.  so for me what i want is a giant pane just showing font samples (preferably multi-column so i can pack more on a page), with no extra info in that panel but the line of sample text.  Then if i click on a sample you can show me the file name etc in another pane.

mouser

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2008, 10:23 AM »
I noticed something interesting at the company site which makes Fast Font Previewer, a font "finding" tool which lets you put in a letter image and it searches to find a matching font in your collection. No idea how well this works.
http://www.lanmisoft...fontmatchingtool.htm

Veign

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2008, 10:30 AM »
PS: please add 1:1 screenshots on the page, and consider .png instead of .jpg.

The whole website needs a good overhaul and screenshots is a sore subject that I know I need to fix.  I have been putting it off but will try and get new screenshots up this weekend.

Curt

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2008, 11:05 AM »
How would you want them handled? 

Wow!

My problem (on this matter) is that I have downloaded a lot of fonts packed in zip containers (EDIT: one or a few in each container), but some / far too many also have readme and other prank inside the container, so it all gets tiresome to unzip / seperate / move to > install / whatmorecanIthinkof.

What can be done?
« Last Edit: January 04, 2008, 11:07 AM by Curt »

Veign

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2008, 11:14 AM »
I will give some thought about peeking inside of a Zip file to preview and install a font.  It may take a while, but sounds interesting enough to take on as a project.

Veign

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2008, 11:30 AM »
I reviewed a few things and what I will do is change the Font Packager, which I have never been totally happy with, to work with Zip files instead of the custom file format I developed.  What this means is you will be able to create and handle font packages (zip files of fonts) from within Cfont Pro.

It will be slick when completed.

Curt

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2008, 11:41 AM »
Sounds really promising, Veign ~ Good Luck!!  :up:

Nighted

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2008, 04:08 PM »
hahahah, I knew it!!! :D
I`m a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class, especially since I rule.

f0dder

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2008, 05:53 PM »
Curt: with WinRAR, you could select all your font .zip files, select "extract each archive to separate folders", and then you could use a file manager to find all files that aren't .fon/.ttf and delete them... presto, get rid of the fluff in very few steps :)
- carpe noctem

yksyks

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #13 on: January 05, 2008, 03:18 AM »
My general feature request for all font programs is:
A display more where the main pane is 99% just pure font previews.

Maybe AMP Font Viewer (freeware) might suite your needs. Just press Ctrl-T and configure the display as you want.

Screenshot - 5.1.2008 , 11_41_31.png

I prefer this one over the FastFontPreview, as the latter cannot display not installed OpenType fonts.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2008, 04:44 AM by yksyks »

Curt

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #14 on: January 05, 2008, 04:05 AM »
... within Cfont Pro.

It will be slick when completed.

@ Veign. Will it be posible for this next Cfont to have option for auto-displaying some more characters in the big window? I mean characters that I type myself, besides A-Z ~ I would like it to remember such setting. Being a Dane I want to see at once if a font can show æøåÆØÅ or not, and how any æ is looking compared to a, a, so I would like to be able to alter the order like this:

[ Invalid Attachment ][ Invalid Attachment ][ Invalid Attachment ]
« Last Edit: January 05, 2008, 04:46 AM by Curt »

Veign

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2008, 10:43 AM »
It does this.  You have full control over what characters are displayed and characteristics of the display.  All this is controlled in the Property Window.  You want to look at DisplayText and CustomText properties.

(sorry about the colors in the background of the image - my background colors are quite ugly for others to look at)

« Last Edit: January 05, 2008, 11:03 AM by Veign »

tinjaw

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2008, 02:33 PM »
(sorry about the colors in the background of the image - my background colors are quite ugly for others to look at)

Now you've got me curious. What's with the mustard?

Veign

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2008, 03:04 PM »
Colorblind and thats the most friendly color I could find to look at for long periods of time.

lanux128

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #18 on: January 06, 2008, 07:09 PM »
check out this site with its exhaustive list of font managers, including a certain Cfont Pro.. :)

http://cg.scs.carlet...uc/fontmanagers.html

Veign

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Re: FastFontPreview - freeware font viewer
« Reply #19 on: January 06, 2008, 07:33 PM »
That is one hell of a list.  Just added to my list of items to blog about  :)