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Still dreaming of 24-pin printers...
This original 24×15 typeface is designed around the limitations presented by the near letter quality (NLQ) output of dot matrix printers (DMPs) during the '80s & '90s. Partially inspired by J. David Sapir's DOS font design program, LQMATRIX, it could have easily been created using that program back in the day.
(The "smart phone"-looking character in the À position is simply a placeholder, used as a quick reference to set vertical height lines while FontStructing.)
8 Comments
Still dreaming of 24-pin printers...
Dear Goatmeal: I don't understand much about dot printers, but I have a question: Could a printer alter the print lines to do what you suggest with your glyphs, taking the dots out of their print line? It is something that has caught my attention about this font, I do not know if it will have any meaning apart from the merely aesthetic or artistic ... Please, instruct me. Thanks in advance.
Sorry. That's well be the explanation?
@elmoyenique - Greetings, and thank you for the interest in this silly font! Because the print head is simply moving back and forth laterally, placing the print head in a 1/2-position is what likely resulted the "near letter quality" output of these printers (but I'm certainly no expert -- I shall have to research!).
To be honest, it was more of a design choice for these two fonts:
1. The horizontals are 2 dots tall, while the verticals are 3 dots wide -- the horizontals certainly could have easily been 3 dots tall (which would be the "expected" deisgn).
2. I liked the idea of limiting "1/2"-position dots, forcing your eyes & brain to "complete what's missing" with the negative space and lack of dots...
So while I _could_ have lined them up "properly," we likely wouldn't be having this conversation with such a boring, "traditional" design, compadre! :^)
@elmoyenique - And based on the 24-pin print head you attached, you can see it's not 24 pins high, but two groups of off-set 12 pins. So, my fonts wouldn't really print out to look like what I have here (24 dots tall). However, it _is_ what it would look like on the DOS LQMATRIX design screen. ;^)
Still, it was a fun design exercise. :^)
Thanks a million, compañero.
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