OpenType and paragraph styles

Have a problem? A question? This is the place for answers from other Express users.
Post Reply
billsoom
Posts: 5
Joined: 2010-03-19 06:17:05

OpenType and paragraph styles

Post by billsoom »

I’m learning that an OpenType font contains more than one typestyle as compared with previous font versions such as PostScript and TrueType. With these older versions, typestyles were separate, a font contained only one typestyle, and the name of that typestyle, e.g. Palatino Small Caps & Old Style Figures, was accessible in the menus and palettes of Nisus Writer Express. That easily permitted the formation of a Paragraph Style or a Character Style. Now with OpenType, small caps and old style figures are contained within the fonts called Regular, Italic, Bold, and Bold Italic.

Aside from using PopChar Pro or the Macintosh’s Keyboard Viewer, which would be tedious accessing one character at a time in small caps, let’s say, there must be a way in Nisus Writer Express to access those small caps as a style to build a Paragraph or Character Style just as you would with PostScript and TrueType fonts and then be able to apply the style to selected text.

Can someone please help me learn how to deal with this issue of accessing typestyles from within OpenType fonts to help build Paragraph Styles in Nisus Writer Express?

Currently, I’m using Nisus Writer Express 3.3.2. The computer is a Mac G4, operating with OS X 10.5.8.
User avatar
martin
Official Nisus Person
Posts: 5227
Joined: 2002-07-11 17:14:10
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: OpenType and paragraph styles

Post by martin »

How Nisus Writer picks up faces and typography features from your fonts is up to OSX. We get all that "for free" from Apple, but if they don't support a particular OpenType feature, neither will Nisus Writer.

Have you tried using the Small Caps option on the menu Format > Character Case? You can include that attribute in your style definitions. If the font supports true/typographic small caps, Nisus Writer will use them for that attribute. If the font does not support true small caps, they will be "faked" (eg: letters display as smaller uppercase letters).
billsoom
Posts: 5
Joined: 2010-03-19 06:17:05

Re: OpenType and paragraph styles

Post by billsoom »

Thanks Martin. That answers my question about small caps. Now, how do I access the Old Style figures from an Open Type font?
User avatar
martin
Official Nisus Person
Posts: 5227
Joined: 2002-07-11 17:14:10
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: OpenType and paragraph styles

Post by martin »

If OSX supports that OpenType feature for your particular fonts, it would be listed in Apple's Typography panel:

1. Use the menu Format > Font > Show Fonts to show Apple's Font panel.
2. From the Font panel, click the little "gear" icon button in the bottom-left corner. From the popup menu choose "Typography".
3. Apple's Typography panel should now be showing.

As you make selections in Nisus Writer, the panel will update itself to show options relevant to the selected font.
billsoom
Posts: 5
Joined: 2010-03-19 06:17:05

Re: OpenType and paragraph styles

Post by billsoom »

Thanks again, Martin. You've saved the day. For users of Scrivener your recommended procedures also work with it.
User avatar
martin
Official Nisus Person
Posts: 5227
Joined: 2002-07-11 17:14:10
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: OpenType and paragraph styles

Post by martin »

Great, glad to hear it's all working for you!
Post Reply