A resident font is a font stored permanently on a device, such as a printer, that speeds up processes such as printing or displaying. Manufacturers typically pre-installed resident fonts to ensure a font is always available without constant reinstallation. They’re commonly used by laser and dot-matrix printers.
Downloadable or soft fonts must be sent to a device each time they are used, whereas resident fonts are readily available because they are embedded in the device’s firmware or software. Because they are stored locally, resident fonts can be accessed quickly, making them ideal for high-speed printing or display applications.
What are resident fonts commonly used for?
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Printers
Many printers come with built-in resident fonts to ensure quick and reliable printing without depending on external font downloads.
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Limited storage devices
Devices with limited memory and storage, such as digital displays or point-of-sale systems, often use resident fonts to optimize performance.
How do resident fonts work?
Compared to downloadable fonts, the range of resident fonts is usually limited, focusing on widely used typefaces that meet general needs. These fonts are typically standardized across devices from the same manufacturer, ensuring consistent output and compatibility. Thus, resident fonts are easily accessible and can be used immediately. Reducing the need for additional data transfer and processing time speeds up various processes.
What are the types of resident fonts?
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Host-resident font
This type of resident font is stored on a system that many users can access, such as a print server. A system administrator can transmit host-resident fonts to a printer for specific print requests.
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Printer-resident font
This type of resident font is stored on a printer’s read-only memory (ROM) to make printing faster and more efficient. Other printer-resident fonts must first be installed via disks or font cartridges. Most PostScript and PCL printers come with resident fonts installed by the manufacturer.
Sometimes, resident fonts can appear different as they are merely being simulated by the device. This is typically due to the operating system and the hardware device utilizing two different font definitions. For example, a document located on a Windows device might be using an Arial font, but when it is printed via a PostScript printer, the font might be converted to Helvetica which is a printer-resident font.’
Benefits of resident fonts
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Speed
Resident fonts allow for faster access and reduced processing times since there is no need to redownload fonts.
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Reliability
If a document is printed using a different font, the page count, layout, and more of the document could be altered. Resident fonts ensure that documents maintain their intended design by ensuring consistent availability.
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Reduced data transfer
Pre-installed resident fonts decrease the amount of data that needs to be sent during these and ready-to-use solutions for a variety of applications, from printing to digital displays. Having to redownload fonts can slow down network traffic.
Conclusion
Resident fonts help improve device efficiency and reliability by ensuring readily available fonts. Because resident fonts can be accessed quickly and without the need to reinstall them, they can make processes easier and more stable.
