the 1980s using Apple Macintosh computers coupled with laser printers led to a shift away from a small number of specialized print bureaux acquiring relatively expensive fonts to a growing market for cheap mass-produced fonts. The drawback of Ikarus for catering for this new market was that, while extremely accurate, it was very labour-intensive. After Adobe Systems started licensing BuildFont, its technology for converting existing digital typeface data into PostScript font format, Ikarus gradually lost its leading position. Ikarus is being further developed by URW++ and DTL, Dutch Type Library, ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. Digitizing The first stage of digitization of a typeface is to prepare the artwork by marking up. This involves putting tick marks around any curves at approximately 30 degree intervals along with extra tangent points where a curve blends onto a straight line. Some form of accurate graphics tablet is then used to input three types of points: curve points, corner points and tangent points. Any irregularities (e.g. lumps and flat spots) are then edited out by adjusting the position of the points on the computer. The human eye is extremely sensitive to spotting irregularities on smooth outlines and typical adjustments are of the order of tenths of millimetres on a character one hundred millimetres high. As the computer screen displays a rasterized image at relatively low resolution, high quality print outs (traditionally bromides) or cuts in film (Ulano) are used to proof the digitized shapes. Relationship with DTL FontMaster The DTL FontMaster core is based on Ikarus. Furthermore, URW is also the exclusive Germany distributor for Dutch Type Library, DTL FontMaster's developer. DTL FontMaster Utilities are also developed by URW with DTL's president and founder Frank Blokland. See also Metafont References External links History and example markup at Typophile Dr Karow's Digital Formats for Typefaces is a good introduction to the Ikarus representation, and the challenge of rasterisation in general. DTL FontMaster – A high-end font editing software that supports the Ikarus format 1975 software Typography software Font editors Ikarus