X-Fonter by BlackSun Software	Write me for the	X-Fonter allows you to take a look at, or find, the fonts that are installed on your Windows computer. PLUS, it has an added bonus! Read on and find out what it is!
	last freeware version

X-Fonter by BlackSun Software Fonts. Plain and fancy lettering! There's nothing like having a nice set of fonts installed on your computer if you intend on doing a project that requires detailed text such as a presentations, web pages, newsletters, greeting cards plus a whole slew of other applications. Windows comes with a nice set of fonts and, depending on which program you install, there are many applications which install fonts of their own. You can also download many free fonts and install them as you would a freeware program! Here you are with all of these fonts on your computer. Now what do you do! Do you want to take a peek at one? You're not sure what that one looks like are you? X-Fonter comes to the rescue as this great font utility lets you take a peek at the fonts design, PLUS it lets you see exactly what your text will look like before you use it. Hey, wait a minute. That's not all!!! There's even a little bit more............... Downloading........ Size zipped: 906k Size Installed: 1 meg in it's own directory plus system files. Downloading is in the form of an .exe file and you are given two locations to grab it from, one from Belgium and the other from the U.S., which I found didn't work at the time I tried it. The Belgium site was working fine and the connection was immediate with the download finishing almost instantly with a DSL connection. With a 56k modem, it will be longer but the connection should still be fine. Web Site.......... The web site for BlackSun Software has a nice layout and is not too flashy, making it easy on the eyes. There is a list of available software on the main page of which X-Fonter is one of them (the first one at that!). The X-Fonter area gives it's highlights, history, screenshots, features, reviews, and a list of other information. A nice site to highlight some great freeware. Installation.......... The install is a simple double click on the downloaded file and you're on your way. The install is quick, icons are made and you have the option of reading the "readme" file, which I suggest you do. It doesn't need rebooting, but if you can, I would! Help Files.......... Well, there isn't much to put here! You have access to the readme file which you should have already read, plus a direct connection to their web site. That's about it. If you consider that the interface is actually straight forward and nothing is really hidden from you, it shouldn't take too much time to get used to the features of this great program. I find that I usually end up playing with my programs anyway before I actually read any help files!! :) Interface........... The interface is nice! You can customize the colors used in the mini windows and save them as one of three choices, or you are given a nice list of pre-determined color schemes. There is a three tabbed window on the left which lists the fonts currently showing in the area that you are at with an option to let you actually see what the fonts look like in the list!! Below the list is an icon which will let you uninstall the font or, if you're looking for a font on your hard drive via the "browse" tab at the top, it will highlight, allowing you to install the font you've chosen if it hasn't been installed yet. The third tab on the left is a "search" function which will find any fonts on your hard drive and list them for you complete with the directory where they are found. A GREAT FEATURE!! Here's a pic: On the right is a title bar listing the current font, below that are your tools for working with the fonts, and below that is a four tabbed window which shows your text, the character map contained in the font, the font information (which can be quite detailed!!), and another tab to let you work with your font! Here's a pic of the information window open: What!!! Work with your font you say??? Oh yes, there's more to this program than a simple font viewer!! Here's the features! Features........... This program will allow you to view TrueType, OpenType, Postscript Type 1, Raster and Vector Fonts in any color you want, in any size you want, in just about any way you want!! You don't have to install the font to see what it's like either. The size is configurable via the slide bar or the arrows with the size showing in the window. A quick click on the little boxes allows you to change the color of the background or the font itself. You can make it bold, italicized, underlined, or struck through. Plus, it can be centered, left or right justified. That's quite a choice for configuration! The search function is very good, and will check you're entire hard drive(s) for fonts and let you install them if they are found. It's also very fast as it searched my 15 gig HD in less than three seconds! One of the greatest additions to this program, and one which I would not have expected to see on a font lister and viewer, is the tab for the "3d text" mode, which lets you play with your fonts a little bit. Here's a pic of that setup: Here, you have the ability to view your fonts in a three dimensional prospective, complete with the tools needed to make any adjustments to color, size, position, shadow, etc. You can crop your 3D text to get rid of the excess borders and, if you like what you see, you can save it to a pic file (.jpg only!) for future use. I've used a few for my web site in the past! Here's a few of samples: Problems......... The only "problem" that I have seen or read is mentioned in the "readme" file and that if if you uninstall a font, it will still be listed by the program, due to the fact that it is still in memory and windows can still use it. Once the computer is rebooted, it's gone. This is actually quite normal for any program, including document applications. Closing......... If you're involved with a newsletter or have a need to take a look at what your fonts look like, or perhaps you might have a need for making some small "button" type of graphics, I strongly suggest that you download X-Fonter and take a look. You'll be getting a grand scale font utility for a small amount of real estate on your hard drive, and for a great price!! FREE!! Enjoy Buzzy J

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