Date   : Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:54:26 +0100
From   : "neil f" <faz@...>
Subject: Re: Fwd: RE: Re: New 8bs.com design!

 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Majordomo List Manager [mailto:majordomo@...] 
> On Behalf Of Jules Richardson
> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 4:01 PM
> To: bbc-micro@...
> Subject: Re: Fwd: RE: Re: [BBC-Micro] New 8bs.com design!
> 
> Steve Fewell wrote:
> > Forwarded to the list.
> >> The keytop typeface looks like an old IBM golfball 
> typewriter face, 
> >> blown up. That would be about the right period too. It's
quite a 
> >> fine, uncondensed sans with round ended bars, which 
> shouldn't be too 
> >> hard to match with all the faces out there.
> >> (Maybe there's a typeface called 'Golfball'.)
> 
> Shouldn't be too hard to source a sample for scanning and 
> inclusion in images if that's the case - finding a plain-text 
> font may be harder.
> 
> We've got various golfball and daisywheel printers at 
> Bletchley in case that's relevant - no idea which ones work 
> and which don't, though :-)
> 
> Alan Boothroyd's still about I believe and may have been the 
> one who chose the typeface as well as designing the case. 
> Contacting him may be an option.
> 
> Check the service manuals too - the mechanical (i.e. case) 
> diagrams *may* mention the typeface used on the keytops.
> 
> Hmm, one of the typeface groups had an online service where 
> you could enter an image sample of some text and it'd try to 
> come up with possible font names - will post the URL if I can
find it.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Jules

There were various golfball faces you could buy - ISTR most
secretaries had half a dozen golfballs in a desk draw to cover
every eventuality. The BBC manual uses a pseudo golfball face
for listings, but it looks a little too bold and condensed for
the keytops. On the other hand it's quite a good match for the
keytop words like SHIFT LOCK, TAB, CTRL, etc, which use a more
condensed form (although RETURN switches back to the expanded
form for the wider keytop).

Another typeface that the keytops remind me of is the old
Rotring stencil format. 

-Neil F.

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