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Calamus is a
Rather than using kerning pairs or relying on simple side-bearing measurements, Calamus’ native fonts encode left and right bounds for each character at eight different latitudes. Unlike the kerning information in other formats, the resulting jigsaw-pieces can be used to fit characters together, even if those characters are from different fonts or if they are set at different sizes.
In contrast, the kerning implementation in
Official Calamus website
Official iCalamus website
{{Authority control Atari ST software Desktop publishing software
desktop publishing
Desktop publishing (DTP) is the creation of documents using dedicated software on a personal ("desktop") computer. It was first used almost exclusively for print publications, but now it also assists in the creation of various forms of online co ...
application, originally built for the Atari ST
Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...
computer. The first version was released on July 1, 1987, by the former German software company DMC GmbH.
Calamus is a software RIP application which generates high-quality output in any resolution. It was one of the first DTP applications supporting an own vector font format, notable for its support for automatic kerning
In typography, kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between Character (symbol), characters in a Typeface#Proportion, proportional font, usually to achieve a visually pleasing result. Kerning adjusts the space between individual le ...
even where adjacent characters are set in different fonts or at different sizes. Its high modularity offers features for almost every purpose in desktop publishing. Calamus also was one of the first DTP apps to support real virtual objects and frames, nondestructive vector masks, and editable PS/PDF
Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...
import. Its (adjustable) measurement base of 1/10,000mm allows accurate positioning of elements.
Calamus was ported to Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
by MGI Software and was released as Calamus 95. In 1997, distribution rights for the program were taken over by the German company invers Software, which sold the program and developed new versions for the next two decades. In March 2018, invers Software was closed, and sales and development of Calamus were discontinued, although the official website is still functioning as of 2022.
The current and last version of Calamus is Calamus SL 2015, also available as SLC 2015 (complete edition with all additional modules) and LE 2015 (lite edition with restricted number of modules).
Raster Image Processor
Calamus is a RIP itself and handles various, adjustableraster
file:Rgb-raster-image.svg, upright=1, The Smiley, smiley face in the top left corner is a raster image. When enlarged, individual pixels appear as squares. Enlarging further, each pixel can be analyzed, with their colors constructed through comb ...
dot sizes at the same time. It handles rasterization information per document, page or even per frame. It also uses a unique, notable method of ''cutting raster dots'', which means that a screen raster can be cropped or clipped at certain borders, given by the document layout elements. Thus, it does not require any external RIP for interpretation, rendering and screening of documents. Using a special module, Calamus supports dot rasterization (using the term ''Star Screening'') which is a frequency modulated method of halftoning
Halftone is the reprographic technique that simulates continuous-tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size or in spacing, thus generating a gradient-like effect.Campbell, Alastair. ''The Designer's Lexicon''. ©2000 Chronicl ...
( Stochastic screening).
Calamus Intelligent Kerning
Rather than using kerning pairs or relying on simple side-bearing measurements, Calamus’ native fonts encode left and right bounds for each character at eight different latitudes. Unlike the kerning information in other formats, the resulting jigsaw-pieces can be used to fit characters together, even if those characters are from different fonts or if they are set at different sizes.
In contrast, the kerning implementation in OpenType
OpenType is a format for scalable computer fonts. Derived from TrueType, it retains TrueType's basic structure but adds many intricate data structures for describing typographic behavior. OpenType is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corpora ...
and TrueType
TrueType is an Computer font#Outline fonts, outline font standardization, standard developed by Apple Inc., Apple in the late 1980s as a competitor to Adobe Inc., Adobe's PostScript fonts#Type 1, Type 1 fonts used in PostScript. It has become the ...
only works when adjacent characters are part of the same font, which can result in character collisions or poor kerning in some instances. The alternative is to use optical kerning, where the shapes of the characters are analysed to determine the appropriate distances; Calamus’ approach might be regarded as a simplification of that, working with a low-resolution version of the final character.
See also
* iCalamus * Atari ST character setReferences
External links
Official Calamus website
Official iCalamus website
{{Authority control Atari ST software Desktop publishing software