FONT (Font) Keyword in Printer Files

Use this record- or field-level keyword to specify the font ID for printing a named or constant field or fields within a record.

The format of the keyword is:

FONT(font-identifier [point-size])

The font-identifier is a required parameter and must be the first parameter following the keyword. Specify either a numeric font identifier or a graphic font name, or *VECTOR.

Use the optional point-size parameter to further define a numeric font that specifies a point size. Specify the point-size parameter as an expression of the form (*POINTSIZE value). The valid values for this parameter are 0.1 through 999.9.

A warning message is issued at create time if you specify the point-size parameter on the FONT keyword with a graphic font name, or *VECTOR. In that case, the point-size parameter is ignored.

If you do not specify this keyword, the font ID and point size are set by the font parameter on the CRTPRTF, CHGPRTF, or OVRPRTF command. If you specify this keyword at the record level, all fields in the record format use the same font ID and point size except those for which you specify the FONT keyword at the field level.

You may specify graphic fonts (alphanumeric characters) or hardware fonts (numeric font identifiers). For graphic fonts, use graphic symbol sets (GSS) available with an AS/400 system, GDDM, PGR, and BGU. Only vector symbols (where each character is built with a set of straight or curved lines) are supported; however, most of the vector symbol sets supplied by an AS/400 system and GDDM are supported. Image symbols are not supported. In searching for the graphic symbol set, *LIBL will be used for the qualified library name.

The name of a graphic font can consist of up to 10 alphanumeric characters.

The hardware font can consist of up to 10 digits and must be a registered font number. See the FONT parameter on the CRTPRTF command in the manual for a complete list of numeric fonts.

You may specify *VECTOR on the FONT keyword to take advantage of vector fonts on the 4234 IPDS printer. Vector fonts print expanded characters faster than they can be printed using the PRTQLTY(*DRAFT) keyword. Use the CHRSIZ keyword to specify expanded characters.

Note:
When you specify FONT(*VECTOR) with the CHRSIZ keyword, the 4234 printer uses a default code page.

Vector fonts are valid only for the following characters:

A through Z

0 through 9

Special characters (. + $ * - / % and a blank)

If the data to be printed contains any characters other than these, all characters are printed using a default font on the printer.

FONT(*VECTOR) has no effect on characters that have not been expanded. If FONT(*VECTOR) is specified on a record or field for which CHRSIZ (1 1) applies or to which no CHRSIZ keyword applies, a warning message is issued.

Note:
If you use FONT(*VECTOR) on a 4224 or 3812 printer, the printer uses a default font and code page.

The font name or number and the point size values are not checked during file creation. If the specified font-id and point size values are not valid, a diagnostic is issued while the record prints and the keyword is not used.

When FONT is specified at the field level, overlapping fields are not diagnosed.

When you use a graphics font on the CRTPRTF, CHGPRTF, or OVRPRTF command, the font ID has an implied page code associated with it. To get the desired code, you must use the proper font ID; the code page specified on the CHRID parameter is not used.

If you specify OCR-A and OCR-B fonts with the CHRID keyword, the fonts require code pages 892 and 893, respectively.

A warning message is issued at create-time if a FONT DDS keyword is specified in a file created with DEVTYPE(*IPDS) and FONT(*DEVD). For SCS printer files, the FONT keyword is ignored when the record or field is printed. For IPDS printers, the FONT keyword can be changed at the record or field level.

When printing a file that uses the FONT keyword to an IPDS AFP(*YES) printer that does not support registered fonts, a font substitution is performed.

When you specify FONT(*CPI) with either the CRTPRTF, CHGPRTF, or OVRPRTF command to a device that uses font support, the host system selects a font with the pitch of the CPI for the current printer file.

FONT(graphic-font-name) and CHRID cannot apply to the same field. The CHRID keyword is ignored if:

You cannot specify FONT at the same level as the CDEFNT and FNTCHRSET keywords.

You can specify this keyword only once for each record and once per field.

This keyword is valid for data types A, S, and F.

Option indicators are valid for this keyword.