Glossary


Action Safe Area

The Action Safe area is the area within the video frame where action will be visible on a standard display.

Add Anchor Point Tool

The Add Anchor Points Tool allow you to add anchor points to objects that have been converted to paths. Added anchor points give you more control over the path shape.

All Caps

The All Caps selection will convert your mixed case text object to all uppercase characters. This can be useful for changing the appearance of your text object without the need to retype. It can also be used if you change your text object's font to a character set that does not include lowercase characters.

Animated GIF

Common web animation format .

Arc Begin Handle/Arc End Handle

The handles that appear at either end of the shape lines when you use the Shaper tool on a circular object. You drag either handle to change the size of the arc that is to be filled with the circular object.

Attribute

An object's attributes including its style, shape, and font.

Baseline

An invisible line on which characters of type sit.

Bevel Effect

An effect that can be applied to TypeStyler objects that gives a raised look with some thickness behind it.

Bevel Join

A flattened line join. You specify bevel joins in the Style Options dialog.

Bezier Curve

A type of cubic spline curve that is easily and smoothly joined with other curves and straight lines.

Bitmap Font

The representation of a PostScript font which you see on screen, also known as screen font. Bitmap fonts tend to have a jagged appearance.

Blur

The blur effect is used to soften all or part of an image.

Break Apart Text

Turns type into editable paths that can be edited using TypeStyler's path editing tools. Each character becomes a separate TypeStyler object that can be independently styled. Once a text object has been broken apart it is no longer text that can be edited but multiple objects with editable paths.

Bump Maps

An effect in the Style Workshop that allow you to apply bumps or texture to your object.

Cast Shadow

An effect available in the Style Workshop for applying realistic cast shadows for TypeStyler objects.

Center Point Handle

The small dot in the center of the arc line that appears when you use the Shaper tool on a circular object. You drag the Center Point Handle to move the circular object.

Chisel Effect

A bevel effect available in the Style Workshop that gives a raised or carved effect to TypeStyler objects.

Clipping Path

A Path that is created when exporting a TypeStyler document as either EPS or TIFF that will silhouette an image for inclusion in page layout programs such as Pages, InDesign or Quark XPress.

Close Box

A small box on the upper left of the Main window. You click it to close the currently opened document.

CMYK

An acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, the four colors that printers use to create full-color documents and images.

Combine Objects

Appends all the selected paths into one without regard to if they overlap.

Control Points

Small x's that appear at the ends of curved Shaper lines when using the Shaper tool. Dragging these control points shapes the character.

Create Outlines

Turns type into editable paths that can be edited using TypeStyler's path editing tools. Once a text object has been converted to outlines it is no longer text that can be edited but a single object with editable paths.

Current Shape

When you open the Style Workshop or Attributes dialog, the shape of the currently selected object is displayed in the Shape Library.

Current Style

When you open the Style Workshop or Attributes dialog, the style of the currently selected object is displayed in the Style Library.

Custom Color

A custom color in TypeStyler is a named color which can function as either a process color or as a spot color, used when spot color separations are used in your TypeStyler object.

Custom Color Editor

The Custom Color Editor is accessed through the Option menu. Custom colors are created using one of the installed color pickers.

Direct Section Tool

The Direct Selection tool selects points or path segments within path objects.

Direction Dial

A control that you use to specify the angle of a fade effect when using Dual Blend or Graduated Fills.

Dithering

A technique that exploits the human eye's ability to blend two different colors together, creating the illusion of a third color.

Dragging

You drag a type or panel object by placing the cursor on the object, holding down the mouse button, moving the object, and then releasing the mouse button.

Drawing Order

TypeStyler can draw characters in a text object from right to left or left to right. Overlapping objects or shadows will overlap in the selected direction. You use the Type Options dialog to specify the Drawing Order.

Dual Blend Fill

A graduated fill effect that fades from the background color to the foreground color and back, or vice versa.

Duplicate

To make a copy of selected text or panel objects by selecting the object and then choosing Duplicate (command-D) from the Edit menu. Also duplicate by option drag.

em

A typographical term referring to the width of the character " M," which is usually the widest character in a font. It is a relative measurement; i.e., an em is 10 points wide when the face is set at 10 points, 12 points in 12-point type, etc. Letter spacing, line spacing, and pair kerning are measured in ems.

Emboss Effect

Creates a raised effect around the object.

EPS

An abbreviation for Encapsulated PostScript Format. You can import and export EPS files to and from TypeStyler.

Fill Pattern

A pattern that fills the space between an object's boundaries (or a shadow's, outline's, or inline's boundaries). You choose patterns from the pattern palette in the Style Workshop.

Fit in Window

An option in the View menu which lets you view an entire document in the Main window, irrespective of the document's actual size.

Flip Contour

A cast shadow control which reverses the shape of the shadow - most useful for distorted, shaped objects.

Font

A particular point size and design of a typeface, such as 12 point bold in the Times typeface.

Fusion

Letter Fusion turns the individual letters within an object into a single "fused" object, so that styling effects are applied across the entire object as a whole, instead of each individual letter.

GIF

Graphic Interchange Format, used to save screen-oriented, low file size graphics.

Gloss

Gives the appearance of surface shine, luster, or smooth finish.

Grabber Tool

A tool used to move the document around so that you can view different parts of it. Also called the "Hand" tool.

Graduated Fill

A fill effect that fades smoothly from the foreground color to the background color, using the selected fill pattern.

Group

To combine two or more objects so that they act as one object. You group objects by first selecting them and then choosing Group from the Arrange menu.

Growing a Panel

The process by which you create a panel. You grow a panel by clicking the Panel tool, then dragging the mouse to define the area to be occupied by the panel.

Growing a Text Box

The process by which you create a text object. You grow a text box by clicking the Text tool, then dragging the mouse to define the area to be occupied by the text object.

Guides

Non-printing horizontal and vertical lines used in page layout to position elements.

Handle

A small blue square that appears on the boundary of a selected object. Dragging a handle resizes the object.

Hand Tool

A tool used to move the document around so that you can view different parts of it. Also called the "Grabber" tool.

Height Control

The inner shaping arc that appears when you use the Shaper tool on a circular text object. You drag the Height Control to set the height of the circular text.

Hide

You can hide a selected object so that it will not be visible. This can be handy when working with a complex document. You hide an object by first selecting it and then choosing Hide (command-8) from the Arrange menu.

Image Fill

Letter Fusion turns the individual letters within an object into a single "fused" object, so that styling effects are applied across the entire object as a whole, instead of each individual letter.

Inline

The inner line drawn around a character. Inlines can have a specified line thickness and can contain fill colors, patterns fills, image fills, softness and blur. Inlines are created in the Style Workshop.

JavaScript

A format for small applications often used for animations created using the Java programming language.

JavaScript Rollover

Objects that change appearance when mouse is rolled over them or when clicked on a web page.

JPEG

A "lossless" file format suitable for displaying photographs or gradients. Supports millions of colors and can be animated using Java.

Justification

The alignment of text is called justification. Text can be center justified, left justified, or right justified. You specify text justification in the Typesetting dialog.

Kerning

Adjusting the space between pairs of letters, to accommodate their varying shapes and still produce the appearance of consistent letter spacing.

Keyboard Command

A shortcut that uses the Command key simultaneously with another key to perform an action. The shortcut works just as if you were selecting the command from a menu.

Letter Fusion

Letter Fusion turns the individual letters within an object into a single "fused" object, so that styling effects are applied across the entire object as a whole, instead of each individual letter.

Letter Spacing

The space between text characters (applied to all characters, independent of kerning). You adjust letter spacing in the Typesetting dialog.

Line Join

A PostScript feature that defines how the outer edges of character outlines and inlines meet at an angle (which can be affected by changing line widths). You set line join options in the Style Options dialog.

Line Scaling

Lines can stay the same thickness regardless of object size or shape, or they can increase proportionally with the size of characters. You set line scaling in the Style Options dialog.

Line Spacing

The space between lines of text. You adjust line spacing in the Typesetting dialog.

Linear Taper

A graduated fill option where the fill is drawn with bands of equal width. The taper is visible only when you print with a PostScript printer.

Line Tool

Tool in the palette for creating "rules" or line segments. Thickness and styling can be set in the Style Workshop.

Lock

Locking an object prevents it from being moved or altered. You lock an object by first selecting it and then choosing Lock (-6) from the Arrange menu.

Magnify Tool

A tool used to magnify a section of a document.

Miter Join

A line join that meets at a point and looks like the corner of a picture frame. You specify miter joins in the Style Options dialog.

Miter Limit

The maximum angle at which mitered line joins stop extending and become automatically beveled. You set the miter limit in the Style Options dialog.

Multi-Frame Objects

Web menu objects, each is a stack of TypeStyler objects that will animate when viewed in a web browser.

Noise

A random scattering of graininess or a random overall speckled effect.

Normal Caps

Standard combination of capital letters and small characters of text.

Object

In TypeStyler, all text and panels that you create in the main window are objects.

Opacity

The opposite of transparency, the amount you can see through an object 100% opaque is 0% transparent.

Opacity Mask

A process for determining how transparent an object is. TypeStyler offers a palette of several preset opacity masks that fade from opaque to transparent in various ways.

Outline

The outer line drawn around a character. Outlines can have a specified line thickness and can contain fill colors patterns fills, image fills, softness and blur. Outlines are created in the Style Workshop.

Outline Font

A font defined by the lines and curves that make up the outline of the characters. Outline fonts remain smooth, no matter how they are resized or distorted.

Panel Tool

A tool used to create a panel., a geometric shape such as a rectangle, polygon or star shape

Panel

A TypeStyler shape object whose style and shape you customize in the Panel Attributes dialog. Useful for graphic elements and backdrops for text.

Pattern Palette

A selection of patterns available in the Style Workshop in the fill popup palette. By using the pattern palette, you can specify a fill pattern to be used with an object, shadow, inline, or outline.

Pen Tool

Actually a collection of Path creating and editing tools for editing vector images.

Pica

A typographical unit of measurement equal to 12 points, or approximately 0.166 inch. There are 6 picas to an inch.

PICT

A file format for object-oriented Macintosh graphic images. You can import and export PICT files to and from TypeStyler.

Pointer Tool

A tool used to select individual or multiple objects.

Point

A typographical unit of measurement equal to approximately 1/72 inch.

PostScript

A page description language developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated which describes how graphics and text are to be printed.

Printer Font

Part of a Macintosh PostScript font that the printer uses to image that font onto paper. Contains PostScript character outline information.

Quick View

Objects displayed as outlines only. (Most useful for Path editing.)

Resize

To change the size of a selected object by dragging one or more of its handles or use the resize tool.

Round Join

A line join where the edges of the character are rounded. You specify round joins in the Style Options dialog.

Rotation Tool

A tool used to rotate selected objects.

Ruler

A graphic representation of a ruler which you can use to position text or panels. You can change the ruler units to Inches, Centimeters, or Picas/Points by selecting Rulers... from the Options menu.

Scissor Tool

A tool used to cut a closed vector path.

Screen Font

A bitmap screen representation of a PostScript font.

Scroll

To move a document in the Main window so that a different section is visible, or to activate the display windows of the Shape Library or the Style Library to view their selections.

Scroll Bars

Rectangular bars at the bottom and right edge of the Main window. Clicking or dragging the scroll bars causes your view of the document to change.

Shader Effect

An simulated 3D effect that can be applied to TypeStyler objects.

Shadow Scaling

Shadows can stay the same thickness regardless of object size or shape, or they can increase proportionally with the size of characters. You set shadow scaling in the Style Options dialog.

Shape Height Character

The control that determines how the text will be shaped (default is the top capital T). Shaped text with lower case letters may shape more accurately if this is set to a lower case letter such as an "a".

Shape Library

A TypeStyler library in the Attributes dialog that includes different shapes that can be applied to basic geometric forms, to accent or distort the basic forms' configuration.

Shaper Lines

Lines that appear when you select an object and use the Shaper tool. The Shaper lines define the area and the manner in which a selected object can be shaped. You use commands in the Shape menu to define how the Shaper lines work.

Shaper Tool

The tool in the tool palette used to shape and distort a selected object.

Size Box

A box on the bottom-right of the Main window. Dragging the size box resizes the window.

Slicing

When exporting as a web page the page is divided into its components (or sliced) so that each image or group is contained in a separate file and the slices are assembled on the web page. TypeStyler does this automatically.

SmoothFont

A proprietary format used by earlier versions of TypeStyler to describe PostScript fonts. SmoothFonts are no longer supported as TypeStyler now works seamlessly with all PostScript Type 1 and TrueType fonts.

Spikes

When type characters are resized, restyled, or distorted, their line join angles can become distorted, causing thin, spike-like extrusions to extend beyond the character. To eliminate spikes, you set line join options in the Style Options dialog.

Spot Color

Special premixed colors used instead of or in addition to CMYK inks. They require their own separation and their own plates in the printing process

Stacking Order

The order in which text and panel objects overlap in the document. You use commands in the Arrange menu, such as Bring to Front or Send to Back, to change the stacking order.

Standard Fill

A fill effect which uses a pattern that you select from the image/pattern palette. The object, shadow, inline, or outline can be filled with the selected pattern or image.

Starburst Fill

A fill effect made up of concentric circles graduating between the foreground color and the background color.

Style

Plain text and panels are decorated with styles that can include shadows, colors, fill softness, noise, bevel, gloss, etc., inlines, and outlines. You customize an object's style in the Style Workshop.

Style Library

A TypeStyler library that includes a variety of styles that can be applied to objects. The Style Library itself can be modified, as can each individual style.

Style Librarian

A dialog in which you modify existing styles or add new ones to appear in the Style Library.

Style Options Dialog

A dialog where you modify line scaling, shadow scaling, miter limits, and line joins. This dialog is accessible from the Style Workshop dialog.

Style Workshop

A dialog where you customize styles by adding or modifying elements such as shadows, colors, fill patterns, inlines, and outlines, transparency, gloss, etc.

Text Along a Path

Created with the Rectangular Shaping option, the text either rides along the bottom shape or is "hung" from the top shape line.


Text Tool

A tool used to create text objects, the "A" in the tool palette.

Text Entry Area

The area in the Text window dialog where you enter and edit text for a text object.

Texture

Image palette used for bump maps. Bump maps take a texture and takes the light and dark variations in the texture and interpret them as if they were high and low spots (or 'bumps ") on a surface. The highlights or lowlights can be adjusted using the lighting trackball. The lighting directions and the colors of the highlights and lowlights can be adjusted for many variations.

Three-D Block

A fill effect that results in a solidly-filled, three dimensional shadow.

Title Bar

The horizontal bar at the top of the main window that shows you the name of the currently opened document. You can move the window by dragging the title bar.

Title Safe Area

The area of a video screen that you can reliably set titles without TV over-scanning and slipping the title partially off screen

Tool Palette

The palette on the left side of TypeStyler's Main window from which you can select among tools.

Typesetting Window

A floating window where you can adjust letter spacing, word spacing, line spacing, drawing order, justification, and editing as well as access Fill Series and Wacky Editor.

Typeface

A complete set of characters, punctuation, and symbols that share a common design.

TypeStyler Online

A dialog that offers direct access to the TypeStyler website. You can access this with the "TS3" button at the top of the Tool Palette or from the File Menu.

Ungroup

When you have used the Group command to bind objects together as one, you must choose Ungroup from the Arrange menu to restore the objects' individuality.

Unlock

When you have used the Lock command to protect an object against manipulation, you must choose Unlock All from the Arrange menu before you can again select and manipulate that object. The command works on all locked objects at once.

Unite Paths

Creates a union of the selected paths.

URL

Stands for "Universal Resource Locator". it is the address of a file or site on the Internet...like this... "http://www.typestyler.com"

Wacky Fill

Another name for Image Series Fill; each letter can be filled with a different color or image.

Web Safe Colors

A color palette consisting of the 216 colors that produce consistent results on both Macs and PC's and with different browsers.

Word Spacing

The space between individual words. You adjust word spacing in the Type Options dialog.

Zoom Effect

A fill effect that lets you create a three-dimensional shadow like Three-D Block, only with perspective. You can scale the ending size of the shadow and control the number of copies in between the main object and the ending shadow (density) as well as its transparency.

Zoom Box

A box in the upper right corner of the main window, used when you have resized the window smaller than the screen. Clicking it once expands the window to fill the screen, clicking it a second time returns the window to its reduced size.