Symbol Fonts

[seligman]

I would like to hear from anybody with experience using symbol fonts. Specifically, I'm interested in the various circle fonts that display 2 or 3-digit numbers in them. I have one of these fonts called Circle Frame MT. In order to show a multi-digit number, you have to use letters not numbers.

Here's my question. There are many similar fonts available - do they all use the same letters to correspond with the same digits like below?

I'm just wondering if, for example, the letters fp will always display 55, or if this will change depending on the font.

Thanks for your help.

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/3816/circlefontscl1.jpg

[urstwile]

It will probably change based on the font.

[seligman]

While I'm thinking about it, is there any way to display multi-digit numbers in a circle font without converting the digits to their letter equivalents?

[seligman]

It will probably change based on the font.

That's what I was afraid of.

Thanks.

[urstwile]

While I'm thinking about it, is there any way to display multi-digit numbers in a circle font without converting the digits to their letter equivalents?
What kind of software are you using the font in? What I often do is use an anchored graphic, and then kern the numbers back into the graphic.

[seligman]

What kind of software are you using the font in? What I often do is use an anchored graphic, and then kern the numbers back into the graphic.

Pagemaker/InDesign.

I wouldn't be asking these questions if it wasn't for the plug-in. Either way, whether it's converting the numbers to letter equivalents, or using anchored graphics, it still requires some customization of the plug-in. I would be thrilled to find a way around this.

[urstwile]

Not sure which plug-in you're talking about.

[seligman]

Not sure which plug-in you're talking about.

Oh, my bad. I'm talking about the XRef cross reference plugin. It will automatically update the page numbers that refer to other things within your publication.

For example, if you refer to Table 1-1 on page 15, it will automatically change that to read page 17 if you move Table 1-1 to page 17.

[urstwile]

Ah, okay, thus making it important that your circled numbers read as numbers, now I get it.

The only alternative I see you having is to do them with the anchored graphic and typed numbers then.

One other possible alternative is to create your own font layout, but you'd need to purchase some type of font software (like Fontographer) to do that, and I don't know if it's worth it to you to do that.