How do I manually download the Mathematica fonts to a PostScript printer?

You can use the Apple LaserWriter Utility or Apple Printer Utility to manually download the fonts in the MathFonts suitcase to your printer. At least one of these is included with the standard distribution of Apple's System Software.

A copy of the Apple Printer Utility is available from Apple's website at the following URL.

http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/Printing/LaserWriter/

While it is possible for the Apple LaserWriter Utility or Apple Printer Utility to download TrueType fonts to a PostScript printer, it is not advisable to do so for any printer that does not have a hard disk. TrueType fonts have to be converted to Type 42 fonts to work on PostScript printers, but Type 42 fonts consume much more memory than the originals. Loading TrueType fonts into printer RAM would use most, if not all, of it up. The Mathematica fonts will not fit as Type 42 fonts within the RAM of most printers.

Mathematica includes stand-alone Type 1 versions of the fonts in the following respective directories.

Mathematica 3.0 files:SystemFiles:Fonts:Type1
Mathematica 4.0 files:SystemFiles:Fonts:Type1
Mathematica 4.1 files:SystemFiles:Fonts:Type1
Mathematica 4.2 files:SystemFiles:Fonts:Type1

If you have problems downloading the fonts, they can also be obtained from the following URL.

http://support.wolfram.com/mathematica/systems/macintosh/general/latestfonts.html

These extra Type 1 fonts are not meant to be installed in the System Folder. Fully installable Type 1 versions of these fonts will be available as part of the Mathematica Font Kit, which is still in development.

Once you have downloaded the fonts to a PostScript printer, the fonts will work for any print job, regardless of the type of computer sending it.

If you are having a problem with the fonts not being rendered in graphics (and you do not have the memory in your PostScript printer to download fonts), the following page addresses how to solve this problem without downloading the fonts to the printer.

http://support.wolfram.com/mathematica/interface/print/psproblems.html

If you are not using any special typesetting features, you might want to see the page on generating graphics that do not require the fonts.

http://support.wolfram.com/mathematica/graphics/textfonts/nomathfonts.html

Questions or comments? Send email to support@wolfram.com.