Megafont XXL 2.0

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10kLakes
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:40 am

Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by 10kLakes »

I bought this software some time ago and am trying to run it on Windows 10.

Running as a Standard user I got two windows:
1) Font Manager - Registry could not be opened for software\Microsoft\windows nt\current version\type 1\installer\type 1 fonts
2) Font Manager - List index out of bounds
The loading hung and I had to go to Task Manager to kill the program.

Running as an Administrative user I got:
the 1st window but not the 2nd and then Font Manager came up.

What's happening here?

Is there a User Manual for Font Manager? None came with the software and some things about how to use the program are not obvious to me.
Jim-J
Posts: 277
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:29 am

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by Jim-J »

Hello,

unfortunately, the fontmanager from Megafont XXL 2.0 doesn't run with Windows 10. But you can unzip the fonts and install them manually to Windows 10. They are all in the STANDARD.TTF folder on the CD-ROM.

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-add-r ... indows-10/

Incidentally, the current font collection (MegaFont NEXT) is compatible with Windows 10.
Jim J.
SoftMaker Software GmbH
10kLakes
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:40 am

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by 10kLakes »

The answer of "does not run in Windows 10" is not entirely correct.

Using CD1 I am able to install and use fonts from that CD (although the system has to be restarted after the install to make them available). CD1 has a PDF file which shows what the fonts look like, so it makes it easier for me to pick the ones I want.

My problem is CD2. There seems to be no way that I've seen for Font Manager to get at the fonts in that CD. If I swap in CD2 while Font Manager is running, I get a window saying that the wrong CD is in the drive. Is this what you mean by saying it doesn't run in Windows 10?

Is there a User Guide for Megafont XXL 2.0? Much of what's in there is not self evident (at least for me). Apparently CD2 contains variants of what is on CD1, but is there any documentation anywhere that describes what the variants are?

Installed fonts from CD1 go into subfolders in the windows/font folder (so says Font Manager). When I go to display the font folder, it seems that windows shows a font-customized display - and it shows no subfolders. Is there a way to display the font folder in the usual view?

Regarding Megafont NEXT:

Does it include the same fonts as in Megafont XXL (and use the same names)?

Is the font manager in NEXT similar to that in XXL (or similar to that in 3000Fonts), or is it something else instead?

Is there a user manual for NEXT?
martin-k
SoftMaker Team
SoftMaker Team
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Location: Nürnberg, Germany
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Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by martin-k »

1. If the CD switching is the only issue that you cannot solve, you can copy the content of both CD-ROMs to a folder on your hard disk and run the font manager from there. Please note that some folders exist on both CD-ROMs, so you need to merge the content (and let it overwrite any duplicates) on the hard disk.

2. CD 2 indeed contains the variants, specifically the special effects "Antique", "Gradient", "Gradient with outline" and "Random". If you don't need these, you can ignore CD 2.

3. Windows handles the Windows\Fonts folder in a special way, and there is no circumvention that I know of.

4. MegaFont NEXT has a different font selection. You will find many of the same again, in better quality, but there is no 1:1 match. The font manager of MegaFont NEXT is an updated version of the one you already know, and it covers all Windows versions from XP to 10. There is no user manual for MegaFont NEXT, but there is a font catalog at http://www.softmaker.net/down/megafontnextbook.pdf
Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH
Alfred
Posts: 128
Joined: Sat Jun 14, 2014 3:40 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by Alfred »

martin-k wrote:There is no user manual for MegaFont NEXT, but there is a font catalog at http://www.softmaker.net/down/megafontnextbook.pdf
Is that new? I purchased a copy of MegaFont NEXT before the end of last year, but I only got an email about the PDF catalogue three weeks ago.
La perfection est atteinte non quand il ne reste rien à ajouter, mais quand il ne reste rien à enlever.
(Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.)
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944)
martin-k
SoftMaker Team
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Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by martin-k »

The catalog was not ready when MegaFont NEXT was released. We published it in early January for downloading.
Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH
Alfred
Posts: 128
Joined: Sat Jun 14, 2014 3:40 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by Alfred »

Thanks, Martin. That would explain it! It's a very useful guide, and I'm very pleased to have it. :)
La perfection est atteinte non quand il ne reste rien à ajouter, mais quand il ne reste rien à enlever.
(Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.)
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944)
Woody44
Posts: 578
Joined: Wed May 22, 2019 11:56 pm

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by Woody44 »

I just discovered this discussion in following up on a current (as of November 2023) discussion about equivalent fonts between Megafont XXL and Megafont NOW. Why is there no font catalog such as this for Megafont NOW?
miguel-c
SoftMaker Team
SoftMaker Team
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Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by miguel-c »

I have forwarded your font catalog request...
lgsl
Posts: 161
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:00 pm

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by lgsl »

I took the time to make a list of equivalents between MeganFont XXL and MegaFont Now 2019. It is incomplete and it may be not 100% accurate, but if it helps... here we go:

XXL => Now
A760 Roman => Alba
B690 Script => Berliner Schreibschrift
B591 Deco => Beale Charming
B733 Deco => Bistro
B790 Slab => Bologna
B820 Roman => Bridge
B821 and B822 Deco => Broadway 2
Ballon XBOLD, CAPS, Poster => Ballon Pro
C651 Roman => Camelot
C652 Deco => Campanile
C654 Deco => Carcassonne
C790 Deco => Cristofo
C795 Roman => Corsa
C820 Roman => Cortina
D730 Deco => Disco
D730 Roman => Diogenes
D730 Script => Dioscur
D790 Roman => Dominica
D790 Script => Dora
E710 Roman => Eguizo Original
E720 Roman => Erfut
E820 Deco => Eller Initials
E920 Sans => Enis Pro
E821 Sans => Eller Condensed
E831 Deco => Energy
F650 Deco => Falkeusee
F761 Deco => Florentine
F820 Deco => Frenesy
H652 Script => Helena
I770 Roman => Illinois
I770 Sans => Imola
I770 Script => Impasto
I771 Roman => Indiana
L690 Script => Legend Script
L730 Sans => Light Sans
L890 Roman => Lyceum
M650 Deco => Metallic
M690 Roman => Metaphor 1 / 2
M691 Deco => Mesing
M730 Deco => Mister Big
N691 Deco => New Form
P700 Deco => Pergamon
P700 Sans => Perpignan
P732 Deco => Pinocchio
Q650 Roman => Quirinalis
R650 Deco => Payon
R690 Deco => Reflex
R690 Roman => Remes
R690 Script => Regency
R791 Deco => Rosa
R791 Script => Round Script
S650 Roman => Salinger
S760 Deco => Slager
T720 Deco => Thurgood

I think the new names are rather silly, and as I said, this list is pobrably incomplete, but... I hope it helps.
Woody44
Posts: 578
Joined: Wed May 22, 2019 11:56 pm

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by Woody44 »

Thank you for doing all that work!
pedrober
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:16 pm

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by pedrober »

I would like to know the current name of the old D690 Softmaker font. Any idea?
Woody44
Posts: 578
Joined: Wed May 22, 2019 11:56 pm

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by Woody44 »

pedrober wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 11:11 am I would like to know the current name of the old D690 Softmaker font. Any idea?
Can you post a sample in that font?
pedrober
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:16 pm

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by pedrober »

See the attached image.
Attachments
Screenshot 2024-05-02 at 12.06.25.png
lgsl
Posts: 161
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:00 pm

Re: Megafont XXL 2.0

Post by lgsl »

pedrober wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 11:11 am I would like to know the current name of the old D690 Softmaker font. Any idea?
D690 is not included in a moderm form in Megafont 2019, as far as I can tell.

You can take a look by yourself. Keep an eye for the following letters (it will help you to identify it, in case you want to give it a go): a e u r p Q. In the case of D690 "a" is quite distinctive while e, u, r and p would allow you to round the search due their properties. Q is always an excellent starting point for identifying any font because of it tends to be "unique" to any font.

Note that Derringer Serial shares some similarities with D690 but it's not it.
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