A computer file—either in PostScript format or other page description language format—containing mathematical descriptions or image outlines of a particular typeface. Printer fonts can be downloaded to the printer (or other output device) and called up when a document utilizing a particular font is sent to the printer. Most fonts available for computers contain printer fonts, which, being vector-based, rather than bitmapped, ensure that the output is at as high a resolution as the output device is capable of. Such fonts also contain screen fonts, which are low-resolution, bitmapped versions of the fonts which are used to display the font on the computer monitor. Computer fonts which possess only screen fonts rather than printer fonts tend to output at low resolution and with inferior typographic quality, especially at large point sizes. (See also Screen Font.)
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