Abstract: An animation data generation apparatus that supplies a state where a character string can be read in a part of 3D character animation generated based on functions. The apparatus includes an interface unit for setting characters which are used for animation, time allocation between 3D character animations in a moving standstill state, and the type of the animation in the moving state. The apparatus also includes a calculation unit for calculating the number of frames corresponding to animation based on the time allocation, and a generation unit for generating animation data in the standstill state so that 3D characters corresponding to the set characters can be read, and for generating data of the 3D character animation in a moving state so as to link to the data of the animation in the standstill state by using the number of calculated frames and a function corresponding to the set animation.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for positioning characters within an arbitrarily sized graphics window in order to maximize the distribution of unused space. The method and system are particularly adapted for the redistribution of characters produced during a terminal emulation session with another computing system. Characters produced during the emulated session are adjusted to completely fill the graphics window, regardless of its size. A fill justification procedure distributes characters in areas within the graphics window that would otherwise appear as gutters or margins. A character spacing unit maintains correct character image proportions in the graphics window while not rigidly adhering to a uniform alignment of character rows and columns. A linear distribution procedure allows the character image to fill the graphics window completely with a natural appearance.

Abstract: A character display apparatus includes: a display device having a plurality of pixels; and a control section for controlling the display device, wherein: each of the pixels includes a plurality of sub-pixels arranged along a predetermined direction; a corresponding one of a plurality of color elements is pre-assigned to each of the sub-pixels; an intensity of each of the color elements is represented stepwise through a plurality of color element levels; the control section executes tasks of: setting each of the sub-pixels to one of the color element levels; according to a relationship between the plurality of color element levels and a plurality of brightness levels, converting the color element level for each of the sub-pixels to a corresponding brightness level among the plurality of brightness levels; and changing the relationship according to at least one of character color information which defines a color of a character to be displayed on the display device and background color information which defines

Abstract: Methods and systems for automatically hinting fonts, particularly TrueType fonts, by transferring hints from one font to another are described. In one embodiment, a character or glyph (i.e. a source character) from a first font is selected and provides hints that are to be transferred to a character or glyph of a second font (i.e. a target character). The hints comprise statements defined in terms of control points or knots that define the shape or appearance of a character. A match is found between individual control points on the different characters and then used as the basis for transferring the hints. In one embodiment, hints are transferred by modifying values in a control value table (CVT) that contains entries that are used to constrain the control points of the source character. The CVT values are modified so that they now constrain corresponding control points in the target character.

Abstract: A system for typographic glyph construction includes a graphics system, a glyph server coupled to the graphics system, and an operating system coupled to the glyph server. An apparatus for typographic glyph construction of input text in a graphics system running on a computer system and output on an output device of the computer system includes a line layout core unit, a glyph cache unit coupled to the line layout core unit, an open font architecture services unit coupled to the glyph cache unit, at least one scaler unit coupled to the open font architecture unit, a font object management unit coupled to the at least one font scaler, and an attribute group support unit supporting a data structure for communication among the units of the apparatus.

Abstract: A graphic processing system has a processor for managing a display area and a character font area both include within an are disposed in the address space. From coded information indicative of a character transferred through a data bus of the system, the processor generates an address at which a character font pattern of the corresponding character has been stored and transfers that character font pattern to a predetermined position on the display area. The graphic processing system realizes high speed development of fonts.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of generating a glyph in which a plurality of design characteristics are extracted from a target font and a source glyph program is generated using the design characteristics. The source glyph program defines a new glyph that corresponds to a character that is not present in the target font, e.g., the Euro, and is stylistically similar to glyphs of the target font. The new glyph may be added to the target font, it may be rendered on an output device, or it may be saved separately from the target font.

Abstract: A method for automatically converting an outline font character into a glyph-based font character using a set of predefined basic glyphs stored in a glyph database is provided. Each basic glyph is predefined as a program for rendering the basic glyph for output. Additionally, each basic glyph is associated with a glyph signature consisting of feature points, and script sentences that obtain key points and width values based on the feature points. According to the automatic font conversion method, first, an outline font character to be redefined is captured. Then, one glyph is selected from the captured character. Thereafter, feature points are identified along the outline of the selected glyph and stored in a glyph signature. Next, the glyph database is searched and a basic glyph that topographically matches the selected glyph is retrieved.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product are provided for compression of characters. Upon receipt of a plurality of characters, at least one test is performed on the characters to determine if an outline of the characters is capable of being approximated by a mathematical approximation. If the outline of the characters is capable of being approximated, the characters are approximated using the mathematical approximation.

Abstract: The present invention provides for automatic placement of typographical features such as vertical stems or horizontal segments of a character on high contrast pixel sub-component boundaries as part of a rendering process that uses separately controllable pixel sub-components of pixels to represent different portions of the character. In order to identify the typographical features of the character that are to be aligned with high contrast pixel sub-component boundaries, topology of the character is analyzed at runtime. In display devices having vertical stripes of same-colored pixel sub-components, it has been found that character legibility is increased when the left edges of stems are aligned with high contrast boundaries between pixel sub-components. Processing time and resources are conserved by performing a partial, rather than a full, topological analysis of the character.

Abstract: A system for spacing, storing and recognizing electronic representations of handwriting and printing comprises a central processing unit that couples with a display device, an input device, and a memory. The memory includes means for spacing ink stroke representations, means for recognizing outline elements, means for performing deferred recognition, means for highlighting drawing areas and means for storing and displaying ink stroke representations. These means operate together to provide a pen-based or graphics oriented computer system with improved performance and added functionality for manipulating the space between ink stroke representations.

Abstract: A user of a data processing system may specify variability in the generation of data for data-presentation, either by displaying or printing, on an output device. The variability specification may be applied on a glyph-by-glyph basis to the presentation of glyphs. The data processing system provides processing of glyph-based quality variability requests in the following manner. The system receives a request for data-presentation of a series of glyphs and determines, for each glyph in the series of glyphs, whether quality variability is applicable to each glyph. If quality variability is applicable to each glyph, then the system determines a quality variance to be applied to each glyph according to predetermined data-presentation variability data and performs data-presentation of each glyph on an output device in accordance with the quality variance.

Abstract: Characters of data on a document are recognized by automatically determining the definitions of characters of the data from the arrangement of character strings of the data. Character strings on the document are extracted by reading the document, and headers and data on the document are distinguished from each other by determining the positional relationship between the character strings. Character attributes of the data are determined by recognizing characters of the character strings of the headers using a header recognition dictionary. Characters of the character strings of the data are recognized according to the determined character attributes of the data. Since character attributes of the data are determined from recognized characters of the headers after the headers and the data are distinguished from each other from the layout on the document, it is possible to enter automatically the character attributes of the data.

Abstract: Two curves indicating the border of an object in an image are simply edited and loops formed owing to edition of the curves indicating the border of an object in an image are detected and removed. A curve edition apparatus according to the present invention incorporates: converting units for converting two curves indicating positions of inner and outer boundaries of a border of an object included in an image to produce a dot sequence for each curve; a changing unit for changing the coordinates of each point by linking the dot sequence of each curve produced by the converting units; and restructuring units for restructuring the two curves from the coordinates of each point having the coordinates changed by the changing unit.

Abstract: An improved scan converter to support the efficient and accurate display of character outlines by pixel-oriented display devices. To conserve the finite resource of memory, the improved scan converter supports an efficient use of available memory workspace by accurately determining an upper bound for the amount of memory required to support scan conversion calculations. To achieve improvements in speed and character image quality, the improved scan converter renders the spline segments of a character outline by using a second order equation to calculate an implicit function based on the control points of each segment. The improved scan converter further addresses in a systematic manner the rendering of an endpoint located on a scan line to determine whether the pixel associated with the endpoint should be activated. This decision is based upon the direction of approach to and exit from this endpoint for the pair of segments connected to the endpoint.

Abstract: A thickening process of figure data (outline font data) is performed, an intersection where line segments on outlines cross is obtained, the outlines are separated at the intersection, the separated outline portions are synthesized, the rounding direction of the outlines after the outline synthesis is compared with the original rounding direction of the outlines, and the outlines in which the rounding directions are different from the original rounding direction are deleted. Thus, the outlines overlapped by the thickening process are correctly connected and the inside can be correctly painted.

Abstract: An emboldened font is simulated from a regular font by moving the outline that describes the font along a vector normal to the direction of the outline a predetermined distance. A new emboldened location is calculated for each control point that defines the font outline. The new location for each control point is determined by calculating a vector perpendicular to the outline at the location of the control point. The control point is then moved a predetermined distance along the perpendicular vector. The predetermined distance controls how much emboldening is applied to the font. The greater the predetermined distance, the more emboldened the font will appear. By moving all of the control points that define a font outline a predetermined distance along a vector perpendicular to the outline, a new outline is created that defines the emboldened version of the font.

Abstract: A character font generation apparatus generates a font of a character for the output of the character to an output unit. First, whether the character specified through the operation of an input unit can be output in a desired font based on a predetermined resolution of the output unit or not is determined. If the result of the determination is no, a stroke of the character is omitted to reduce the size of the character, to allow the correct output according to the predetermined resolution. The stroke omission is performed with reference to contents of a memory storing various information necessary for the character font generation and a priority determination rule indicating various information for determining the priority of stroke omission, so as to maintain the balance and to preserve the shape (contour) of the character.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for utilizing pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display, e.g., as separate luminous intensity elements, are described. Each pixel of a color LCD display is comprised of three non-overlapping red, green and blue rectangular pixel sub-elements or sub-components. The invention takes advantage of the ability to control individual RGB pixel sub-elements to effectively increase a screen's resolution in the dimension perpendicular to the dimension in which the screen is striped, e.g., the RGB pixel sub-elements are arranged lengthwise. In order to utilize the effective resolution which can be obtained by treating RGB pixel sub-components separately, scaling or super sampling of digital representations of fonts is performed in one dimension at a rate that is greater than the scaling or sampling performed in the other dimension. In some embodiments where weighting is used in determining RGB pixel values, e.g.

Abstract: A character font generation apparatus generates a font of a character for the output of the character to an output unit. First, whether the character specified through the operation of an input unit can be output in a desired font based on a predetermined resolution of the output unit or not is determined. If the result of determination indicates “output not allowed”, a stroke of the character is omitted to reduce the size of the character to allow the correct output according to the predetermined resolution. The stroke omission is performed with reference to contents of a DB (database) memory storing various information necessary for the character font generation and a priority determination rule indicating various information for determining the priority of stroke omission, so as to maintain the balance of the character such as center and centroid thereof and to preserve the shape (contour) of the character.

Abstract: A character line address counter clock signal generator for generating a character line address counter clock signal for an on screen display (OSD) circuit used to selectively display a character image within an on screen display contained within a displayed screen image. The character image displayed within the OSD is maintained at a substantially constant image height regardless of the number of image lines contained within the overall displayed screen image. The character image lines for a base character image are displayed in accordance with a predetermined repetition sequence without requiring phase lock loop to generate a reduced character line address clock or requiring arithmetic computation to calculate each character line address.

Abstract: Image data processing and image rendering methods and systems whereby images are displayed on display devices having pixels with separately controllable pixel sub-components. Images, such as text characters, are displayed on a display device with at least some features being rendered with sub-pixel precision. The displayed advance width of a character displayed with sub-pixel precision is compatible with the advance width of the character if it had instead been displayed with a conventional full pixel precision rendering process. Thus, characters are displayed with sub-pixel precision, resulting in improved resolution and readability, while the advance width and the corresponding size and spacing of the characters and the overall formatting of the document remains the same compared to documents and characters rendered using conventional full pixel precision processes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for performing conversion of graphical data format is disclosed. A matrix multiplication is performed on a first set of data and a second set of data to generate a third set of data in a first format. The first and second sets of data represent the graphical data. The third set of data in the first format is transmitted to a graphics card. The third set of data in the first format is converted to a converted set of data in a second format.

Abstract: The widths of characters, that have had (or that are having) resolution enhancement processing applied, are adjusted so that the widths of the characters are maintained. In this way, formatting of any file including such characters is maintained. Specifically, the advance width of each character may be adjusted. A non-uniformity of gaps between characters may be minimized by adjusting the left and/or right side bearing of each character. Finally, a non-uniformity in the weight of character lines may be minimized by adjusting the black body width of each character.

Abstract: The present invention intends to generate non-intersecting entire outline data from intersection-involving stroke data at a high speed, thereby outputting characters and graphics of higher quality at a higher speed. Every pair of the strokes are extracted from all the strokes of a registered character, then the curve data of the extracted strokes are straightened, and there is discriminated whether the line segments of the every extracted pair of the strokes mutually intersect. If an intersection is present, the coordinate of such intersection is calculated and stored. Then the outline is re-connected according to a predetermined rule, based on the stored coordinate of intersection.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for positioning characters within an arbitrarily sized graphics window in order to maximize the distribution of unused space. The method and system are particularly adapted for the redistribution of characters produced during a terminal emulation session with another computing system. Characters produced during the emulated session are adjusted to completely fill the graphics window, regardless of its size. A fill justification procedure distributes characters in areas within the graphics window that would otherwise appear as gutters or margins. A character spacing unit maintains correct character image proportions in the graphics window while not rigidly adhering to a uniform alignment of character rows and columns. A linear distribution procedure allows the character image to fill the graphics window completely with a natural appearance.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for creating high-level language hinting instructions through the use of a graphical user interface. The present invention enables a user to generate complex font programs without requiring knowledge or experience in font programming. Graphical commands are entered by a user while editing a glyph. The graphical commands are converted into functional data and stored within a data structure that represents the edited glyph. The functional data is then compiled or translated into high-level language hinting instructions that can later be compiled to machine code. Specifically, this aspect of the present invention relieves the user of having to specify the order of the hinting instructions. The present invention also provides a method to translate high-level language hinting instructions into functional data. The functional data can then be used to update the display of the edited glyph.

Abstract: A character display device and method therefor are adapted to obtain a proximal reference point of each character comprising a character series and calculate display coordinates of each character from said proximal reference point and the display angle and display reference position of the character series.

Abstract: The present invention provides a matrix character generation system comprising a memory for storing data and programs, a processor for executing the programs stored in the memory, and a screen for displaying matrix graphs generated by the matrix character generation system. The memory comprises a character table for recording all the strokes that form each character, a stroke table for recording the parameters of each stroke, and a graph generation program for displaying the matrix graph of each character on the screen according to the character table and the stroke table. When generating a new character, the graph generation program searches the character table for the stroke IDs of all the strokes of the character and the position of each stroke in the matrix according to the WID of the character. Then it searches the stroke table for the matrix graphic data of each stroke according to the stroke ID of each stroke.

Abstract: When a character image composed of strokes is generated, character generation is performed at high speed by simplifying strokes for which the processing of the stroke contours can be executed in simple fashion. In other words, if a stroke has a substantially linear shape parallel to a coordinate axis, the contour of the stroke will have sides parallel to the coordinate axis and can therefore be generated in a simple manner. In another aspect of the invention, character generation is performed at high speed by generating the image of a stroke in such a manner that dots of the stroke in the longitudinal direction thereof are stored at memory locations having successive addresses. That is, memory cells having successive addresses usually are allocated along the direction of the scanning lines. Accordingly, when necessary a stroke is rotated in such a manner that the longitudinal direction thereof becomes parallel to the raster lines, thereby producing a stroke.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for rendering a brush stroke with multiple nibs which are added to a center point indicated by a cursor, and the position and movement of each nib are controlled based on variables which can be set by a user. The variables include a number of nibs to be rendered in the brush stroke, initial position values determining an initial position of each nib relative to a center point, and movement variables representative of movement of each nib relative to the center point. A current position of the center point is determined relative to the document. A new position for each nib is calculated, relative to the current position of the center point, based on the initial position values and the movement variables. A dab is rendered at the new position of each nib. By repeating the steps of determining a current position, calculating a new position and rendering a dab while the center point is being moved, a brush stroke of unique painting effect is rendered.

Abstract: A method, computer system and computer-readable medium for generating an outline font of Asian language characters. The Asian language characters are defined by basic strokes. The basic strokes are identified by a plurality of key points and at least one width value. The computer system includes memory and a processor coupled to at least one output device. The processor retrieves a set of basic stroke defined characters and identifies a set of similar glyphs in the retrieved set of characters. Each glyph includes a set of basic strokes. The processor selects topographically representative glyphs from each identified set of similar glyphs, determines the intersecting points of the plurality of overlapping basic strokes for each selected glyph, generates outline data for each selected glyph according to the determined intersecting points and stores the generated outline data in memory. The processor also renders a character selected for display on an output device according to the stored generated outline data.

Abstract: A printer device driver system includes a relatively simplistic kernel mode device driver, KM.sub.-- DRIVER. KM.sub.-- DRIVER supplies limited functionality for basic Device Driver Interface, DDI, operations compatible with O/S kernel mode components. Separate reporting of graphics objects data and text data is made. The device driver is now divided into: a kernel mode analysis segment KM.sub.-- TEXT and a user mode text resolution generator UM.sub.-- TEXT segment. A user mode driver, UM.sub.-- DRIVER, is provided for receiving DDI coded instructions. In essence, UM.sub.-- TEXT subroutine ignores reported resolution and renders text in any resolution up to and including the highest possible resolution for the printer apparatus provided. A set of text data output from the application and O/S is reported to KM.sub.-- DRIVER in a fixed resolution. Text data is received with DDI text print requests. When a font is not recreatable, rendering is performed at the fixed resolution and output to the printer.

Abstract: A character generating apparatus for generating a character image representing a character and a method therefor, which are capable of preventing a flicker phenomenon, which occurs in the television receiver, using a simple algorithm. In the present invention, an edge of the character is detected based on font data of the character, and a shadow property is determined from an attribute data of the character. A character image is generated by forming a shadow, having the shadow property, adjacent to the detected edge.

Abstract: A method of assigning hints for outline-font creation includes a first step of dividing elements having similar outlines into classes, a second step of learning hint assignment by storing hint information which prevails when a hint is assigned by operator operation to a predetermined position of an outline of a representative element (master element) of each class, and a third step of assigning hint information automatically to elements of the class, to which the master element belongs, using learned hint information of the master element.

Abstract: Described is an image processing system which is operative to automatically determine a quadrilateral object such as a character frame, page mark, or position correction mark only with a mouse click. A field is automatically specified by displaying a scanned image of a form including a black frame on a display, clicking within a character frame at the left end for each recognition field, and clicking within a character frame at the right end of the same field. In this case, a field position/size determination program scans the image in the vertical and horizontal directions from the two clicked points to detect the inner wall of the black frame, and produces a histogram by establishing rectangles between two character frames to automatically detect the number of character frames in the field and the thickness of the black line between the character frames.

Abstract: A character pattern generator includes a ROM for storing font data and attribute information of each point of each stroke forming the font data, and a CPU for recognizing a portion to be transformed of a contour shape of the stored font data based on the attribute information of each point. The CPU further adds to the recognized portion to be transformed, a control point for performing transformation into a character pattern having a specified typeface code. The CPU then calculates the coordinates of the control point based on a factor at each point of each stroke of the font data. The CPU then transforms the contour shape by using the added control point and the font data. Finally, the CPU generates the character pattern having the specified typeface code based on the contour shape of the transformed font data.

Abstract: A character processing apparatus for recognizing coordinate information expressing a character, an exterior outline, an interior outline, a horizontal line and a vertical line; classifying the coordinate information expressing a character, the exterior outline, the interior outline, the horizontal line and the vertical line, and then determining a pair of the horizontal line and the vertical line; and setting a skipping order at the time of low pixel so as to be converted into character data for a bit map development composed of a control point coordinate for expressing the outline of the subject character, band information and coordinate value information about the control point which is not included in the band information.

Abstract: A gray scaled data generation device which generates characters and figures of a size which is a fixed number of pixels as gray scaled data, based on outline data which includes outline information which expresses outlines of strokes included in characters and figures and stroke information which shows positions of horizontal and vertical strokes, wherein the gray scaled data generation device has optimizing means for optimizing a position of a stroke, said position being in a coordinate system in which the position is expressed in terms of fine pixels given by dividing every pixel of said size in both a horizontal and a vertical direction, by moving a position of every stroke expressed in the stroke information to a position which satisfies certain criteria related to distances from a border of each pixel; outline generation means for generating outlines in said coordinate system from the outline information, for each stroke which has had its position optimized; and gray scaled data generation means for gene

Abstract: A character generating device which is capable of creating a clear thickened or thinned (wider or narrower) character by eliminating an improper portion of an outline of a character. According to a character code input from an input portion, a CPU obtains outline font data for one character from a font data storage and transfers the data into a RAM. On the basis of the character code input from the input portion, the CPU searches a head address of a memory storing data for a required character and transfers the data from the address into the RAM. A character thickness processing portion performs character thickening or thinning operations on each point sequence composing each outline of the outline-font character and a point-sequence transferring portion determines, by use of functions or a table, a correct destination and transfers thereto the improper point-sequence on the thick or thin processed outline of the outline-font character.

Abstract: It is an object to convert to outline font data that is closer to an actual character outline. A check is made to see if the data read out from a memory is which one of straight line data and curve data. In case of the curve data, a check is made to see if an extremum exists in a curve formed by the curve data. If YES, the curve is divided into segments at the position of the extremum. The curve data obtained by dividing the curve into the segments and the straight line data judged to be the straight line are stored in the memory, thereby realizing the object.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a stroked-based font defined by a stroke representation displayable on high or low-resolution output device. The stroke representation includes defining a basic stroke with key points and width values as its primary parameters and feature points and curve ratios stored in a predefined curve level tree type data structure as its secondary parameters. Curve ratios are retrieved from the curve level table according to resolution level of the output device. Also, hinting information for certain key points provides for a better displayed stroke in low resolution space. Hinting information is activated according to predefined data associated with the curve level table. A CAD tool allows a font designer to easily select the parameters for the design of basic strokes and stroke shapes. The CAD tool presents a real-time display of sample characters at various bitmap sizes during font creation.

Abstract: There is provided a picture-forming device which is capable of easily drawing an arrow having a desired shape on a display screen of a display device, such as a CRT. The picture-forming device is capable of setting a basic shape of an arrow to be used in picture-forming. The basic shape of the arrow set is stored. When arrow display conditions indicative of a position, a direction, and a length of the arrow are entered via the display screen, data of the basic shape of the arrow and data of the arrow display conditions are synthesized, to display an image data thus synthesized, on the display screen.

Abstract: The invention teaches grayscale specific character outline modification techniques for synthesizing contrast controlled grayscale pixmap characters of improved appearance at any resolution and size. In addition, methods for computing the visually optimal spacing of any two characters taking into account outline shape modifications induced by the character contrast control method.

Abstract: An outline character drawing apparatus comprising a font dictionary, a path forming unit, a rule storage unit and a bit map developing unit. The font dictionary stores a plurality of outline data for geometrically defining character outlines. The path forming unit forms in a common memory a geometrically expressed graphic path by performing such processes as extracting the data corresponding to each character code sent by a client, transforming the data coordinates into an apparatus coordinate system, adjusting the width of stems making up characters, and approximating curve portions by use of broken lines. The outline data include identifiers representing bit map development rules envisaged at the time of defining the characters in question. The rules are used to develop into bit map format the characters expressed in graphic paths. One such rule stipulates that each pixel be located on a lattice point formed by coordinates.

Abstract: A method for construction of a scaleable font database comprised of data stored in a compact form for retrieval in one of several usable forms common in digital typography. The method comprises the steps, for each text character of a font collection of: generating a digital representation of the character and identifying it with respect to character code and typeface design, determining segment endpoints and associations within a model of the character, measuring actual dimensions for the associations, and determining segment descriptors for each contour segment comprising the complete outline of the character.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for storing scaleable font data in a compact form and retrieving it in one of several usable forms common in digital typography. The retrieval process can be influenced by parameters to produce not only the original typeface designs that were compressed, but also variations on those typeface designs. Variations produced in this manner are related typeface designs which therefore effectively add new fonts to the family originally stored. Individual character pixelmaps and scaleable character outlines are two of the forms which can be retrieved from the compressed font data. The storage and retrieval methods are designed so that the time needed to produce a single character pixelmap from the internal form is less than that required for producing the same pixelmap from an uncompressed hinted outline font stored in an industry-standard format.

Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting a line width of an outline font includes an original outline data storing device for storing attribute data in advance. The attribute data indicates whether a data point, which represents a contour line of a character of an outline font, is a point at which line width is to be adjusted. The attribute data is stored in correspondence with original coordinate-value data of the data point. Also provided is an original line-width data storing device for storing data representing original line width in correspondence with original outline data of each character; and a line-width converting device for converting original line-width data into fraction-processed output line-width data in conformity with a mesh size corresponding to a designated character size.

Abstract: A symmetrical image is generated from an entire object image having an approximately symmetrical shape. The object image has a plurality of control points. The object image may be a polygon having vertices as the control points. In a first step, an operator inputs image data indicative of the positions of the control points. In a second step, an axis of symmetry of the object image is determined automatically or manually. In a third step, a first control point is paired with a second control point having a symmetrical relationship with the first control point. In a fourth step, the image data is modified so that the first and second control points have symmetrical positions about the axis of symmetry. In this modification, the first point is moved to the symmetrical position, whereas the second point is fixed.