FONT MANAGER WITH SELECTIVE ACCESS OF INSTALLED FONTS

A method for managing a plurality of different fonts that are installed on a computer. Raw font data for the plurality of fonts are stored in files on a computer hard disk (34). At least some of the fonts for which a character set is defined by the raw data are installed in the graphics user interface operating system running on a computer. The installed fonts are listed in a file (40). The method enables a user (22) to create one or more font menu lists (28) that are displayed to the user whenever selection of a font for use in a document by an application is desired. The font menu lists are subsets of the complete list of installed fonts on the operating system. Applications (42) can access any of the fonts installed on the system, but whenever a font must be selected by the user for use in a document, a more limited list of fonts appropriate for the application then running on the computer is displayed, reducing confusion as to the appropriate fonts that should be considered. Fonts are also generated on-the-fly, using PANOSE TM numbers, if a font required for use in a document by an application is not installed. Special fonts, which are defined by PANOSE TM numbers and other data that fine tune the PANOSE TM number description, are included in the list of installed fonts, and are also generated on-the-fly.