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Printer's Apprentice Changelog

What's new in Printer's Apprentice 8.2.40.1

May 29, 2019
  • NEW: Added support for fonts installed for specific uses. The Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) added the ability for individual users to install fonts that will only be seen by them when they are logged in. Unfortunatly, these fonts *cannot* be managed with third party utilities (such as this). But this version adds additional support for dislaying the status of these fonts.
  • NEW: Added improved support for identifying fonts installed for individual users on Windows 10 (1809). This will result in fewer fonts being listed with an "unknown" font file.
  • NEW: Updated code signing certificate used for application and setup program.
  • FIX: Fix for "illegal characters in path" error crash on load.
  • FIX: Fix for issues with the Help > Check for New Version function.
  • FIX: Fix for a crashing bug that could happen when renaming fonts in the Font Files tab.
  • FIX: Fix for a font refresh issue when using the "Move To Folder" fuction from the Installed Fonts tab.
  • FIX: Fixed an ugly screen refresh bug in the main screen and Print dialog. The screens would briefly flash black before the controls were drawn on the screen.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.2.23.1 (May 29, 2019)

  • NEW: "Search" tab in main interface for font searching using many different parameters.
  • NEW: Local database is used to store font meta-data, enable searching and improve performance.
  • NEW: Full Windows 10 support. This includes user interface improvements, new graphic icons throughout application, protection of new fonts in Windows 10, etc.
  • NEW: Support for Adobe TypeKit / Creative Cloud fonts.
  • NEW: Support for Microsoft Store fonts in Windows 10 (April 2018 Update).
  • NEW: Improved support for high definition displays.
  • NEW: Improved Unicode support, additional character sets & names, etc.
  • NEW: Font lists include many new additional columns of font data including PANOSE values.
  • NEW: Added system font column to font views. Fonts that ship and install with Windows are indicated with a small "gear" icon.
  • NEW: Added "hidden" column to font views. Fonts that are hidden using the Windows control panel are indicated with a small gray circle icon.
  • NEW: Added system font indicators to top of the font viewing tabs.
  • NEW: Added additional information about installed, system & hidden status to the Font Information tab.
  • NEW: Copy Font List function (Edit > Copy Font List, File > Save Font List) dialog has been redesigned with Options and Preview tabs.
  • NEW: Copy Font List function includes support for new font columns.
  • NEW: Added a new "Directory List" printed font catalog style.
  • NEW: You can now change the title and information font used on printed ouput. (Tools > Options > Font Catalogs or Sample Sheets > Title and Information Font)
  • NEW: "Print All Fonts" function now works with the Installed Fonts tab.
  • NEW: Font Files tab now reads fonts in a separate execution thread for improved performance.
  • NEW: Aded ability to change point size for info in upper right of Single Character tab (Tools > Options > Font Viewing).
  • NEW: Tooltips on font list items and column headers provide additional information.
  • NEW: Redesigned "Purchase License Key" screen.
  • NEW: Color controls on Text tab.
  • NEW: Added "grippers" between panes to clearly indicate where you need to position the mouse for resizing. This applies to the Installed, Font Files, Font Groups and Search tabs.
  • NEW: Application runtime has been updated to Microsoft .NET 4.7.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.37.1 (May 29, 2019)

  • FIX: Updated the code signing certificate that is attached to the Printer's Apprentice executable.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.36.1 (Apr 2, 2018)

  • Installer version 8.1.36.1
  • FIX: Fix for "System.OverflowException" bug on the Character Set tab
  • FIX: Updated the code signing certificate in prnapp.exe.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.33.1 (Jul 30, 2014)

  • NEW:
  • Added "Font Vendor" column in font lists.
  • "Select by Font Vendor" in the Select and font list context menus.
  • Added textbox below Font Files/Font Groups so you can navigate directly to a folder.
  • Options > Font Files - new checkbox to force Printer's Apprentice to rebuild the font cache.
  • UPDATE:
  • Improved code extracts vendor name from font files with more accuracy.
  • When you add or edit a folder or Font Group, the folder in the treeview is now automatically selected.
  • Font Files tab - last folder viewed is saved to the config file only if is a local folder.
  • Added 48 points to the "Font Sample Size" dropdown in the Font Catalogs section of the Options dialog.
  • FIX:
  • Fixed problem with extra characters being displayed on the some keys in the Keyboard window.
  • Fixed problem with keyboard window not displaying properly when non-US keyboard is the only one installed.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.32.1 (Jul 30, 2014)

  • NEW:
  • Improved support for Windows 8.
  • "Warn before uninstallng Windows fonts" feature now supports all fonts that ship with Windows 8.
  • Added Font Registry Editor to the Tools menu.
  • FIX:
  • Fix for "object not found" error in prnapp.cFontRegistryCacheType1.get_pKeyCount().
  • Fix for "object not found" error in prnapp.ctlInstalledFonts.FontEnumerationFinished().
  • Fix for "Value of X is not valid for 'Value'..." in prnapp.CtlCharMap.ScrollToSelction().

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.28.1 (May 11, 2012)

  • NEW: Support for higher sceeen DPI settings. No more clipped text, etc. Includes high-resolution icons and other cosmetic changes.
  • NEW: Redesigned splash screen. Redesigned progress dialogs for reading font folders.
  • NEW: Redesigned shareware splash screen.
  • NEW: Redesigned Options dialog.
  • NEW: Font display in main window includes a new header with the font name,
  • file name and file size. There is also a line of text indicating the specific
  • installed/not installed status for the font.
  • NEW: Added column to the lists on the Font Files and Font Groups tabs indicating the
  • installed status of the font. Installed fonts have a small Windows symbol in the column.
  • NEW: Can change the size of the ASCII/Unicode values on the Character set chart.
  • NEW: If you click in the text area on the Single Character or Sample Text tab,
  • you can use the mouse wheel to change the font size.
  • NEW: Support for non-US keyboard layouts in the Keyboard tab and printed
  • font catalogs/sample sheets. The Printer's Apprentice keyboard will
  • also update when a new keyboard is added or selected using the
  • Windows Language bar.
  • NEW: Font samples are now anti-aliased wherever possible.
  • NEW: Improved borders on various progress screens.
  • NEW: Added license key recovery link on "Enter License Key" screen.
  • UPDATED: The help file has been updated with new information about the
  • main window and the Options dialog.
  • CHANGED: Options for Unicode and character set are now contained in a single dropdown below the font display.
  • CHANGED: Removed "Drop Shadow" checkbox from the bottom of the Single Character and character set screens. It is now in the "Font Viewing" section of the Options dialog.
  • FIXED: Fixed a crash that could occur if you selected a ZIP file in the Font Files font groups tab.
  • FIXED: Bug in A4 paper size was not working correctly for some drivers.
  • FIXED: Under certain circumstances, creating a font group and renaming it
  • resulted in a "system.io.DirectoryNotFoundException".
  • FIXED: A variety of issues that could pop up when navigating between fixed and removable drives in the Font Files tab.
  • FIXED: Fixed a crash that would occur if you selected File|Print All Fonts In Folder while an invalid removable drive was selected.
  • FIXED: Under certain circumstances, selecting the Help > Check for New Version menu trigger an "entry point TaskDialogDirect was not found" error.
  • FIXED: Many other minor bugs and issues.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.20.1 (Jul 18, 2011)

  • NEW: The Font Files tab now remembers the last folder you were browsing and
  • selects this folder the next time you restart Printer's Apprentice.
  • NEW: Speed improvements in the routines used to read uninstalled TTF/OTF/PFM
  • files in the Font Files tab.
  • NEW: When the product loads, it now queries our web server for the latest
  • pricing and promotions.
  • NEW: Various cosmetic changes to the shareware splash screen and panels used
  • throught the software.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.18.1 (Mar 14, 2011)

  • FIX: Updated several pages in the help file. Options section, etc.
  • FIX: If the the tabTextSampleText key in the prnapp.exe.config file got corrupted or included
  • too much data, Printer's Apprentice would crash with an overflow error. This has been fixed.
  • FIX: Added status bar help prompts for a few menu items that were missing.
  • FIX: In certain cases, OpenType files with hyphenated names would not show up in the Install
  • font list. This has been fixed.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.1.17.1 (Jan 20, 2011)

  • General:
  • Windows 7, Vista & XP ready! Printer's Apprentice 8.1 is only for PCs running Windows 7, Vista & XP.
  • Supports Windows Visual Styles and themes.
  • Extensive online help system and "How To" help for all dialogs and screens.
  • Professional setup gets you up and running quickly. When needed, the uninstaller removes the application and all supporting files.
  • Printer's Apprentice contains no spyware, no malware and no viruses.
  • Font Viewing:
  • Familiar Windows Explorer-style interface for quickly viewing installed fonts or browsing uninstalled font files on any media.
  • "Preview without installing fonts" function supports TrueType, Adobe Type 1 and OpenType fonts.
  • Toolbar provides fast and convenient access to frequently used features.
  • Many dialogs have been redesigned so fewer steps are required to complete common tasks.
  • Single character, character set, sample text and keyboard views are all integrated into the main interface via tabs across the top.
  • Character set display can be displayed using a grid in a 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, 8x8, 9x9 or 10x10 configuration.
  • Keyboard display shows you where symbol and dingbat characters are on a standard PC keyboard.
  • Easily examine copyright and other information embedded in font files.
  • NEW! Compare Fonts tab shows you multiple fonts at once using your own sample text.
  • Font Management:
  • Use the Install and Uninstall features to quickly manage the TrueType, Adobe Type 1 and OpenType fonts on your system. No rebooting is needed.
  • Any number of fonts can be installed or uninstalled at once.
  • Uninstalled fonts can be previewed, printed and installed from any media including external drives, CDR, flash drives, floppies, etc.
  • Uninstall functions removes fonts from Windows, deletes font-related Registry entries and can optionally move font files to another location for backup.
  • Font Groups:
  • Organize your TrueType, Adobe Type 1 and OpenType font files any way you like by sorting them into folder-based groups.
  • Font group list is integrated into the main Printer's Apprentice window for easy browsing.
  • Font groups are managed and navigated using the standard Windows Explorer style tree interface.
  • Easily install and remove entire font groups with a few mouse clicks.
  • Fonts stored in groups can be viewed and printed just like installed fonts.
  • All printed catalogs and sample sheets are available for font groups.
  • Printing:
  • Easily print many sample sheets or catalogs for multiple fonts at once.
  • Customizable sample text, headers and footers.
  • Font catalogs print multiple fonts per page with customized point sizes.
  • Font file name, path location and KB size are optionally printed for each font.
  • NEW! Multi-page Print Preview window shows you what the output is going to look like.
  • NEW! For printing many fonts in a listing, Printer's Apprentice has 9 different professionally designed catalogs. Layouts include Single Column (1, 2 and 3 lines of text), Two Columns, Three Columns, Four Columns, 3 Up Catalog, Keyboard Layouts and Catalog 2.
  • NEW! For single font printing (one per page), Printer's Apprentice includes 9 customizable font sample sheets including Sample 1, Sample 2, Sample 3, Sample 4, Font Information Sheet, 72 Point Set, Keyboard Chart, Character Set 1 and Character Set 2.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.0.33 (Aug 4, 2009)

  • Installer version 8.00.0056
  • Minor cosmetic fixes and typo corrections.
  • Additional coding to make Windows Fonts folder path determination error proof. In some cases the API method was failing.
  • The code-signing certificate embedded in the prnapp.exe file has been updated and renewed.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.0.29 (Apr 3, 2009)

  • This update includes support for printing Adobe Type 1 and Postscript-based OpenType fonts

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.0.28 (Feb 23, 2009)

  • Added ability to print line numbers on font catalogs. This is enabled via a new switch in the PA.INI file. To enable line numbers, use this entry:
  • [Inventory]
  • PrintLineNumbers=1
  • Added "Select Printer" to the File menu.
  • Eliminated the floppy drive check that resulted in the "floppy grind" noise on startup.
  • The screen font is now "Tahoma" by default. This can be changed by editing an entry to the PA.INI file
  • [PA]
  • FormFont=Fontname
  • Minor cosmetic tweaks throughout the system
  • Fixed a bug that would cause the "Print All Fonts In Folders" option to crash before the dialog box opened.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.0.27 (Jan 21, 2009)

  • Installer version 8.00.0036
  • Stability fixes through out the application.
  • Removed options for "form fade in / out" for snappier performance.
  • Improved rendering & error checking on the Sample Text tab. Word wrap is now working correctly.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.0.26 (Jan 7, 2009)

  • Installer version 8.00.0035
  • Fixed a problem with the application crashing on the Print dialog box if the Verdana font is not installed.
  • Fixed a problem where the Print dialog would crash with an overflow error. This was happening with fonts that have invalid ascender & descender information.
  • Fixed a problem where the app could crash if your font groups folder was invalid or missing and you tried to copy a font file to a group. There is now an additional check in place and a dialog box will notify you if the font groups folder is not specified.
  • Fixed a bug on the Print dialog box. If you had one or more sample sheets selected, then changed the printer, the application would print a single sheet with some "please select something to print" text on it. Thanks to BD for helping track this one down.
  • Added a check to make sure the currently selected printer is valid in the Print menu option. If a detached printer was selected, the software would crash with a "settings to access printer are invalid" message.
  • Fix for for the Sample Text and Font Compare tabs. The were not drawing non-ANSI characters correctly due to an invalid declaration of the Win32 TextOut() function.
  • Fixed a bug in the Move to Font Groups command. It was not working correctly for Adobe Type 1 fonts. Thanks to DM for pointing this out.
  • Fixed a System.IO.FileNotFoundException bug in the font enumeration routine.
  • Enhancement to the Edit>Copy command when the Sample Text tab is selected. If some text is selected, then only the selected text will be copied. Otherwise the entire contents of the Sample Text textbox will be copied.
  • The Multiple Character tab now has a right-click context menu. If you click a character in the grid, you will get a popup menu with Zoom and Copy Character commands. Zoom will load the character in the Single Character tab. The Copy Character command copies the character to the clipboard.
  • Improved the load speed on the Copy/Move Fonts dialog box when copying a large number (1000+) fonts.
  • Font list on Copy/Move Fonts dialog box no longer freezes when copying many fonts.
  • When finished uninstalling fonts, the next available font in the list is selected instead of the first.
  • Added a "Select by Family" function to the Select menus.
  • Various stability improvements.
  • Additional "no spyware" text in the About > Warrenty tab.
  • Additional helpful text in the exception dialog.

New in Printer's Apprentice 8.00.0019 (Sep 25, 2008)

  • Version 8.00.0019
  • The interface has been refined so the software fits right in with either operating system. All of your favorite classic Printer's Apprentice features are in 8.0 along with some new things such as the Compare Fonts tab and the super-sharp Print Preview window.