[reportlab-users] Embedded font problems

[Adrian Klaver]

On 03/13/2017 05:09 AM, jsmith4332--- via reportlab-users wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Does anyone have troubleshooting tips for figuring out why an embedded
> TTF font does not work in reportlab (just shows rectangles)? I'm trying
> to use https://grandzebu.net/informatique/codbar/code128.ttf (yes, I
> would like to use a barcode font instead of the built in barcode
> generator due to quality issues when printing on a low DPI printer)
>
> The relevant code is:
>
> stylesheet = StyleSheet1()
>
> stylesheet.add(
>     ParagraphStyle(
>         name='Normal',
>         fontName='Helvetica',
>         fontSize=12,
>         leading=16,
>         spaceBefore=8,
>         spaceAfter=8,
>     )
> )
>
> stylesheet.add(
>     ParagraphStyle(
>         name='Barcode',
>         fontName='128',
>         fontSize=12,
>     )
> )
>
>
> pdfmetrics.registerFont(TTFont('128', os.path.join(os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.getcwd(), os.path.dirname(__file__))), 'code128.ttf')))
>
> # story definition omitted...
>
> story.append(Paragraph('helloworld'), stylesheet['Barcode']))
>
>
> Unfortunately, the resulting PDF has a bunch of squares instead of using the barcode font. When I switch to a different ttf, things seem to work. Furthermore, the code128 font referenced above seems to work fine in applications like Microsoft Word/Excel.
>
>
> Any ideas?

Look at this page:

http://grandzebu.net/informatique/codbar-en/code128.htm

There seems to be a translation process between the original string and 
the string the font needs to see. The example being:

'3745 KV 75' --> 'ÒEMÍ KV 756Ó'

There are some programs at the bottom that do that. I tried the Python 
one, but it does not work. I did manage to get the Postgres plpgsql 
function to work.

>
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> reportlab-users mailing list
> reportlab-users at lists2.reportlab.com
> https://pairlist2.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/reportlab-users
>


-- 
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver at aklaver.com