TOM RICKNER has developed font software for over 20 years. During that time, he has worked on dozens of complex font projects. Tom is recognized for the highly regarded TrueType production and hinting of Matthew Carter's Georgia, Verdana, Tahoma and Nina typeface families, commissioned by Microsoft.

While employed by Apple Computer, Tom oversaw the development of the first TrueType fonts to ship with Apple's System 7 and during the next 12 years, working for the Font Bureau on a freelance basis and for Agfa Monotype, he produced custom font solutions for many companies, including Adobe Systems, Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lexmark, Lotus, Microsoft and Nokia.

Tom's design and technical experience includes hand editing bitmap fonts, designing original outline typefaces, extending existing typefaces for new character sets and scripts, and all manner of outline font production. He has produced TrueType, TrueType GX, Type 1 and Multiple Master fonts for implementation in nearly every imaging environment. His experience with non-Latin scripts is broad, having designed fonts for the Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Thai, Thaana and Cherokee scripts.

Tom is playing a key role in the development of fonts for the Ascender Compact Asian Font format (ACAF).

Tom's original designs include Amanda, Buffalo Gal and Hamilton. He has worked on numerous custom design projects, including the development of the Graphite and Tekton Multiple Master families for Adobe, a revival and expansion of W. A. Dwiggins' Eldorado family for Premiere Magazine, and a custom revival of Bodoni to serve Lexmark as their new corporate typeface.

While best known for his design skills, his knowledge of TrueType and the production of fonts for low-resolution environments, Tom's real talent is his ability to envision new and unique design and technical solutions to customer problems. Tom is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, with a BS degree in Printing Management. He lives in the land of Badgers and Cheeseheads (also known as Madison, Wisconsin) with his wife and two children. He still hopes to one day sit in the driver seat of one of the four Oscar Meyer Wienermobiles in town.

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