Enfour Media Laboratory is a Tokyo-based company, specializing in two-byte font and printer technology and all other issues related to the unique needs of Asian scripts.

Since incorporation in 1992, Enfour Media's development team has a number of firsts in the field to its credit. Achievements include: the first Japanese TrueType font, the first two-byte PS to outline conversion utility; the first two-byte bitmap editor; the first localized font creation application; and the first running Japanese PS Level 2 printer, the first outline gaiji solution and the first commercial two-byte outline font creation tool. Enfour has also released products including: specialist PostScript™ and TrueType™ Japanese phonetic fonts; a composite TrueType™ roll-up tool; and font format conversion utilities.

Enfour Media also offers consulting services in multi-byte font, pre-press and printer technology. This includes programming for PostScript™ compatible printers and DisplayPostScript™ environments. Services available include customization and localization for two-byte compatibility; OCF to CID two-byte Type 1 font conversion services; two-byte and Unicode bitmap font conversion. Major clients include Apple Computers, Psion Computers, Sony.

Enfour Media's products include:

a series of two-byte kanji and kana fonts from Type Bank and Group Typo. These come in CID and OCF Type 1 formats. The packages are aimed at professional-grade DTP use and include proportional data and font linking data. The TypeBank typefaces were chosen because of their extremely high quality digital designs;

a desktop font and proxy server that enable the viewing of i-Mode content correctly from a desktop PC. see Keitai font;

PowerMail Japanese email and database for MacOS;

a two-byte bitmap editor called "Marukan Editor" that is the only tool of its type and is used by Apple, among others, to develop Asian bitmap fonts;

a gaiji solution set called "Enfour Gaiji Kit DX" that reencodes printer resident fonts to MacOS 7.1 layout, extends the standard ShiftJIS kanji character set, enabling users to add their own characters. Enfour's gaiji line-up includes specialist sets for use in the medical, dental, music industries and a set for Windows or IBM legacy systems;

Enfour Media's latest product is UniDict: a multi-function Japanese<>English and Kanji Dictionary. It comes with an English version and is ideal for those learning Japanese or non-native professionals that use a Japanese dictionary on a regular basis. UniDict's charter is continue to be the application that has all the features anyone could ever want in a dictionary.

a new product on the way from Enfour Media is a Japanese version of Pyrus' "AsiaFontStudio" CID font tool for Windows and MacOS, plus a set of companion tools for the creation of commerical-grade Japanese CID fonts;

a number of mobile content and services for i-Mode and other Japanese carriers are under development as well.

For a more detailed look at Enfour Media's Japanese solutions, take a look at our Japanese Web page.