PDF Settings!

[Bobby H]

Yet again, I do know the difference between "opening" and "placing" and every single time it switches the font. It doesn't give the messages as y'all point out. BUT it does still switch them. It does still do the substitution.

The procedure I have used has worked reliably every time. I've never run into a problem with it on dozens upon dozens of different PDFs over the years. If I got a font substitution problem it's only because I had a brain fart and forgot to do something, like clicking the "link" option in the place dialog box.

Can you post a copy of this particular PDF that is substituting fonts to no avail? Or post a link to it? What you are describing is not common at all. I need to see one of these problem PDFs to see what it is you're describing.

To repeat what I said earlier about font restrictions: very often if a font has restrictions it will not allow itself to be embedded into a PDF at all. You won't see the correct font when the PDF is viewed in Acrobat Reader unless the font is installed on the computer viewing it. Every single time I've seen a PDF with a particular font embedded I have been able to convert it to outlines in Adobe Illustrator. That even goes for Mac system fonts embedded in a PDF and converted using a Windows version of Illustrator. I've done it. I've even converted iOS system fonts from my iPad Pro using PDFs saved from Autodesk Graphic.

Converting to curves/outlines makes all those possible issues moot. What I don't get, is why people would still suggest a method that has the potential for complication(s) versus a method that doesn't. I don't know of one exception to fonts converted to outlines/curves to which it would throw an error itself, at least in my experience.

There are multiple reasons why I suggest using flatten transparency method.

Very often the client calling us for the sign work is not the person who created the PDF artwork with active, embedded fonts. If it is someone working for a larger company that means the creator will be in some other city/town and not very easy to contact. Converting the embedded fonts in a client supplied PDF is a whole lot faster than making the client spend hours or days trying to find someone who has the original art file and getting that person to save another copy with the fonts converted. Clients do not like messing with those kinds of hassles. Sometimes they're stuck doing that when they supply a crummy JPEG web page image as the "logo." If you're able to reduce a customer's headaches you come out farther ahead.

Then there's the issue of getting legit artwork of major brands. To repeat what I said earlier: Brands of the World sucks.. The site is infected with all sorts of counterfeit, fanboy drawn re-creations of logos rather than the real things. The site has conflicting standards on what gets uploaded. Sometimes a logo will be legit, sometimes not. In the end it's still a crap shoot due to an overall lack of credibility there. So if I have to hit the ground running on a project using a major brand I'll go hunt for PDFs at that company's site rather than visit Brands of the World.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Can you post a copy of this particular PDF that is substituting fonts to no avail? Or post a link to it? What you are describing is not common at all. I need to see one of these problem PDFs to see what it is you're describing.

I'll see if I can dig one up out of archive that doesn't have anything attached to it that would prevent me from sharing it. The one saving grace that I have is that the vast majority of designs that I get from outside are raster files, which is all that I need (as long as it's a good resolution). As my workflow is the same regardless if it's a vector or raster.

Clients do not like messing with those kinds of hassles. Sometimes they're stuck doing that when they supply a crummy JPEG web page image as the "logo." If you're able to reduce a customer's headaches you come out farther ahead.

This is why I do Okular and Evince and a quick search at a site connected to the company in question before I mention to the client this need. I do have a few customers that are themselves the original designer, so that helps as well.

If that crummy jpg is good enough, I can actually make that work. Like I said, with my workflow, I don't actually have to have a vector, it's just nice (more times then not).

Then there's the issue of getting legit artwork of major brands. To repeat what I said earlier: Brands of the World sucks.. The site is infected with all sorts of counterfeit, fanboy drawn re-creations of logos rather than the real things. The site has conflicting standards on what gets uploaded. Sometimes a logo will be legit, sometimes not. In the end it's still a crap shoot due to an overall lack of credibility there. So if I have to hit the ground running on a project using a major brand I'll go hunt for PDFs at that company's site rather than visit Brands of the World.

I wouldn't use them period. To be honest, I think I've only been on that site a couple of times.

I wouldn't even use dafont for fonts.

But to each their own.

 

[F1225hgB42w]

WOW, this really got off topic... I will continue that trend below!

I'm not exactly sure what that option does, but it doesn't do anything to the fonts. Will admit that it's pretty dumb. Nothing to automatically embed linked images or expand fonts.

But for OP, I'd just go through and make sure everything is same across the whole document before packing the file to send or print. Depending on your RIP you could confirm your theory by importing the file and looking through the colors. I know it's possible in Production Manager so I assume you can in others.

I'll test and report back what I find out.

After you select a Profile Inclusion Policy, move your mouse over it and it'll show a description of exactly what it does.

It may not have been clear in my initial post but the profile inclusion policy help reads "Includes all profiles" but doesn't explicitly say IF native elements/placed files WITHOUT an assigned color profile GET assigned the working space profiles OR if they are left as unassigned/tagged elements. I find that frustrating because OTHER settings from Adobe clearly indicate what happens to native/untagged elements, but the Include All Profiles setting help is very vague.

Only x-1 converts to CMYK. x-3 and x-4 allow RGB.

The reason I created this thread was to find out about color settings for a web application we are building where we upload our native files (ai, eps, PSD, etc.) set a scale, apply dimensions (similar to the way CADTOOLs for Illustrator works), highlight any cut lines or spot colors (like Pantones, Spot White/Metallic, etc.) and generate a multi-page PDF proof (each page shows different aspects - for example first page shows the final graphic without any bleed, but has dimensions and any call outs we want to add such as "First surface mount" or "attache with bolts", the second page shows the print file with a cut line overlaid and any bleed is highlighted with a yellow transparent overlay, each page also calls out named spot colors any any icc profiles) for our customers to review that when approved we also use as a guide for production. We also have the app covert the native files into print ready PDF files and it will make nesting for files that can be nested for print to cut workflows on our plotters/cnc but I want to make sure we have the correct process for making a Print Ready File so I can tell my programmers exactly what settings to use in our code to generate perfect files. It sounds like I'd be best severed to use something like x-4:2010 if it really handles font embedding, color management, etc. Correct?

It might be a good idea for me to also have the program list out any fonts in the pdf (if they exist). I know some people have trouble with transparency on some RIPS but we don't have any issues. What else trips people up (assuming the x-4:2010 also embeds the fonts for print use but not editing)?

I was thinking we need to worry about:
1) Color Profiles
2) Fonts
3) Spot Colors/Named Colors
4) Cut Paths

What else do you include in a proof for your customers?

Thanks!

 

[Andy_warp]

I just went through the pdf settings in illustrator. No option to convert fonts? Is that something done manually or maybe by turning off "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities"?

Manually from native art. CTRL/SHIFT/O Super easy. Not sure why customers have such a hard time.

Another workaround is to place a pdf with live fonts in Illustrator (as a link) then embed.
It kills transparency and effects, but if you are just trying to get the text outlined...it works!