Some of the problem lies within the Windows operating system itself. Just like MS Word, Windows insists on organzing font styles in groups of four. But the OS doesn't always do this well. And other applications may not be in agreement how to organize font styles either. This can create big problems when a type family has dozens or even more than a hundred styles. Some styles can go missing in the font menu or be cancelled out by another style.   Adobe's applications are better at handling really large type families. Some other rival graphics applications kind of stink at it. CorelDRAW (and its built-in font manager) is one example. It will work okay with some type super families and then fail with others, letting italic styles replace upright styles. I recently synced the Sztos family from Adobe Fonts; the family is just two variable font files, upright and italic. In CorelDRAW both styles get rendered as italic! Derp. To make matters worse CorelDRAW does a terrible job with type objects when exporting artwork in Illustrator format. When the AI file is opened in Illustrator all the type objects have glaring line spacing problems. You have to create a fresh Illustrator document, build new point type or area type objects in that file and then paste them into the Corel-generated AI file and then use the eyedropper tool to fix the bad type objects. But it's best to first re-save that Corel-generated AI file in Illustrator, close the application and then re-launch it. Otherwise various type families in Illustrator are going to come up with certain styles missing in Illustrator's font menu. You can't have CorelDRAW and Illustrator running at the same time either. I think Corel's font manager does something to affect other applications.   The fonts themselves can also be a problem. I've opened some problematic fonts in FontLab's TransType application. The app is a font converter, but it will visually show the font naming table of a selected type family. You'll see a grid with four font styles in each square. When a Bold-Italic weight is sitting alone in its own square it's clear there is a problem. Often another square will have 3 fonts and empty space where that orphaned style can be moved. I've tried using TransType to fix the problem with varying degrees of success. It works okay when converting simple Type 1 fonts to TrueType format. It doesn't work so well when trying to just re-save a more complex OpenType font in the same format. The font naming table issue gets fixed, but then some of the glyphs, such as fraction sets (numerator and denominator figures) get messed up.   I get the feeling a lot of typeface companies and typeface designers are unaware of these problems. I doubt Microsoft cares much about this issue either. I think the UI design in MS Office apps is awful. And they're block-headed enough to unleash terrible things such as Windows Ink into the OS.   In the meantime we're just stuck having to work around this garbage. ... View more

In the case of the original poster's images, I think a perspective-based effect would look better (or more natural as I said earlier). The problem with a flat, trapezoid envelope is it can squeeze and stretch letters in very ugly ways. The balance in the vertical and horizontal letter strokes is lost and instead replaced with exaggerated differences.  I think Arial is already a fairly ugly looking typeface in its natural, not-altered state. Arial looks especially hideous when sqeezed and stretched artificially (there is so much badly designed outdoor signage on the American landscape displaying that nonsense). A perspective-based distortion would at least attempt to maintain some logical balance of the letter strokes via perspective foreshortening. ... View more

The best approach to use for distorting lettering is going to differ with each graphics task. With the specific examples you posted I think you would get more natural looking results setting up a perspective grid and attaching the strings of lettering to it. ... View more

In addition to your iPad are you using Creative Cloud on a desktop/notebook computer running OSX or Windows? How are you managing the fonts that are added/installed thru Adobe Fonts? Are you adding the fonts using a regular computer or doing so on the iPad?   Normally I would just install added fonts via the Adobe Fonts service into the iPad using the Creative Cloud app. That way any app on the iPad could use those fonts. But apparently the CC app for iPad looks like it has been discontinued.   I usually do all my type-oriented work on a regular computer. Working with fonts on the iPad platform is a real pain in the neck. ... View more

Yeah, no kidding. Destructively exporting Illustrator artwork in a lossy compressed pixel-based format (JPEG) and then re-packaging it in PDF makes no sense at all. ... View more

The legit What the Font filter at the MyFonts.com web site isn't quite as good as it was in the past. The filter only gives results for fonts available for sale at the site. While that sort of makes sense the real problem is quite a few independent type designers and small foundries have pulled their fonts from the MyFonts store in recent years. I'll sometimes have better luck visiting the Font Squirrel site and using its font identifier tool. ... View more

Do you happen to have any other graphics applications running in the background when this problem occurs? Or are you opening files made in other applications? I see problems like this from time to time under certain conditions. I use Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW alongside each other in my sign design work. But there is something about CorelDRAW that causes weird font problems with Illustrator if both applications are running simulateously. Certain styles in type families disappear from the font menu. If I shut down both application and then re-launch Illustrator the font menu in Illustrator goes back to normal. Sometimes I'll see the same font issues crop up when opening AI files exported from CorelDRAW into Illustrator. CorelDRAW has its own built-in font management app. I suspect that could be a source of the problem. Other font management apps can cause their own issues. Fonts from Google can have their own quirks. I've downloaded some type families from Google that didn't work right, but the same type family at Adobe Fonts would function without any problem. A few months later I could go back and download the fonts again from Google and the bugs would be fixed. If you've had a copy of the Baloo Thambi 2 font/type family for awhile I'd suggest downloading a fresh new copy of it and seeing if it works better. ... View more

"Fonnts.com"? Sounds pretty fishy to me. I'd stick to the version hosted at Adobe Fonts. Or buy a license of the typeface from a real commercial fonts web site. ... View more

None of the Adobe Illustrator builds available in Creative Cloud have the Pantone color book files anymore. There may be one or more places online where you can download copies of those old ACB files. Otherwise you could be stuck having to get a Pantone Connect subscription. ... View more

First, I would suggest downloading and installing the latest NVidia Studio driver for your graphics card. The newest driver, version 566.14, was released Tuesday this week. These driver updates don't often get pushed to computer users. You often have to open the NVidia app (or older GeForce Experience app) to manually check for updates.   One new option (when installing the NVidia app to replace the GeForce Experience app) is the NVidia overlay. For now, I have that disabled until I know for sure it doesn't mess with any settings or shortcuts in Adobe's applications. I've already had it up past my eyebrows with Microsoft's awful Windows Ink and what it does to ruin the functions of a Wacom tablet. ... View more

I think one of the things that throws new users is the predominately vector-based artwork environment. It is fundamentally different from the pixel-based paradigm where Photoshop and other image editing applications live. Many people handling graphics files don't even understand the difference between pixels and vectors. ... View more

I can't even turn on Windows Ink in the Wacom Tablet Driver without the setting quickly making me lose my temper. I really wish Microsoft would go back to the drawing board with that gawd-awful Windows Ink software.   Even with Windows Ink disabled I'll still get hit with the stuck vertical scrolling bar issue from time to time. This past weekend I got hit by it while trying to edit artboard size properties. Once the glitch grabs hold the only recourse is pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete to bring up Task Manager and end the Illustrator process. Thankfully I didn't lose any work. ... View more

The map image looks like it is (probably) vector-based. But my guess is the artwork may be nested in one or more clipping groups/masks. That's probably why it won't respond to pathfinder operations. If you open the Layers panel and drill down into the objects list it should show how the contents are grouped or masked. Still, using a clipping mask to show/hide portions of the map will probably be a much easier approach than trying to use Pathfinder commands to extract or cut parts of the map. ... View more

I couldn't tell you how to automate the process of creating cut lines around pixel-based artwork yet arrive at an end result that was good/clean and print/cut vinyl graphics that was easy to manually weed. ... View more

Can you post an example of the drawing? There are various methods of vectorizing hand-drawn artwork. The best method to use really depends on how the artwork looks. Certain kinds of pixel-based artwork don't need to be vectorized. ... View more

I prefer the Super Smart Remove function in Astute Graphics' Vector First Aid plugin over the stock Simplify command in Illustrator. But that is an after market plugin that requires an annual subscription (Astute Graphics' plugins are worth it, IMHO). ... View more

Is the driver for your computer's graphics card up to date? Very often the GeForce Experience app has to be launched to check for driver updates; the drivers usually don't automatically download when they're released. The latest NVidia Studio driver is v565.90, released 10/15/2024. If your computer has any other periphreals attached (such as a Wacom tablet) make sure the drivers for those devices are up to date. If your computer has any previous versions of Illustrator installed (and they're not being used) it might be a good idea to uninstall them. If performance issues persist after updating drivers and resetting the Illustrator Preferences file then it might be worth it to use the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool to completely remove Illustrator and then do a clean re-install of the application. ... View more

IMHO, there isn't any good way to automate the creation of cut lines.   Automatically Live Tracing around a pixel-based image will yield a quick and dirty path -a path that is likely to have issues that cause the plotter blade to literally chew up the vinyl. Cut paths need to be clean. Not only so they cut cleanly, but also to make the graphics easier to weed. A live-traced path would need to be edited to remove the tiny kinks, bends, stair-steps and little overlaps that almost always occur in auto-traced paths. It's either that or the path would need to be hand-drawn using tools like the Pen Tool. Obviously creating clean cut paths from vector-based artwork is much faster/easier.   Be careful about making cut paths too intricate and detailed, especially if the graphics are small in size. The cut graphics still have to be manually weeded before being covered with release tape. If the cut details are too intricate and delicate weeding accidents will be much more likely. It also raises the risk that small portions of applied graphics will tear off the final surface when the release tape is removed.   If you don't already have a user defined spot color swatch for CutContour it's easy to create and re-use.   Are you printing/cutting large quantities of the same graphic or nesting lots of different designs together? ... View more

When you say "Bogue" do you mean this type family? https://www.melvastype.fi/fonts/bogue   The typeface has many alternate characters. Those alternate characters can be accessed multiple ways. Some of those characters can be accessed by using settings in the Character palette or OpenType palette. Some alternate characters may be displayed under a letter in a string of text that is highlighted by the text cursor. The Glyphs palette can display all of the characters contained in a font file. It's possible to click on characters in the Glyphs palette to make them insert into an active string of text. ... View more

What does the artwork in the SVG file look like? What does the file contain? I still don't understand what you want to cut out of it. ... View more

The question is a little vague. If you're trying to extract elements out of an existing piece of artwork there are multiple ways to do that. But it depends on the artwork itself. It may be as simple as ungrouping the objects (if they're grouped) and then selecting the desired pieces of artwork, copying them to the clipboard and then pasting them into a new Illustrator document. If you're trying to cut portions out of existing shapes the Pathfinder tools can do that. Clipping masks can show/hide portions of artwork non-destructively.   If the artwork is vector-based already (given that it is in a SVG file) then there is no need for exporting in PNG format and then somehow going back to SVG. PNG is a pixel-based format. Converting vector shapes to pixels and then converting back into vectors again doesn't make any sense. It would degrade the artwork. ... View more

Those aren't easy questions to answer without knowing the licensing details the university has with Adobe Creative Cloud (or if it has an educational CC license). Educational licenses can vary. Some have access to all type families hosted at Adobe Fonts while others get a more limited selection.   Generally speaking, anyone editing the visual design of the web site would need access to Adobe's applications and Adobe Fonts. A person writing copy for documents posted on the web site may not need CC access; someone else can copy the text and flow it into the web site. It's even possible to edit the code without needing an app like Dreamweaver. It just depends on what each person is doing.   If one or more of the type families in use are important to the university's branding, it might be a good idea to purchase licenses of those fonts. ... View more

There are several kinds of educational licenses for Creative Cloud. Some may have the full Adobe Fonts service while others may have a limited version of it. You'll need to check with the school's IT department to see what kind of CC licensing they have. ... View more

What kind of mouse is it? If you haven't already tried, physically unplug the mouse from its USB port and then reconnect it. If that doesn't work, try rebooting the computer. Are any other devices plugged into the computer's ports? ... View more

Developing a version of Adobe Illustrator coded for an ARM-flavored version of Windows isn't something that happens fast. As for plugins, most of those are developed by third party companies independent of Adobe. Each one of these companies has to make its own judgment call whether or not to port versions of their Illustrator plugins to the ARM version of Windows. They may have their hands full enough as it is just maintaining plugins for Mac OSX and the Intel version of Windows.   The Snapdragon X CPU looks fairly impressive for what it does, but I would be very hesitant to buy a computer based on a new/different CPU architecture without it already having a strong lineup of applications that run native on that architecture. It would be one thing to buy such a computer for personal use. It's much more risky buying such a computer meant for production work. ... View more

I'm not familiar enough with the free conversion apps to know which ones can fix naming table issues in font files. I've heard decent things about FontForge, but it's more of a font editor rather than an app that can do batch conversions of font files. ... View more

The original poster's topic was about print. I mistakenly responded to that post instead of yours. Are you exporting the PNG image using the Save for Web dialog or Export for Screens? When I test either one using a selected white object I can yield a PNG image with white graphics and a transparent background. ... View more

As others have said, the white ink in the print has to be defined using a custom spot color. How to name that spot color is going to depend on the service provider's print setup (their type of printer and print software or RIP application). You'll have to talk to them to get those details or just tell them which elements in your artwork need the white ink and then they can apply the proper custom spot color to it on their end.   Edit: I see this is a year old old post, but bumped by something that looks like it has a questionable link. ... View more

Dang, you posted as I was writing my own post. Haha. ... View more