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Best option for upcoming loss of support for Type 1 Fonts

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
December 15, 2022
5 replies
8923 views

Hi. I'm simply looking for opinions on best options for how to handle the loss of Type 1 Font support coming in January 2023. Adobe support seems confident that any unsupported fonts will be easily covered by their 'suggested' fonts. Personally, I'm skeptical but paying for new licences for updated fonts might also be an issue financially. I've got approximately 25000 customer files all using Helvetica font family that will all lose support.

Should I trust Adobe's suggested font replacement or bite the bullet and pick up an updated license for Helvetica?

Type

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Correct answer Brad @ Roaring Mouse

For Helvetica I think it's worth the cost. If you have a Mac, it's not so much an issue as it has had the TrueType version of it since the beginning of OS X which uses the same metrics as the Type 1 version, but that is of no use to Windows users. If you want a match to the old Type 1 version, Linotype/Monotype's version is a direct metric/outline match to the old ones. This is the version (Helevtica LT Std) that appeared on all OpenType versions included with Adobe Font Folio from way back. Of course now they offer the even better Helevtica LT Pro version with all the added glyphs used these days, so you're actually ahead of the game. You still have to do a Find/Replace in every file as the Postscript names are different (by necessity).

What I would like to see from these foundries is a special package price for all the "Basic 14" that used to be part of Adobe's bundling. I'd buy that.

F

furzle

Inspiring

My type 1 fonts suddenly stoopped working as of YESTERDAY! Mar 13 2023. It must've had to do with the latest illustrator update. I thought i was in the clear that they worked as long as they did, but apparently not. I was in a major panic so i tried reinstalling the previous illustrator version. phew. that worked, I can open and edit files.

However, not a long term solution.

As an in-house designer with all branding and all collateral materials created with very old, very wacky fonts, and the need to use and revise all the materials all the time, they are just not replaceable with any current style of font.

I have hunted high and low. so, I'm going to cave in and try the TransFont option.

Before I go and waste 100 bux...Has anyone tried it? how well does it work? Does it make the fonts useable for typing in text blocks? how about opening older docs, how bad are the adjustments?

thanks!

B

Bobby Henderson

Community Expert

TransType 4 by FontLab Ltd is arguably the best font converter application. It can do a lot more than just convert Type 1 fonts into OpenType. Version 4 is a fairly recent release and works with Win 11 and OSX (both Intel and Apple Silicon CPUs). On the TransType 4 page in the FontLab Ltd web site there is a link to the users manual where you see closely how the application works.

Brad @ Roaring Mouse

Correct answer

Community Expert

For Helvetica I think it's worth the cost. If you have a Mac, it's not so much an issue as it has had the TrueType version of it since the beginning of OS X which uses the same metrics as the Type 1 version, but that is of no use to Windows users. If you want a match to the old Type 1 version, Linotype/Monotype's version is a direct metric/outline match to the old ones. This is the version (Helevtica LT Std) that appeared on all OpenType versions included with Adobe Font Folio from way back. Of course now they offer the even better Helevtica LT Pro version with all the added glyphs used these days, so you're actually ahead of the game. You still have to do a Find/Replace in every file as the Postscript names are different (by necessity).

What I would like to see from these foundries is a special package price for all the "Basic 14" that used to be part of Adobe's bundling. I'd buy that.

B

Bobby Henderson

Community Expert

I bought copies of the static and variable releases of Helvetica Now when they were first introduced in 2019 and 2021. They had heavily discounted introductory prices when they were first released; $99 for the static version and $199 for the variable version (normal prices are around $350 and $550 respectively).

Over the years I had grown pretty tired of Helvetica and Helvetica Neue. The Now version convinced me to like Helvetica again.

My memory is foggy about it (since so many years have passed), but I could have sworn Adobe had a fonts bundle included with Adobe Type Manager Deluxe where some weights of Helvetica were part of the package. There might have even been one or more Type I Multiple Master fonts in the package (Nueva MM maybe?). I could be wrong about that though. I do wish Adobe would revive some of their old T1 MM typefaces in OTF Variable format. It would be nice to have a variable version of Penumbra.

Brad @ Roaring Mouse

Community Expert

"Helvetica Now"

Agreed. I like! In fact, I use it the most these days, but for existing documents, the spacings have changed so incur much reflowing and tweaking, which is why I've always substituted my old files to Helevetica LT (since I had it from Font Folio since 2003), but anything new going forward, it's Now all the way.

Met1

Legend

"I've got approximately 25000 customer files"

You should be able to invest in OTF versions then...

CmdrTomalak6330Author

Inspiring

"I've got approximately 25000 customer files"
You should be able to invest in OTF versions then...

By @Met1

If you're trying to imply I personally can afford it, no, I'm just an employee here. I do agree with you though. My employer should be able to afford it but instead, they sent me here for alternatives.

Met1

Legend

US$ 438.99, less than 2¢US per file, they can afford it...

L

leighr

Known Participant

If your font licenses allow it, you could convert them to OpenType with TransType.

https://www.fontlab.com/font-converter/transtype/

CmdrTomalak6330Author

Inspiring

If your font licenses allow it, you could convert them to OpenType with TransType.

https://www.fontlab.com/font-converter/transtype/

By @leighr

Thanks for that option. Is there a way to find out before buying this if the font(s) in question allow this?

Monika Gause

Community Expert

Of course there is: you could read the license agreements. Every font comes with this.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

Keep an older version of Illustrator on an older system separate from your current one. It won't take long and operating system won't support Type 1 either.

Whenever you have to edit an old file, use the old system.

For new files, use a new OTF version of the font. And then phase out your old fonts one by one. You will need to replace them anyway sooner or later for several reasons.

CmdrTomalak6330Author

Inspiring

Keep an older version of Illustrator on an older system separate from your current one. It won't take long and operating system won't support Type 1 either.
Whenever you have to edit an old file, use the old system.
For new files, use a new OTF version of the font. And then phase out your old fonts one by one. You will need to replace them anyway sooner or later for several reasons.

By @Monika Gause

Thanks for that one. I like this plan. A slight wrinkle for me is that I work remotely from home so I only have the one system. I'll have to look into ways around that.

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