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Birchstudio
Participant
April 29, 2025
Answered

Why is outlined text being converted to live text when I download a PDF?

  • April 29, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 312 views

I've downloaded a PDF with outlined text. But when I open the PDF in Illustrator I'm getting a 'missing fonts' error message - even though they are system fonts that i have on my machine. The text has been converted to live text and has lost all it's formatting. Others in my office opened the PDF and the text is outlined. 

 

I've tried downlaoding the file again, and it's now displaying as outlines. Is there a reason for this? My software is all up to date and I'm running Sequoia 15.4.1.

Correct answer Bobby Henderson

If the PDF has type rendered using embedded fonts then the text isn't really outlined. It's easy to place a PDF that has live text objects and then convert the lettering in those objects to outlines. Create a new document and bring the PDF content into it using the Place command. Click the Link button in the Place dialog box options. Once the PDF is placed the Flatten Transparency command can be used to convert the live text objects to outlines (it's one of the options listed in the dialog box).

 

Regarding system fonts, there are many "flavors" of them. The version of Arial on a Mac won't be the same as the build of Arial in Windows. Further, a version of Arial from an old version of Windows won't be the same as the version in Windows 11. The same thing goes for Times New Roman or Impact and on and on.

 

The font substitution problem is the same for other typefaces not bundled into an operating system. For instance there are numerous versions of Futura distributed by different type foundries. None of them are exactly identical with each other. Futura PT may look just like Futura Now at first glance. But if you set copies of a string of text in the two different versions and then stack them on top of each other they won't line up perfectly.

2 replies

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 29, 2025

The outlining can happen when there are ligatures in a text.

B
Community Expert
Bobby HendersonCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
April 29, 2025

If the PDF has type rendered using embedded fonts then the text isn't really outlined. It's easy to place a PDF that has live text objects and then convert the lettering in those objects to outlines. Create a new document and bring the PDF content into it using the Place command. Click the Link button in the Place dialog box options. Once the PDF is placed the Flatten Transparency command can be used to convert the live text objects to outlines (it's one of the options listed in the dialog box).

 

Regarding system fonts, there are many "flavors" of them. The version of Arial on a Mac won't be the same as the build of Arial in Windows. Further, a version of Arial from an old version of Windows won't be the same as the version in Windows 11. The same thing goes for Times New Roman or Impact and on and on.

 

The font substitution problem is the same for other typefaces not bundled into an operating system. For instance there are numerous versions of Futura distributed by different type foundries. None of them are exactly identical with each other. Futura PT may look just like Futura Now at first glance. But if you set copies of a string of text in the two different versions and then stack them on top of each other they won't line up perfectly.

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