After Type 1 font support ends, will I be able to open old InDesign files that use type 1 fonts?

Question

I vaguely remember reading somewhere (and can't find it now) that after the switch that InDesign would not even open a file that contained Type 1 fonts. I really hope this isn't the case. If I can open the file and the Type 1 font is missing, that's fine, I can just replace the font and adjust as needed. If I can't even open the file, that would be catastrophic!

Please tell me I got some bad info, or remember it wrong! Thanks!

mk-will · Accepted Answer

As long as you use an InDesign version that supports Type-1 fonts (up to InDesign 2021 I think) and you use an OS that supports Type-1 fonts and the Type-1 font is installed everything will be fine.

But trying to open an InDesign file with Type-1 fonts in a newer InDesign version will bring up error messages about missing fonts as the Type-1 fonts will not be recognised.

See: PostScript Type 1 fonts end of support

Best

Stephan

Randy Hagan · Answer

You'll be able to open the files. But you can probably count on the pop-up warnings to get more strident as time goes on.

As a solid backup, you and your organization should spend the rest of the year ensuring that you have current PDF output versions of your legacy InDesign documents. In the PDFs, having Type 1 fonts embedded will be no big deal. Then I'd count on InDesign files needing to updated ad hoc on a case by case basis.

If there are no changes, the archived PDFs will suffice. For changes, you can add updating to OpenType and/or TrueType fonts as part of the update process. Then make your document changes within the InDesign document and create an updated PDF with acceptable OpenType/TrueType font substitutions (as well as your other document changes) so you have a current, state-of-the-art PDF archive.

Hope this helps,

Randy

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded