Skip to main content
P
Peabody Engineering
Known Participant
November 4, 2021
Answered

Confused on acceptable Fonts to use in InDesign 2022

  • November 4, 2021
  • 10 replies
  • 10775 views

Please excuse our naivety but we are getting a little bit confused and it's not easy trying to locate the correct answers, so we are hoping to get some clear and concise answers/info (without spending hours and hours of wasted time surfing the web).

 

Adobe has said "Type 1 fonts will no longer be supported starting 2023". We use Myriad Pro in a lot of our documents (of which we get the message "Your document contains 9 Type 1 Fonts") and I am seeing conflicting information (on the web and in chat forums) on whether Myriad Pro is a Type 1 font and therefore needs to be replaced.

  • Question 1: Type 1 Fonts (I've also seen it as OpenType Type 1) need to be replaced with OpenType TrueType Fonts?
  • Question 2: Is there a suggestion for a OpenType TrueType Font to use in place of Myraid Pro that meets within Adobe standards of it not being a Type 1 Font?
  • Question 3: Where is a list that tells us exactly what fonts are Type 1? (therefore, knowing which fonts to avoid using with Adobe products).
  • Question 4: Where is a list that tells us what fonts are OpenType TrueType fonts? (therefore, knowing which fonts we can use properly within Adobe products).

Any advice/help is appreicated.
Thank You

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
quote

if anybody has anything to add or correct please do so.
Thank You.

By @Peabody Engineering

 

Yes, a slight correction.

The TTF (TT) file format can be either old TrueType coding or new TrueType coding which is a form of OpenType.

 

In 2000, the computer industry standardized on one font technology — OpenType which is based on the Unicode system. But before then, we had 2 competing types of fonts: PostScript/Type1 and TrueType.

 

Today, there are 3 "flavors" of OpenType fonts:

  • Those based on original PostScript fonts and converted to OpenType in 2000. They will have the O icon, and they often (but not always) have either Pro or Std at the end of their name. Std = they contain only the original glyphs in the original PostScript font. Pro = they have more than the original glyphs in them.
  • Those based on original TrueType fonts and converted to OpenType in 2000. They will have the TT icon.
  • Those based on Unicode created after 2000. They'll have either the TT or O icon, but most likely TT.

 

Bottom line: don't depend entirely on the icon. A TT font may or may not be an OpenType font.

 

Instead, open its properties or examine it in a font management program (like Linotype's Font Explorer) and see the details of the technology behind the font.

 

As long as you see "OpenType" or "Unicode" anywhere in its description, it's a compliant font and can be used.

 

10 replies

M
MAStephens
Known Participant
March 26, 2023

After 2 hours of reframing my query I finally landed here - Best thread I've come accross. Hard to believe Adobe would first warn us, then advise us that Postscript fonts would be/are dropped and let us wallow in mire trying to come up with solutions. Don't they realize that it's fine to simply choose a new font for new projects, but in the trade so many huge documents are republished yearly with minor edits. Still searching for an answer re using Carta for symbols throughout publications . . . I still don't really understand if 3rd prty fonts are acceptable to InDesign or not.

Peter Spier
Community Expert
Peter SpierCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 26, 2023

If by third-party fonts you mean fonts not supplied by Adobe as part of the Creative Cloud subscription (most of which are licensed from other foundries and are not Adobe creations) then yes,  absolutely. You can use any OpenType or TrueType font you like.

M
MAStephens
Known Participant
March 26, 2023

Great, Thanks Peter. ( I thought I had read that InDesign was unreliable in allowing/activating outside fonts so wasn't sure if I'd just be making more of a mess - I mean imagine creating a document using a font, getting the doc approved, then finding the font is no longer available next time I run ID)

If you or anyone can recommend a reliable/trustworthy site for fonts outside Adobe I'm all ears.

swills@dicksonsgifts.com
swills@dicksonsgifts.com
Participant
July 25, 2022

We have used Upc Lin P 36 font for many years. It is a postscript font. Any idea what would be a good replacement for this?

 

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 25, 2022

You might not need a replacement, Type 1 fonts can be converted to open type using a number of utilities—see this thread:

 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/ende-der-unterst%C3%BCtzung-f%C3%BCr-ps-type-1-fonts/td-p/11874314

swills@dicksonsgifts.com
swills@dicksonsgifts.com
Participant
July 25, 2022

Looks like that did the trick. Thanks!

L
Community Expert
LaubenderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 29, 2022

Hi hengwen,

that I cannot tell, because I have no access to your info graphic.

Also note, even if you used old PostScript Type-1-fonts in your Adobe Illustrator file that you placed in InDesign, for now you have no issue at all. Not with the current version of InDesign, not with a previous version.

 

But if you plan to use the info graphic editable in the future without a change in typography it could be wise to substitute the now used PostScript Type-1-fonts with their OpenType counterparts ( if they exist… ) .

Depending on your operating system this could be a wise step as well, because no-one can tell if a future version of Windows or Mac OS will support PostScript Type-1 technology at all. Any update of the operating system can change that.

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 28, 2022

    Hi hengwen,

    the issue with false Type 1 font style warnings should be gone with the next bug-fix of InDesign.

    Version 17.1.0.50, that should be out soon to everyone. The roll-out has begun this week…

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    hengwen
    hengwen
    Known Participant
    January 29, 2022

    So are you saying I don't necessarily need to replace all the fonts in the infographics?

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 8, 2021

    Peabody Engineering said:
    "When we went to look in the Find/Replace Font, it showed Type 1 Fonts: 9 and they where all our Myriad Pro Fonts."

     

    Hm. That should be not the case. I think, the Type 1 messenger is showing the Find/Replace Font panel only; it is not marking the fonts in question. Your personal interpretation was that some font styles must be Type 1 fonts.

     

    Could you show a screenshot of the Find/Replace Font panel after you clicked the button of the blue messanger bar?

     

    Thanks,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 5, 2021

    Try setting up a Preflight profile for T1 fonts.

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
      hengwen
      hengwen
      Known Participant
      January 28, 2022

      Thank you so much for this suggestion, David! But now the plot thickens...

       

      I've been getting the blue bar for months saying there are 93 Type 1 fonts in my document (a quarterly publication). But of course, the find/change font box shows every font is TT, O or activated Adobe Cloud fonts. (One of these fonts happens to be Myriad Pro-Open Type, not from the Cloud). It also says there are ZERO fonts in graphics.


      HOWEVER, when I preflight the document for Type 1 fonts, it finds 27 instances in 13 seperate placed vector infographics (either AIs or Illustrator PDFs). Most of the offending fonts are Myriad Pro; of the rest, all but one are Adobe Cloud fonts.


      When I opened one of the PDF infographics in Acrobat, it says Source Sans Variable is an embedded Type 1 font. But if I open the same file in Illustrator, it says it's an Open Type/Variable font.


      ITC Stone Sans is used extensively in this publication. InDesign says it's an Open Type font. But when I export the file to a print PDF, all instances of Stone are listed as Type 1 fonts.


      In Windows 10 font preview, ITC Stone Sans is described as: Open Type Layout, Postscript Outlines.
      Myriad Pro is describe as: Open Type Layout, Digitally Signed, Postscript Outlines. Same for Source Sans Variable.


      I don't know what this all means, but maybe it will provide some clues in the mystery of how InDesign is identifying font problems.

      M
      Migintosh
      Legend
      November 5, 2021

      Something else to keep in mind is that you may have PostScript fonts in a document that give you this warning when opening:

      I got the warning because Rockwell is a PostScript Type1 font, and it's not installed on my system, but the other font is missing not because it's PostScript—only because it's missing. If I hit the Replace Fonts button, I get this:

      …which tells me when I click on Rockwell that it's a Type 1 font, but when I click on Lobster, I get this:

      …which tells me that Lobster is an OpenType font (Type 1 flavored), so it would be fine if I can locate it. I just wanted to say to be careful that you don't assume everything that's missing is a PostScript font.

      L
      Community Expert
      LaubenderCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      November 4, 2021

      Hi Peabody Engineering,

      after all this information here in the discussion that was given:

      Do you think you discovered a new bug and the message that your document contains Type 1 fonts is misleading or outright wrong?

       

      Regards,
      Uwe Laubender

      ( ACP )

      P
      Peabody EngineeringAuthor
      Known Participant
      November 5, 2021

      Hi Laubender,
      My intial response would be to say it was a misleading message. After posting the question here and reading the response and sorting out the information, I basically discovered that Myriad Pro is an "OpenType TrueType" Font, in my font list it shows a cloud with a checkmark which would mean it comes from Adobe Fonts which would make it an "O" OpenType Font (based on info from conversation thread).

       

      When we first opened up our 141 page document in InDesign 2022 is when we got that message "Type 1 fonts will no longer be supported starting 2023. Your document contains 9 Type 1 Fonts." When we went to look in the Find/Replace Font, it showed Type 1 Fonts: 9 and they where all our Myriad Pro Fonts. So thinking we had to replace them we decided to replace them with Arial Font but when we attempted to do a "Find and Change All" InDesign crashed. We tried again, this time trying to change just one instance and we could change (1) instance but if we attempted to "Change All" InDesign crashed, we tried many times and it crashed every time. So (for us) there is a major flow with trying to utlized the Find/Text "Change All" feature - it crashes.

       

      Then somewhere along the way of opening InDesign 2022 (many times) and reviewing the Find/Replace Text now it says there are 0 Type 1 Fonts and we are still using Myriad Pro. So what happened....?! I don't know some where along the way InDesign determined Myriad Pro was not a Type 1 Font (I guess it's the magic behind the scenes that can't be explained).

       

      We have many fonts in our list and I reviewed them and there is no "a" Type 1 font in our list.

      I hope that helps to give you some kind of answer/feedback. If you need more info let me know.

      Thank You

        C
        ChrisG66
        Known Participant
        November 4, 2021

        I received the same message regarding type 1 fonts. Recently I changed all my documents to only use the fonts Adobe offers on their creative cloud. The document only uses Acumin Pro family and Americane family. These fonts are offered on Adobe's creative cloud. Is this family of fonts being used not open type? I hope the message was an error, because I have changed a ton of files to Adobe creative cloud fonts assuming they are open type. Thank you fot your time.

        T
        Test Screen Name
        Legend
        November 4, 2021

        Remember to check the fonts used in graphics too, including perhaps very old logos. 

          C
          ChrisG66
          Known Participant
          November 4, 2021

          Thank you for the info!

          jmlevy
          Community Expert
          jmlevyCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          November 4, 2021

          If the name of a type face ends with “Pro” or “Std”, you can be sure that it is a OpentType font, not a Type 1. Type 1 are PostScript fonts.

          In InDesign, if you see this icon (the O)

          it is an OTF font

          if the icon is a “a”

          it is a PostScript font (a Type 1)

           

          and a TT icon means TrueType…

            P
            Peabody EngineeringAuthor
            Known Participant
            November 4, 2021

            Hi jmlevy,

            Then why would Adobe say "Myriad Pro is a Type 1 font" - which by their message means we need to replace it? Also, when you say OpenType do you also mean OpenType TrueType?

            Thank You.

            jmlevy
            Community Expert
            jmlevyCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            November 4, 2021

            Where did you see that Adobe says that Myriad Pro is Type 1 font?

            OpenType are divided in 2 “flavours”: OpenType PostScript flavoured and OpenType TrueType flavoured

            but they are OTF…

             

            More infos here (and certainly elsewhere)

            https://www.typotheque.com/help/opentype_fonts/opentype_flavours_truetype_and_postscript

            https://community.adobe.com/t5/type-typography-discussions/difference-between-open-type-flavors/td-p/1113854

              Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
              Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices