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R
rschlegel
Inspiring
July 24, 2023
Question

Font is not currently available error

  • July 24, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 441 views

I am editing a large book that is comprised of 17 chapters, with each chapter in a separate InDesign file. After selecting a block of text, and then selecting the Roman Antique type font from the Type menu, to apply it, the text looks fine on screen. However, upon printing the page, I get an error message that this font is not currently available. I thought I had properly downloaded and intalled this third party type font. When I print the page, the type appears fine on paper. What is the problem?

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2 replies

Randy Hagan
Community Expert
Randy HaganCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 24, 2023

There are a couple of reasons why this might be, and a quick test to sleuth what's at the root of your issues.

 

Let's start with the test:

 

  1. Open the InDesign file. Save it.
  2. Use the File>Package... menu command to create a package folder. Make sure the check boxes for Copy Fonts, Copy Linked Graphics and Update Graphic Links in Package are selected. Then click the Package button.

 

By definition that "should" include all placed graphics and fonts. This is important, because InDesign by default uses first the relative locations for graphics and fonts on your system and/or network, then an absolute reference to the fonts and graphics within the package folder. Navigate your way to the package folder and see if the folder actually contains your Roman Antique font files inside the Fonts sub-folder.

 

  • If they're not there, your fonts might be provided through a lend-lease service like Adobe Fonts. So while they're "available" for your system, they're only "sorta installed" on your system. That sometimes causes complications like you're experiencing where the sorta installed fonts fire random alerts but print just fine.
  • If they are there, open the file and go back to the File>Package... menu command. Navigate to the Fonts section by clicking on the list to the left of the Package dialog box. If it still shows the fonts as Missing with question marks under the Type and Protected columns, it's likely that your Roman Antique font is a PostScript Type 1 font, which are being excluded by Adobe applications as the company retires the format, and/or are copyright restricted by the type house from packaging the font.

 

The second option, that the fonts are protected from packaging, are pretty unlikely but possible. The first option, that the font is a PostScript Type 1 and your system is firing up alerts because Adobe doesn't want operators to use retired Type 1 fonts anymore is the far more likely issue. The best way to get around that is to find OpenType (Adobe's newer and authorized font standard) or TrueType versions of the font and use them instead.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Randy

R
rschlegelAuthor
Inspiring
July 24, 2023
Thanks.

I checked the status of the font in the Fonts section of the Package
feature. I did this in a few chapter files, and found different statuses.

In one chapter 1, I found:
Type: ???
Status: Missing
Protected: ???

In another chapter 2, I found:
Type: TrueType
Status: OK
Protected: ???

IF the font in chapter 2 is fine, Is there a way to copy this font from
chapter 2 to chapter 1?

If not, what should I do?

Ron
Randy Hagan
Community Expert
Randy HaganCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 24, 2023

Are both chapters alerting on the same font? Generally, if you're getting two different reports, that generally means that you have two different fonts. Like I said, if you're seeing question marks for both the type and the status, I'd suspect that you have at least one instance of using a PostScript font.

 

When you look at the packaged files in the two font folders, do they have the same name? The same file suffix? When you print those two chapters, do they show the same error alerts? Are you using a Mac or a Windows system? Are you using any font management utilities? When you look at the font list from InDesign with a new document, does the list have two references for your Roman Antique font? What you see, and share with us after you see, will help determine what course of action may help  you.

 

Hopefully we can sleuth this problem in detail and get you past your issues.

 

Randy

D. Schulte
D. Schulte
Participating Frequently
July 24, 2023

Can you provide further infos about the installed font?

Did you try to also put the font files in a "Document fonts" folder on the same level of your InDesign-document?

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