How stable is InDesign when using variable fonts and actually varying them?

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
September 30, 2024
2 replies
364 views

I have been experimenting with variable fonts with ID 19.5. How stable is InDesign with variable fonts? I am encountering weird things, like, say, having a style that is now Optima, changing it to Commissioner with Flare (Flair they call it themselves) 100 and InDesign trying to set Flare on Optima and then complaining that the fonts is unavailable (duh). And I've seen other weird things. Like setting Flare to 100 and as a result InDesign also changes Weight.

So are there people who have done a decent amount of using variantion on variable fonts and had no trouble at all (my situation is — again — special)? Or do people have comparable experiences?

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Mike Witherell

Community Expert

I have played with a few variable fonts, but I haven't really leaned into them with any demanding project. But based on the number of user questions on this forum, I am inclined to stay away from heavy use of VF until the whole thing behaves more rock solidly. A new version of InDesign is often introduced during the upcoming MAX show, so maybe the underpinning support of VF will be better? Of course, faults might just as well be in the individual VF font itself.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

And while you are experimenting, are you making sure that only a paragraph style is supplying the control? Are you certain that a character style is not also interfering? It should be set to None for your selected paragraph of text.

Mike Witherell

G

Gerben WierdaAuthor

Inspiring

I was doing things like changing all fonts (including styles) from one to another. I..e change everything Cabin to Geological with sharpness (variable property) set to 50.

But lo and behold, I though my only problem was with ID hanging (https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/is-there-anyone-from-adobe-who-can-help-me-regarding-id-bug-424115-id-hangs/m-p/14848582). So I had some help and decided, it must be Ophian triggering this hang after all (software shouldn't hang in any circumstance, it should be robust), but in my document changed to no Ophian whatsoever I have now been able to get ID to hang at 100% CPU by changing the basic font from 10pt Commissioner to 9.5pt and regular to thin. And I hadn't even touched variable font settings yet.

Given my experience with ID over the last year or so, my picture of IDs innards is close to 'junk' status.

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