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Hampus5C39
Participant
October 23, 2023
Question

Problem with embedding a font in a interactice and editable PDF

  • October 23, 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 1415 views

Hey! 

I'm having problems with emedding certain fonts in my interactive PDF. My client can't seem to preview or view the font set for the heading. I'm 100% sure that we have the same typefaces installed. 

It seems like Indesign embeds fonts differently depending on wheter you export it as an interactive PDf or the standard way. I built the InDesign file with the tool "Buttons & forms" in order to not have to draw all of the text fields from scratch in Acrobat. I've researched this for far too long and have tried the (Print... -> Edit PDF)-thing and Preflighted the PDF through "Print production" without any luck. 

How can this be solved? 

Thanks in advance. 
/Hampus

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    5 replies

    JR Boulay
    Community Expert
    JR BoulayCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 25, 2023

    "But I don't see any other way than exporting the blank pages I need and then drawing every layout combination in Acrobat. As I mentioned in the other reply I do get ""

    Create all fields in InDesign, just set their type (text, checkbox, etc) and leave all other options as default.

    Then convert to interactive PDF and complete the settings in Acrobat Pro. In particular, the font.

    If there are any changes to the layout, with Acrobat Pro you can "Replace pages" with those of a new PDF, this process leaving all form fields, comments, metadata, etc. intact.

    Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
    JR Boulay
    Community Expert
    JR BoulayCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 25, 2023

    "How is it a feature, if the file it creates malfunctions?"

    This is a question that should be put to the InDesign developers.
    I noticed it a few weeks ago when I made documents with a codebar field using the Code128 font: in the converted PDF none of the fonts used by the form fields* are incorporated.

    When I make a form with InDesign, I usually leave the default InDesign font (Minion) in text fields and replace it with Helvetica in Acrobat Pro via a script, which is why I hadn't noticed it before.

     

    * This only concerns the fonts set for fields in InDesign's "Buttons and Forms" panel, not the layout.

    Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
    JR Boulay
    Community Expert
    JR BoulayCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 24, 2023

    As surprising as it may seem, InDesign does not integrate the fonts used in form fields into the PDF file.

    It's not a bug, it's a feature.

    Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
      try67
      Community Expert
      try67Community Expert
      Community Expert
      October 24, 2023

      How is it a feature, if the file it creates malfunctions?

        try67
        Community Expert
        try67Community Expert
        Community Expert
        October 23, 2023

        The user shouldn't need to have the fonts installed locally. When you select a font for a field it gets fully embedded in the PDF, if its license allows for that. I recommend using Acrobat for creating the fields, though, not InDesign.

        If ID doesn't embed the fonts properly that's a bug with that application, or maybe there's a setting somewhere that enables it. You should ask about that in the ID forum. Acrobat does it automatically for you.

          H
          Hampus5C39Author
          Participant
          October 24, 2023

          I see, I'd rather not have to do it all from scratch in Acrobat though, since the workflow and editing of every textfield would be extremely time consuming, and don't hold the same basis for using grids and precision as through "Buttons & forms".

          But I don't see any other way than exporting the blank pages I need and then drawing every layout combination in Acrobat. As I mentioned in the other reply I do get "Embeded subset" when viewing the fonts tab in Acrobat, it being exported as a print PDF. And I guess that would work and the client would be able to view and print the PDF correctly. But yeah again, no sort of embedding via the interactive PDF export - but having the fields already sorted in Acrobat. 

            JR Boulay
            Community Expert
            JR BoulayCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            October 23, 2023

            You must first ensure that the font's license allows it to be incorporated into a file.

            Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
            H
            Hampus5C39Author
            Participant
            October 24, 2023

            I mean I guess it's a bug because the embedding of the same typeface differs depending on wheter I export it as a Interactive PDF or a Print PDF. 

             

            In the printed export I get (Embeded subset) when viewing the fonts tab in Acrobat. But in the interactive PDF export I get no indication of any sort of embeding. 

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