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johan_9577
johan_9577
Participant
May 29, 2026
Answered

Will text created using Variable Concept Fonts ever be correctly encoded in the PDF glyph to unicode table

  • May 29, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 36 views

If I create a PDF from Illustrator and InDesign and the file uses a Variable Concept font, that text is not legible in the resulting PDF. It looks ok visually but copy/paste or text extraction by other means is no long possible. Will Adobe see that as a bug or is this just how it is with those types of fonts.

I also haven’t seen a workaround to disable the fonts to prevent accidental usage. I have added a simple test just to show the issue (you can try to copy/paste “06”, it won’t work)

Thankful for any input,

Johan

    Correct answer Anand Sri Bhattacharya

    Hello @johan_9577,


    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out. We're sorry for the trouble you had.


    Thanks for sharing the test and clear description. What you’re seeing is a known limitation of how variable fonts interact with PDF generation, rather than something specific to your file setup. Please note that Variable fonts are supported in Illustrator/InDesign, but not as native font types in PDF. Adobe apps let you use variable fonts and define custom instances (weight, width, etc.). However, when exporting to PDF, those variable fonts are converted into derived instances (static snapshots) rather than preserved as true variable fonts.


    PDF text is not stored as Unicode text by default:

    • A PDF stores glyph IDs + font encoding, not plain Unicode text.

    • For copy/paste to work, the PDF must include a correct ToUnicode mapping table.

    Where things break (your exact symptom):

    • With some variable (especially “concept”) fonts, the generated instance can:

      • Use non-standard or remapped glyph IDs

      • Or produce incomplete/incorrect ToUnicode mappings

    Variable fonts are not fully supported by the PDF specification itself, so behavior like this can occur.


    Suggestions/Workarounds:


    Option 1: Use static font versions (recommended)

    • Replace the variable font with its static OpenType instances (e.g., Regular, Bold)

    • This ensures:

      • Proper embedding

      • Correct Unicode mapping for extraction


    Option 2: Convert text to outlines

    • In Illustrator:
      Type > Create Outlines

    • In InDesign:
      Type > Create Outlines


    Option 3: Test full font embedding (limited impact)

    • In InDesign Export:

      • File > Export > Adobe PDF (Print)

      • Go to Advanced

      • Set Subset fonts when percent of characters used is less than: 0%


    About disabling these fonts (your other question): There is currently no built‑in Adobe setting to globally block or warn against variable font usage in Illustrator/InDesign.


    I hope this helps, and let us know if you need any assistance.

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

    3 replies

    johan_9577
    johan_9577Author
    Participant
    June 26, 2026

    left blank intentionally, double sent reply

    johan_9577
    johan_9577Author
    Participant
    June 26, 2026

    Thanks Anand for the detailed answer, and for the proposed workarounds.
    I have read the PDF specification and to me it looks like it’s perfectly possible to create a PDF with correct ToUnicode mappings, since the Variable font is anyway converted into a static font subset, like any other font that is embedded as a subset, but that many PDF creators have not implemented it yet.

    Best regards

    Johan
     

      Anand Sri Bhattacharya
      Community Manager
      Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      June 26, 2026

      Hello ​@johan_9577 

       

      Thanks for the thoughtful follow-up. Once the variable instance is flattened to a static subset on export, it is just an embedded subset font like any other, and the PDF specification (ISO 32000) fully supports a correct ToUnicode CMap for it. So there is no spec-level barrier to clean text extraction here.

      The accurate way to put it: the format allows correct mapping, and the gap is on the producer side, where the export path is not writing a complete or correct ToUnicode CMap for these derived instances.

       

      You can log a feature request with the teams for consideration.

      Acrobat: https://acrobat.uservoice.com/

      Illustrator: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/

      InDesign: https://indesign.uservoice.com/

       

      Thanks for reading the spec closely and sharing the details.

      Regards,

      Anand Sri.

       

       

      johan_9577
      johan_9577Author
      Participant
      June 26, 2026

      Thanks Anand, that sums it up :) so Adobe has just not bothered to implement it.

      Anand Sri Bhattacharya
      Community Manager
      Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      May 29, 2026

      Hello @johan_9577,


      I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out. We're sorry for the trouble you had.


      Thanks for sharing the test and clear description. What you’re seeing is a known limitation of how variable fonts interact with PDF generation, rather than something specific to your file setup. Please note that Variable fonts are supported in Illustrator/InDesign, but not as native font types in PDF. Adobe apps let you use variable fonts and define custom instances (weight, width, etc.). However, when exporting to PDF, those variable fonts are converted into derived instances (static snapshots) rather than preserved as true variable fonts.


      PDF text is not stored as Unicode text by default:

      • A PDF stores glyph IDs + font encoding, not plain Unicode text.

      • For copy/paste to work, the PDF must include a correct ToUnicode mapping table.

      Where things break (your exact symptom):

      • With some variable (especially “concept”) fonts, the generated instance can:

        • Use non-standard or remapped glyph IDs

        • Or produce incomplete/incorrect ToUnicode mappings

      Variable fonts are not fully supported by the PDF specification itself, so behavior like this can occur.


      Suggestions/Workarounds:


      Option 1: Use static font versions (recommended)

      • Replace the variable font with its static OpenType instances (e.g., Regular, Bold)

      • This ensures:

        • Proper embedding

        • Correct Unicode mapping for extraction


      Option 2: Convert text to outlines

      • In Illustrator:
        Type > Create Outlines

      • In InDesign:
        Type > Create Outlines


      Option 3: Test full font embedding (limited impact)

      • In InDesign Export:

        • File > Export > Adobe PDF (Print)

        • Go to Advanced

        • Set Subset fonts when percent of characters used is less than: 0%


      About disabling these fonts (your other question): There is currently no built‑in Adobe setting to globally block or warn against variable font usage in Illustrator/InDesign.


      I hope this helps, and let us know if you need any assistance.

      Regards,

      Anand Sri.

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