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johan_9577
johan_9577
Participant
May 29, 2026
Question

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

  • May 29, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 1 view

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

    1 reply

    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    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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