Character encoding error

[defaultyt4gry6pm9mh]

In a report document I have created there are graphs which I designed in illustrator and imported as eps files into the indesign file. Our brand uses the font 'realist' and the stylistic set one. When I run an accessibilty check this is flagging up a character encoding error, but only with the labels in the graphs. The rest of the copy in indesign itself is fine. I have made sure fonts are emdedded when saving the graph files. I don't really want to have the graphs copied and pasted from illustrator into indesign, nor do i want to use a different font. Has anyone found a solution to this problem please?

[S. S]

Hi @defaultyt4gry6pm9mh,

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for the trouble, and the delayed response.

In case you are still looking for a solution, here are some potential steps to resolve this issue without changing your font or copying/pasting the graphs:

Ensure Fonts Are Embedded in EPS Files: Sometimes Illustrator might not embed fonts correctly, especially if stylistic sets are in use, or if the font uses certain OpenType features.

Solution: In Illustrator, double-check the font embedding settings when exporting your EPS:

• When exporting the EPS file, make sure you are using Type 3 (or PostScript Type 1) font embedding in the export settings, especially for non-TrueType fonts like Realist.
• Alternatively, try exporting as PDF instead of EPS and then importing that into InDesign to see if it resolves the encoding issue.

Convert Text to Outlines in Illustrator: One effective solution to avoid font issues entirely is to convert the text in Illustrator into outlines before exporting the file as an EPS. This ensures that the text is treated as vector shapes and will not rely on font embedding when imported into InDesign.

Solution:

• In Illustrator, select the text in your graphs and go to Type > Create Outlines. This will convert the text into paths, and the character encoding issue should be resolved because the text is no longer dependent on the font being available in InDesign.

Note: The downside of this approach is that the text will no longer be editable as text in Illustrator, but if you're okay with that, it should work well for the accessibility check and prevent the encoding error.

Check the Use of Stylistic Sets: Stylistic sets in OpenType fonts can sometimes cause problems when embedded or used in EPS files. Ensure that the stylistic set features you’re using in Realist are supported and do not conflict with the EPS or InDesign’s accessibility check.

Solution:

• Instead of relying on the stylistic set in Illustrator when creating the graphs, try setting the text to the default form of the font (i.e., without the stylistic set) before exporting the EPS. This will help ensure compatibility during the import into InDesign and prevent potential encoding issues.
• If stylistic sets are essential, consider using InDesign's native font styles (rather than in Illustrator) to create the text in the graph, so the font management is handled directly within InDesign.

Rasterize the Graph in Illustrator: If you're still having trouble with font embedding and encoding, another approach is to rasterize the graph entirely in Illustrator, turning it into a non-editable image format.

Solution:

• In Illustrator, after designing your graph, select the entire graph and go to Object > Rasterize. Choose a high resolution (like 300 DPI) and save the result as a TIFF, PNG, or JPEG.
• Import this rasterized image into InDesign as an image file. Since the text will now be part of the image, the accessibility check in InDesign should no longer flag any issues with font embedding or character encoding.

Hope this helps.

-Souvik

[defaultyt4gry6pm9mh]

Hello, 

Thanks for your detailed reply. In the end I had to use the incorrect stylistic set for this. I tried exporting as a pdf rather than an eps but this still gave problems on the accessibility check. 

Outlining the text is not an option I'm afraid, as although this will pass the accessibility check, I am trying to achieve a pdf that works for people with accessibility needs, outlining fonts renders this useless to screen readers etc. Equally the same issues with rasterizing the graph. 

It woudl be good if adobe could work on a solution that meant differnt stylistic sets of a font avaible from adobe, did not producing character encoding errors in the pdf. 

Thanks again. 

Claire

[JR Boulay]

Even if you I don't want to have the graphs copied and pasted from illustrator into indesign, you should try it.