Problems with bold l in filled out printed pdf forms

Report · May 31, 2019

I created forms in InDesign (Mac) and exported the entire document to an interactive PDF. When tested, the forms work fine for me both onscreen and when filled out, saved and printed. However my client is on a PC and when she fills the forms out, saves and then prints the document through Reader, the "l"s throughout the document are all printing bold (not just in the fields she has typed in). Meanwhile it looks fine to her on screen!

I can't replicate the issue on my printer, but if it is happening on hers, it will happen elsewhere and this is not acceptable (her national sales team is using the forms to create proposals and print them). I've never had this happen before and strongly suspect a bug. It's apparently something to do with reader and/or me making the forms in InDesign? I usually make them directly in Acrobat.

Here is a photo of her printout (with confidential text blocked out) it seems to effect the small thin type the most.

Help please! Jennifer

Message was edited by: Jennifer Wagner to add example

Report · Jun 01, 2019

Make absolutely sure that all fonts are properly embedded when you create the PDF. It looks to me as if the "l" (lowercase L) character (and most likely the "I" (uppercase i) as well are replaced by an outline.

A cross-check would be to export the document without the fields, and see if you get better results, Then add fields and logic in Acrobat.

Report · Jun 02, 2019

Thank you! I suspected the outlining situation as well--however, I can't replicate the problem here, whether printed from my Mac, or from my laptop PC, via Reader DC or Pro. So each time I modify something, I have to wait for my client to test the docs on her end to see if they print correctly. I work remotely, so troubleshooting is challenging and I'm sure the back and forth is annoying/considered poor service by my client who depends on me to get the files right in the first place.

Your suggestion about recreating the forms in Acrobat confirms the idea I had after I posted this question, and before I saw your suggestion. I sent my client a new PDF file with forms created this way and hopefully that will print normally when they test again on Monday. It was the only way I could think of to truly solve the problem, since this is the first time I've set up forms in InDesign. I will post here to confirm if this works in case others run into the same problem.

Lastly, how do I ensure fonts are embedded on interactive PDFs when exporting from InDesign? I assumed that fully embedding fonts was automatic since there is no specific setting to adjust when exporting. I avoid outlining type like the plague LOL. Thanks again!

Report · Jun 03, 2019

OK, client confirmed that the forms I created in Acrobat worked fine. She also mentioned that she wasn't actually printing to a printer--but to a PDF (ack) which makes so much more sense now. Some kind of outlining issue when she makes the pdf, but that is what all the sales people do, so the file has to be able to withstand that.