FrameMaker crucial Font issue when building PDF

[SWXMH]

Hey guys,

it seems FrameMaker has an issue with building PDF with several fonts (left out in PDF). We're trying to fix that issue for a couple of weeks now and it looks like FM can't handle fonts with bigger names such as "Segoe UI Variable Small Semibol" "Bahnschrift SemiLight SemiConde[...]" "Open Sans SemiCondensed SemiBol[...]". Is there any fix for this? Perhaps it works for other users? As we rely on the Open Sans fonts (official google fonts) this is critical for us 😞 Building PDF with these fonts using other tools (Word etc.) works perfectly.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

What version of FM? What method of creating PDFs?

[SWXMH]

Version: 17.0.0.226; PDF built via [Esc f w p]; also tried via print menu

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I don't recall if that's the most recent patched version of FM2022; you might see if there are updates available. I think that escape combo is the Publish route, right? (haven't got FM open right now). If neither Publish nor Print to Adobe PDF printer instance are working, it might be something to do with the font & what type they are.

[SWXMH]

They are .ttf fonts. Other fonts of the family work (installed them properly as a package), just these mentioned ones with a long name don't.

[Winfried Reng]

Hi,

I also use the Google Open Sans font and have an issue with it:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/framemaker-discussions/en-dash-in-open-sans-light-italic-in-pdf-repla...

https://tracker.adobe.com/#/view/FRMAKER-13807

In the Adobe Tracker my issue is reported as fixed, although it isn't.

But perhaps yours is fixed with the newest update 17.0.3?

It would help, if you describe your issue in more detail.

Best regards, Winfried

[Bob_Niland]

Are these "Variable" fonts?
If so, I'm not sure if FM supports those yet.
Using the Publish output path would be worth a try.

[Bob_Niland]

re: Segoe UI Variable Small Semibol…

Microsoft re-issued Segoe as a Variable font (OpenType Variations, OTVF) at some point in the recent past, and unless FM has been updated to support Variables, I'd expect problems.

I don't know if it's possible to revert to the pre-Variable instance, nor if the download includes a sub-directory with static instances, not if there are any utilities for casting a static instance.

[SWXMH]

We use them in .ttf. Also this shouldn't apply to all mentioned fonts?

[Bob_Niland]

re: We use them in .ttf. Also this shouldn't apply to all mentioned fonts?

The .TTF filename extension, alas, doesn't seem to unambiguously identify the file data structure. It could be a legacy 8-bit font, a static Unicode font, or an OTF variable, as far as I can tell.

What I'd like to see on the thread is some remarks from Adobe FM marketing or R&D on the state of support for variable fonts.

And there's a wider font issue in FM that I don't think is in play here, which is that no "Unicode" versions of FM, from FM8 to FM2022, support any code points above U+FFFF, the Supplementary Planes (FRMAKER-10976). I have a have couple of such fonts on my machine, and FM doesn't seem to mind as long as I stick with BMP code points.

[FrameMaker-dk]

What makes you think it is the length of the fonts names that is the culprit?

And what happens that shouldn't happen? Don't you get pdf at all or is the font replaced with another font? What kind of process are you using for generating the pdf?

[SWXMH]

All questions already answered:

I noticed all other fonts of the families work perfectly except the ones with the longest name.

"PDF built via [Esc f w p]; also tried via print menu"

Fonts are "left out in PDF" --> blank spots. I attached screenshots that show the problem.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I'd update your version & try again. If it still isn't working, contact the FM folks - see https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/enterprise-support.other.html#framemaker for your Adobe Support options. I'd recommend using the tcssup@adobe.com e-mail address as it reaches a team dedicated to Technical Communication Suite products including FrameMaker.

[SWXMH]

I updated  to newest version. Also tried building via adobe distiler in PDF settings for print enabled, as well. No success yet. Contacted the support, thank you

[FrameMaker-dk]

Ok - thank you for the clarification. If you like, you can send me one of the trouble fonts and I shall check whether I am able to reproduce the error. That may help us figure out whether it is a local problem or something generally related to FrameMaker.    info@framemaker.dk

[SWXMH]

I recommend getting the Google Fonts "Open Sans" from the official publishing; license is free to use. Open Sans SemiCondensed SemiBol[...] is the troubled one

https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Open+Sans?query=open+sans

[FrameMaker-dk]

I have downloaded and installed the OpenSans font packaged and printed to Microsoft PDF. And that seemed to work. Not Adobe PDF, though

[FrameMaker-dk]

Ok - I have tried a number of different "Adobe based" ways now and will have to conclude, as you did. that something is wrong. I am not really sure it is the length of the font names, but I do get the same results as you do. Some of the variables work when you are not using Distiller, and if you ARE using Distiller, nothing works.

Printing to PDF using Microsoft PDF seems to work ok, and I guess some other PDF drivers probably will also work. Might be worth looking into. Microsofts PDF driver is not supersmart, but it does work pretty well, in my experience.

[SWXMH]

Thanks for testing! Adobe support agrees and is on it. Will share news if there is a fix.