Embedding fonts used in a source Framemaker file in the final PDF

[Spectrum Writing]

A client has a mandatory font, Roboto, that I must use to produce their manual suite. I have downloaded and installed these fonts in C:\Windows\Fonts, and I have made sure to activate this font in my Adobe Fonts account. (From the Adobe site: Roboto is available via an open source license. You're free to use it with your Adobe Fonts account just as you would any other font in the Adobe Fonts library.). I am using FM2019 to produce the documents.

As this is not a font that some users might have on their systems, I want to embed the fonts in any PDF that I produce for this suite, but when I go to set a job options file w/ these specific fonts embedded, the fonts are NOT listed in the available fonts list. I cannot find anything about Roboto having/not having the correct marks for being embedded, so for now, I have resorted to Pre-Flighting the PDF after production: (If you have Adobe Acrobat XI Professional (not Standard) you can embed fonts available on your system using Preflight tool and Embed Fonts profile under PDF fixups.)

But this is one extra processing step that I really don't want to have to remember. .. I would much prefer setting the embedding in a job options file and bada bing, bada boom. . . one and done!

If anyone has any insight, can offer advice about how to get these fonts embedded through job options vs. pre-flighting, I would be most appreciative. I have googled Roboto and embedding until my fingers have bled, but I am coming up with zilch.

[Bob_Niland]

No instant insight on the problem, but these might matter:
From what site did you download the font (Adobe, Google, other)
Was it provided as TTF, Type1 or OTF?

[Bob_Niland]

re: A client has a mandatory font, Roboto…

Whenever I've had to deal with a client-mandated typeface, one not standard in Ps or Windows, they always provided TTF or PFB/PFM font files (and usually both formats — this is in days of yore, of course). What happened here?

Expecting a project contributor to source their own "mandatory" fonts is a great way to derail the schedule.

[LinSims]

I've found that when I have the same font activated through Adobe Fonts AND installed on my system, or only available through Adobe Fonts, they couldn't be embedded. 

What worked for me was disabling Adobe Fonts entirely and installing them locally (downloaded from Google Fonts, as I recall).

My suspicion is that Adobe products default to using the Adobe Fonts if they're enabled and won't look for them locally,  but that the font has to live on your local system in order to be embedded and Adobe Fonts, of course, are not on your local system. I'm far from an Acrobat expert, though so I could be oh, so very wrong.

[Spectrum Writing]

I downloaded from Google, and I have tried deactivating the fonts in my Adobe library and loading locally, activating the fonts, . . . every iteration possible and still no joy. I am at a complete loss at this point. I just don't know why they are not showing up in Distiller.

I might uninstall the fonts, leave the fonts deactivated in Adobe and reinstall and try that, but all that makes me think of is Dov's (in)famous "uninstallheimers/reinstallheimers" statement.

I am open to more suggestions.

Thanks!

TVB

[LinSims]

Distiller? I go into Print Setup, click Properties next to the Adobe PDF printer, and change it in the joboptions file. (Pardon the red blotches, the joboptions file has my company's name in it.)

[Spectrum Writing]

Hi Lin,

I print to ps w/in Framemaker and then have watched folders set up in Distiller to distill to a PDF. You can create a job options file there as well. The attached graphic shows how I do this. I can then select this job options file.

 

But, no matter what I try, I cannot get Roboto fonts to appear in the list of embeddable fonts . .  and they have been downloaded from Google and loaded locally in C:\Windows\Fonts. And I have not found any information to indicate that these fonts cannot be embedded.

Thanks!

TVB

[LinSims]

Well, nuts. I don't know, then. I use Save As PDF, myself.

@Dov Isaacs, do you know?

[Dov Isaacs · Accepted solution]

Hmmmm. Someone is quoting me and using my name in vain? Hi TVB! 😉

In fact, the Roboto font family is an open source font available from Google fonts, available at https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Roboto?preview.text_type=custom. in OpenType TTF format. There is no official version of the Roboto family in OpenType CFF format (i.e., Type 1 Bezier outlines as opposed to OpenType TTF Quadratic outlines). That being the case, my personal advice is to absolutely not use Roboto via the Adobe Fonts Service. If you have already Roboto fonts via the Adobe Fonts Service, deactivate ASAP (and preferably, turn off the Adobe Fonts service entirely from the Creative Cloud desktop application). Get out of FrameMaker, reboot your system, download the fonts from Google (per the URL above), right click on the fonts you want to install selecting Install for All Users (the details of this last step are critically important). Assuming you didn't try installing via a link, the fonts should be available to all Windows applications including FrameMaker and Distiller. (FWIW, I would strongly recommend direct PDF export from FrameMaker as opposed to the distillation of PostScript method!) For joboptions, make sure you use embed all fonts (subsetted).

Let me know whether this works out for you! (Sorry, but I don't have a copy of FrameMaker here on my home system to try this out on personally!)

[Spectrum Writing]

Hi Dov,

As usual, you ride to me rescue. And I would NEVER use your name in vain - only with the greatest of admiration and affection! I will follow your instructions later today and let you know ASAP if all is OK - which I am sure it will be as you have never steered me or anyone else wrong when it comes to such matters.

TVB

[Spectrum Writing]

Bada bing, bada boom. . . thank you Dov. All is right in my font world now.

TVB