Skip to main content
Participant
May 20, 2023
Answered

How to install Tex fonts on illustrator properly (Mac OS)

  • May 20, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 3342 views

I was aware that TeX math fonts in cm family e.g. cmmi10 is not natively supported by illustrator. I frequently ran into problems that figures I made using python script with TeX fonts can't be correctly loaded into illustrator, which is understandable.

Previously I remember that on one of my macbook I copied the TeX font files (pfm and pfb) under the folder

/usr/local/texlive/2023/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm

into the adobe font folder 

/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts

and illustrator would recognize the TeX math fonts correctly. 

 

Now I got a new macbook and I tried the same thing, but it just doesn't work anymore. I also tried the cm ttf files got from CTAN and install to mac system font book under folder

/Users/XXX/Library/Fonts

but it's just not the same, and the font looks different from the tex font from texlive, even though they have the same name.

 

So I want to ask what is the proper way to install these fonts from texlive onto the adobe illustrator on my computer? Is there like an extra step I have to do to activate them? I am sure it should work because on my old macbook it works, with the same version of illustrator 2023 and those font files I got from the texlive folder, I just could not remember exactly how I did it, and it seems to be more than a simple copy & paste of files between folders. 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Brad @ Roaring Mouse

You will want to replace your fonts with OpenType versions. Try here: https://ctan.org/tex-archive/fonts/cm/ps-type1/bakoma/otf

 

3 replies

Brad @ Roaring Mouse
Community Expert
Brad @ Roaring MouseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
May 20, 2023

You will want to replace your fonts with OpenType versions. Try here: https://ctan.org/tex-archive/fonts/cm/ps-type1/bakoma/otf

 

Legend
May 20, 2023

PFM/PFB is a type 1 font. Support has ended.

Participant
May 20, 2023

Thanks for the reply! In that case does it mean it's simply an illustrator version difference? If I roll back to a previous version it would work again? If I want to use the up to date version, is there an alternative font type I can use but it's the same math font essentially?

Participant
May 20, 2023

I also noticed that now from Jan illustrator pops up this notification that type-1 font won't be supported, I am not sure if that's the issue cause my old computer also has this pop-up but the amsfonts can still be correctly displayed.