Outline Object FX and font

[sPretzel]

Hi,

Once you apply Outline Object FX to type (via the Appearance panel), is it possible to have the actual font go to print, rather than the outlined font, which is a vector representation of the characters? If so, how?

Thanks.

[Mylenium]

Without any specific info what stuff is actually applied to the type nobody can answer that, but to be honest I'm kinda stumped why this is even a question. If whatever you did to the type were expressible as an editable font AI would already retain it plus having stuff as vectors isn't half as bad. Imagine the mess if AI treated it all als flattened pixel art... So with all respect, you have to make an effort to actually explain why you think your outlines are bad and what the specific use case is that would favor editbale font data to be rasterized on the printer.

Mylenium

[sPretzel]

Hi Mylenium. Simply type a few characters and apply Outline Object FX to it. Nothing else. Convert to PDF (and choose to embed the fonts) and you will see that there is no embedded font in the PDF document. So even though AI keeps the font live, it does not remain in the PDF. If you happen to have another instance of the same font in the document, only without outline this time, then you may see a difference between the two instance (font vs. outline). This is why I would like to keep the font somehow, even though I apply Outline Object FX to it and further transformations which affect its position. There is no rasterisation here, only font and vector.

Perhaps I can rephrase my question like this: when you apply Outline Object to type, as an Effect via the Appearance panel, is it possible to embed that font when saving from AI to PDF (as opposed to saving a vector version of the type in PDF)?

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

that‘s how outline object is supposed to work. In the PDF part of the file all effects are expanded automatically. so the only way to have the text not outlined is to not apply outline object

[sPretzel]

Hi Monika,

Thanks for your reply. What do you mean by "in the PDF part of the file"? Are you inferring that I can see what ends up being expanded directly within AI (without the need to convert to PDF)? If so, how can I see that?

Up to today (!), I assumed that the Outline Object FX kept the font all the way to PDF/EPS. I discovered that it is not so and that it only keeps the font live in AI. Would you know of an Adobe document I could read that would further explain how AI handles this (outline and FX) in relation to this topic?

The transformations I apply to the text (outlined and other transforms) end up changing only its position and orientation. As a workaround, and in order to preserve the font in the end, I would like to stick the same text (as font, without FX) right on top of the outlined text, but I am unable to position the text (as font) appropriately.

[Monika Gause]

pdf, eps, ai have 2 parts in their files. I habe a video in my youtube channel about that. i only have my tiny smartphone screen at the moment. the channel is called vektorgarten

[sPretzel]

I'll try to find it, and dust off my German (hopefully, I won't have to).

I suppose this is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpDh8Y7q8yE

I watched it, thanks Monika. I didn't preserve Illustrator editing capabilities on purpose, so I guess there is no AI part in the saved file in my case.

[sPretzel]

Is there no way to "shadow" the type that gets the FX applied to (and that is outlined) by the same type, that stays as font? I thought that Outline Object FX was preserving the object (font here) and acting as creating outlines, without actually creating outlines!

Alternatively, is there a way that the applied FX can be made permanent, preventing any more editing, but preserving the font?

[Monika Gause]

Can you show what you want to do?

[sPretzel]

Hi Monika. Something similar to what I want to do is to: create type (a few characters are enough) with the Type Tool, rotate it (as Transform FX applied to Type), and create a background filled box behind it (with Outline Object applied to Type, and Rectangle shape applied to Characters under Type, all as FX). In the end, I would like to preserve the font.

[Monika Gause]

PLease show.

[sPretzel]

I thought I was going to get away with it. Here is what I described. There is type (letter "r") created with the Type Tool. To that, I apply a rotation (Transform). Then I outline the Type object and create a fill behind the Characters. If I save that to PDF, it becomes vector graphics. I would like to preserve the font so that when I save to PDF, the "r" character remains as font, and all other visual effects are still there. Of course, everything needs to remain in position, as shown in the picture.

[sPretzel]

Any suggestion then or is there no way out? 😕

[Monika Gause]

I eem to remember that the "outline object" made sense in this, but I don't remember what exactly. Can you please link that thread?

[sPretzel]

Hi Monika. It must have been this:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/create-background-fill-for-type-on-a-path/m-p/10654950

and this:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/fx-precedence/m-p/10666284

But I no longer have a path to deal with now, so the scenario is a bit different. The outline object makes sense, my problem resides in that I want to keep the font when I eventually save as PDF. Other than that, the outline object does exactly what I need here.

[Monika Gause]

If keeping the text live is your primary goal, then the outline object effect makes no sense. So since you do not post the complete picture, this is the only thing I can say about the issue.

[sPretzel]

Yes, it seems we have exhausted the options together in this thread and outline object is out of the window, unfortunately, as I prefer to keep the font. I will look for a workaround, which is likely to be the long-winded hard way. Thanks for your help Monika.

It's funny that you mention "keeping the text live". It's what led me to believe for so long, mistakenly, that this would also preserve the font. I could not find relevant Adobe documentation detailing this topic.