Composite Font Editor – any tips and tricks?

[Sam A.]

Hi

I keep running into the problem that I need to use a high quality font, but it lacks a handful of certain characters. So for my current project I'm planning to try using InDesign's Composite Font Editor to add these characters from different fonts to the main font.

The problem is I fail to find any dos and dont's about the Composite Font Editor – none of my InDesign books mention composite fonts, and here on the forum there is only scattered information to be found about them (unless I'm missing the obvious). I can't even find anything via InDesign's Help menu. (A blog entry somewhere devoted to the Composite Font Editor would be nice ...)

What interests me are basics: Do you have any general recommendations on how to work with the Composite Font Editor? Do users experience any problems when handling InDesign files with text set in composite fonts? Do you have to be wary of any particular print setting when preparing prepress printing PDF files? Any tips and tricks would be appreciated.

I use InDesign CC 2018 13.1.1 (English/Hebrew) on macOS Mojave.

[Steve Werner]

This thread may help you:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/composite-fonts-for-western-indesign/td-p/10864540?page=1

[Sam A.]

Thanks Steve, this is one of the few threads I have found with info on the Composite Font Editor. But I'd like to know more ...

Perhaps my core question is this: What is the difference between a normal font file and a composite font file? The answer to this would explain where it is saved, how I can reuse it with other projects or on other computers, if there is a limit of characters I add to the composite font (does it slow down performance?), etc.

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi Samar1234,

maybe this article by Marc Autret will help you as well to understand the background:

https://www.indiscripts.com/post/2013/07/fontmixer-extend-typefaces-in-indesign

Note 1: Unfortunately there is a "broken" link in Marc's article because a lot of threads in the old Adobe InDesign Scripting forum were not transferred to this new forum last year.

Note 2: It seems that the script FontMixer will not work with the ME ( Middle-East) version of InDesign. For whatever reason. Did not and cannot test it with any ME version of InDesign.

Also see into page 27pp of this PDF:

http://in-tools.com/downloads/docs/WorldToolsProCS5.pdf

Well, and in Harb's PDF there is a hint that a composite font will not work with a Document fonts folder.

But this was with InDesign CS5. Did not test anything, but maybe that changed during the last 10 years?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Sam A.]

Thank you Uwe, much appreciated.

If I understand InDesign's terminology correctly, my CC 2018 13.1.1 (English/Hebrew) version is not the same as the previous ME version (which I used to use). So maybe the restrictions you mention don't apply ...

It seems to me that FontMixer does roughly the same as the Composite Font editor. (I tried using IndyFont, which is said to be very simple, a few years ago but failed embarrassingly.)

So maybe one last question is, where are composite fonts saved? I may prepare a composite font for a particular project and wish to use it in another project again. How will I achieve that?

[Sheena Kaul]

Hi there,

I'm hoping that the issue is resolved for you. 

If any of the above-mentioned solutions or suggestions helped, please mark them correct.

If not, do let us know so that we can assist you further.

Regards,

Sheena