How to Use the Discontinued Electra Font in InDesign

[artomis]

I have a poetry group dead set on using the Electra font for their book I'm creating in 
inDesign. Is has been discontinued by Adobe since January 2023 as it is a type 1 font. If they were to purchase it for me, would i still be able to use it? Wouldnt it still be a type 1 font which Adobe says can no longer be used in inDesign? I dont know what to tell them. Does anyone know?

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[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Electra is not and never was exclusive to Adobe. It was designed in 1935.

Search for a compatible TTF or OTF family you can acquire and install. Licensing etc. is your concern.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

https://www.myfonts.com/collections/electra-font-linotype?srsltid=AfmBOoqdvLKF9TvlWEpdQLrrVKTCB6yKMv...

[rob day]

Hi @artomis , The Linotype version @Robert at ID-Tasker linked to is an OTF font, so it will work with any version of InDesign.

If your poetry group owns the Adobe ElectraLH Type 1 version it can be converted to OTF. More here:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/ende-der-unterst%C3%BCtzung-f%C3%BCr-ps-type-1-f...

[artomis]

Thank you so much, Rob, for your helpful answer. I will pass this on to the group.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

As mentioned by others, Electra has been upgraded to OpenType by the original foundry. It was available as such on the Adobe Font Folios that were available since 2003, but those are no longer available, unless you know someone that has one. Otherwise, as mentioned, your only option is to purchase it from Monotype or through authorized vendors like MyFonts. Yes, there is a cost to it, but it should be worth it even for one project. The letterforms in the OpenType version are identical to the original Type 1 version, so if it's important to match legacy files, this is the way to go. That being said, I believe they have only released a "Std" (Standard version), so it does not have the extended character set/multilanguage support of a "Pro" version like many fonts today, but you will get some more added glyphs (like true small caps) but that's it.

I do have the OT version if you want a comparison of its character set.

[artomis]

Brad, thank you very much for your reply. It's helpful to know all this. I've passed your feedback and Rob's to the group and fingers crossed they will choose a font they don't have to purchase and that will have more glyphs, etc. I really appreciate the response.

[default7wy08eojide3]

Thanks to this thread, I replaced the old Adobe version of Electra from another source. But something is missing: the one I got from Adobe had these cool symbols or glyphs that came with it.  I have them scattered through a manuscript.  But since the glyphs--colophons?--don't come with the font I bought, the glyphs have all been converted into the capital letter "C."  Can those beautiful glyphs be bought too?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@default7wy08eojide3

You can always substitute them with a different font - using CharStyle.

[default7wy08eojide3]

Thank you so much! I actually found a pdf with the symbols I'm looking for.  Is there any way to track these down?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Thank you so much! I actually found a pdf with the symbols I'm looking for.  Is there any way to track these down?

By @default7wy08eojide3

If those are the only two that you need - then you could make a graphics out of them and use as InLine graphic.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

I think those came from another font. I do not see those glyphs in the old Type 1 versions of Electra. They may have indeed been just placed graphics previously. The second glyph in particular is not a very refined shape so I doubt is was part of a font.

If you say the are in a PDF, does it show in the Document Properties what it might be? (You can upload it here if you want us to poke at it)

But, yes, I echo @Robert at ID-Tasker 's advice; just make them into a graphic. However if you open that PDF in Illustrator and it IS a font that's missing, that won't help you much. What you would want to do instead is PLACE that PDF into a new Illustrator document, then Flatten it (Object > Flatten Transparency > Convert All Text to Outlines, then copy out each glyph as a separate file.

[default7wy08eojide3]

Thanks so much!  Very helpful.  There were about ten or twenty total symbols--some angular like those, others curvy--that came with Electra when I bought it.  If they are part of another font, is there a place I can search for symbols like that?  In the meantime, I'll explore your other suggestions.  

[default7wy08eojide3]

Never mind!  I looked in document properties and found that the symbols are Caravan LH-Two.  Many thanks!!!!

[default7wy08eojide3]

See: https://www.fontsmarket.com/font-details/caravan-lh-two