MICR Font problem

[Case0535]

Hey Guys-

I have a problem.  I am using a Mac.  When I import data from an excel spreadsheet that has check data into my InDesign file, the 'A' and the 'C' characters never import.  I get a box eith the 'X' in it. The font is MICR Standard.  On our PCs this proccess is accomplished using XMpie.  And, those characters are impoted with no problem at all.

I am using InDesign and Data Merge.  The work around is to remove those two characters in the spreadsheet and then enter them into the art.  Then when I do my data merge everything works.

However, I don't understand why those characters are being ignored.

Does anyone have an idea why this would be happening?

-C

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

MICR is meant for digits and a few control symbols, not text. I know there are/were some fonts that had a full set for design purposes, but you might simply be outrunning the content or mapping of what is essentially a symbol font.

Have you looked to see if the glyphs are mapped in a standard manner? And complete?

[Case0535]

I'm not really sure.  I can see the various elements of this font when i look in the glyphs panel. And, I can see those characters.  There are 3 of 4 charcters that are part of this font.  It is specific to banking and checks and such, so it's a pretty unique font.  I just don't understand why it works on PCs but is failing on a Mac.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I can't say for sure, but I'd bet it boils down to a mapping issue. As I said, it's one of those odd fonts and using anything outside of its core glyphs might be a crapshoot.

I've been using MICR since it was still printed in magnetic ink. If you're using it for anything but the check edge numbers, you might want to reconsider the design. 

[Case0535]

That's exactly what we use it for. We still run it using magnetic ink too.
-C

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Interesting. You use symbols other than digits and the three or four control marks? Is it those you're having trouble with?

I thought magnetic ink was gone, the system all using OCR instead. 

[Case0535]

No.  We only use those 3 or 4 characters and the numbers.  I think those characters align to 'A, C, etc.  However, if I use the glyph panel to insert them and then change the font to arial or something easily reqognizable, those charcter don't show up.  But in Excel, those characters are A and C.

OCR is used just about everywhere now.  We may be one of the fewe places that still use it. ;op

[Case0535]

No. It's just those control characters and numbers.
I guess I'm confusing things. I'll try to explain it better.

We get our data from a spreadsheet that has a column dedicated to typical routing & account #s, etc..
A control character is the first position, then the routing #, then the control character and so on.

In the spreadsheet, those control characters are represented by an 'A' at the beginning and the end of that sequence of numbers. Then a 'C' and the second sequence of numbers, then another 'C'.
When using XMPie, that data gets pulled into our art file.
Those 'A's and 'C's get turned into the correct controlling characters.
Just like what you see on a check.

However, if I use data merge, then those two control characters don't get pulled in. I have to enter those manually. So, I have to go back to the spread sheet and remove the control characters and save that as a different file so I don't screw up things for the PCs on our network.

I'm just trying to figure out why I have to enter those character manually when it's not required on the PC side of things.
I hope this explains it better.

BTW. This used to work five or six years ago.
-C

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I'd have to go look (not sure I have MICR anywhere in my font sets... oh wait, I do, several in fact. So MICR13 by BT as my sample (not sure I have the same one as you're using). It has only 0-9 and four control characters.

So I don't know if A and C organically map to those characters in your font, but they don't in this one. They're in slots 14-17.

So I'd guess that the A and C in Excel are simply markers, which are converted to the correct glyphs in the merge. If that's the case, I am not surprised that things have changed over system and version updates. It may be possible to rewrite the merge so that it correctly interprets (or changes, on the fly) those control markers, on both platforms.

[Case0535]

Looks like my font is mapped in the same slot.

I'll look into seeing how to rewite a merge.  I didn't even know that was possible.

Thanks-

-C