Weird T3 Font appearing in the exported PDF

[SirLavaMinnt]

Hi, first of all,

After researching quite some time I think it's time to put the question here.

I've been working on a group project in InDesign lately so I have some texts sent to me and directly copied them in. InDeign didn't know some Fonts, so I changed those, but in the end it had no problem. But after exporting it, Acrobat tells me there is an unembedded font (T3Font_0) in the document.

1. If that Font is in the document, why doesn't InDesign know about it (It's litterally not in the list of used Fonts)

2. How can I find out what the source of said Font is or locate it? I've heard taht it can come from Photoshop pictures or pictures in general, but do I really have to control everything seperately? Ain't nobody got time for that.

3. I have been told, that in other programs you can turn off the subgroups of fonts, so they become individual fonts. That appearently worked fo them, os is that a possibilty for my issue aswell and if yes, where do i find that option in InDesign?

Greetings, Martin Bronner

[Willi Adelberger]

Did you place any PDF or EPS with text into InDesign?

[SirLavaMinnt]

EPS - not that I knew

PDF- Yes, as adressed in point 2 I had to place some own pictures and some foreign ads in the document.

But i don't know how to check wether or which one could be the problem

[Luke Jennings]

In Acrobat you can use a Preflight Profile to find type using unembedded fonts. Tools> Print Production> Preflight> Select Single Checks (magnifier icon)> Font> Font not embedded> Analyze (button at bottom right of panel). Turn down the triangle in the report to show all instances of type using unembedded fonts, click the Show button to highlight the type in your PDF.

[SirLavaMinnt]

Ok, I checked it, it sais no font is unembedded, yet when I list the fonts in the document properties (dunno how i's called in english but i think you know what i mean) it still tells me that font is present and unembedded.

Is it irrelevant then? is it just some weird error and I can tell the printing house they can start it without worries?

[Steve Werner]

Rereading your original post, you said: "so I have some texts sent to me and directly copied them in. InDeign didn't know some Fonts, so I changed those, but in the end it had no problem."

I assume you mean copied and pasted, rather than using File > Place, is that correct?

Here's a link which talks about Type 3 fonts which are very old and rare. It appears they are not well supported by current RIPs:

Type 3 fonts | The font format and its usage

"Outputting Type 3 fonts

I have occasionally stumbled across compatibility issues with Type 3 fonts. At some point in time, Adobe even admitted that recent versions of its RIPs may be incompatible with some very old Type 3 fonts. Fortunately Type 3 fonts are hardly used any more so I would not worry too much about them."

[SirLavaMinnt]

The texts I have just copied via ctrl.+C

The pictures with ctrl.+D

[Test Screen Name]

Document properties never says “unembedded” for me. What do you see?

[SirLavaMinnt]

It doesn't say "unembedded", it's just not embedded, leading to the same result: it not being embedded

[Steve Werner]

The bottom line is that it's a very old and non-standard font (dating to the 1980s!). Modern hardware and software may not support it fully. It should not  be used in a modern workflow.

[Test Screen Name]

Ah, you are making the same mistake many people made.

If it says embedded, it is embedded.

Otherwise it says nothing. This can mean two different things

1. The font is used on a page you have seen and is not embedded

2. The font is not used at all, or not used on a page you have looked at; no check is made to see if it is embedded until it is shown.

The bottom line, you CANNOT use File > Properties to see whether a font is not embedded.

[SirLavaMinnt]

So, if this is the case, and I have checked the whole document, it doesn't really exist, thus shouldn't be a problem to print or am I mistaken there?

[Steve Werner]

Do you have anything actually showing this mysterious font? How you would you know if it was supposed to be there, and it's missing on printing?

[SirLavaMinnt]

Well, no I have nothing showing it, else it would be implied by InDesign.

The printer house just told me it's risky

[Steve Werner]

So you have no way of printing a proof of the document before sending it to the printer? That would be the risky part.