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J
JKA@4153
Inspiring
March 8, 2018
Answered

font license warning when exporting to pdf from indesign

  • March 8, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 28637 views

Hi everyone,

I downloaded the fonts at the following url:

Christian Crosses Font | dafont.com

After using one of them in my Indesign file, I tried to export to pdf however it said that there was a problem with the licensing of the font. The above url said that the fonts were free which is why I was using them but I'm happy to pay for them if I can find out where they came from.

I wondered if anyone could either help me with the pdf export issue or let me know where I can purchase the font from.

Would really appreciate any help.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Dov Isaacs

    The fonts in question were created no later than in 1997 with the font embedding privileges set to not allow any embedding of said fonts whatsoever! This is a legal issue. Adobe software respects the intent of the fonts' creators and will not embed any fonts into PDF files where the embedding privileges restrict against such embedding.

    Based on the contents of the text files within the ZIP file that you downloaded from dafont.com, I suspect that the supposed creator of the font, Ben McGehee, may not have known anything about how to properly set the embedding privileges within the font since the text files claim that the fonts are “freeware.”

    Short of successfully contacting Ben McGehee (he isn't at the website and e-mail mentioned in those text files) and having him create a version of those fonts without the embedding restriction, you are restricted from embedding them in PDF files. Unfortunately, InDesign's PDF export (or any other PDF creation tool) cannot be clairvoyant in terms of knowing what the font creator intended to do. Sorry!

              - Dov

    2 replies

    Dov Isaacs
    Dov IsaacsCorrect answer
    Legend
    March 9, 2018

    The fonts in question were created no later than in 1997 with the font embedding privileges set to not allow any embedding of said fonts whatsoever! This is a legal issue. Adobe software respects the intent of the fonts' creators and will not embed any fonts into PDF files where the embedding privileges restrict against such embedding.

    Based on the contents of the text files within the ZIP file that you downloaded from dafont.com, I suspect that the supposed creator of the font, Ben McGehee, may not have known anything about how to properly set the embedding privileges within the font since the text files claim that the fonts are “freeware.”

    Short of successfully contacting Ben McGehee (he isn't at the website and e-mail mentioned in those text files) and having him create a version of those fonts without the embedding restriction, you are restricted from embedding them in PDF files. Unfortunately, InDesign's PDF export (or any other PDF creation tool) cannot be clairvoyant in terms of knowing what the font creator intended to do. Sorry!

              - Dov

    - Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 8, 2018

    What is the EXACT message?

    J
    JKA@4153Author
    Inspiring
    March 8, 2018

    Thanks for the reply,

    It says:

    "Export:  Wedding Booklet.pdf"

    Christian Crosses III: This font could not be embedded due to licensing restrictions in the font. A substitute font will be used if it supports the glyphs used in the "

    That's all it said - nothing after the word "the"

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 9, 2018

    It means exactly what it says.

    There is no way to embed that font in a PDF. Find another font.

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