Replacing font changes formatting

[OMproduction]

Hi all,

The issue I have run into occurs when I find/replace a font in an InDesign document. Despite replacing it with the exact same font, the formatting gets completely messed up. Entire paragraphs get moved to new pages or things get shifted down in a text box with no changes to font size or weight.

I am working on files that were typeset by an individual and sent to me. These files were not packaged, so I have to manually replace the fonts to be able to export PDFs for print. The font file doesn't change, it's just being "replaced".

Has anyone run into a similar issue and found a solution?

Thank you

Best,

Nate

[jmlevy]

Despite replacing it with the exact same font, the formatting gets completely messed up.

Are you absolutely sure that it is the exact same font?

[OMproduction]

My understanding is that it is the same font as they are from the same .otf file. That said, when viewing the font in the document it reads as 'Branding (OTF) Bold', but on my computer it reads as 'Branding Bold'. Would that make a difference?

We only have one instance of the .otf file that people are able to download and use within our company.

Thank you for your reply, any assistance or clarification is appreciated!

[Bill Silbert]

It certainly sounds like the fonts are different judging by the fact that you have to find and replace the font in the document at all. This shows that your version of the font and the version that the other person is using are not exactly the same. If they were then, assuming that the font is already open on your computer, the document would simply open with the font active and no need to replace it. You should also know that font makers periodically change their kerning and tracking tables which means that even if you buy your font from the same place but not at the same time it is possible that the font will handle kerning and tracking differently. As I understand it, in collecting a job for handing off to another party, it is legal to supply the collected version of your font as long as the recipient also has a licensed version of that font. This way the version of the font that was used to create the document can be used for output without unwanted reragging. Also if the font is from the Adobe Typekit aka Adobe Fonts then anyone who has access to those fonts through their Creative Cloud subscription can activate that font on their system. A physical copy of Typekit fonts can not be collected, however.

[OMproduction]

We have one .otf file for branding purposes we received from the design company that rebranded our company. We only have one instance of the font with the various type weights. Since we have only sent around the origin font file, shouldn't it be the same font or is each unique download and implementation being recognized as a different font?

It is not a Typekit font.

Thank you, Bill, for your response!