Are the documents being printed on paper? Or will they only be read on electronic displays like computer monitors?   Many factors affect how readable strings and blocks of type can be. The size of the letters is the most obvious factor. The style of type (sans serif, serif, script, etc.) affects readability too. Spacing of the letters (kerning, tracking) and amount of spacing between lines of copy also affect readability. All of those factors make it difficult to provide a simple answer to your question.   Generally speaking, it's somewhat safe to set type for printed documents at 10-12 points or larger using general purpose serif or sans serif typefaces such as Minion Pro or Myriad Pro. Caution should be used setting type objects smaller. Type families that have many styles in various weights and widths can allow space on the page to be used more effectively. ... View more

The Harrington typeface is not available to add at the Adobe Fonts website. Harrington is distributed by Font Bureau and they currently don't have an agreement to have Adobe Fonts carry their typefaces (there are some exceptions via other type foundries).   The Harrington typeface is most commonly included with copies of Microsoft Office. Did you try to upload a copy of Harrington into your CC account using the Creative Cloud Desktop app? If Harrington is already locally installed in your computer (via the Windows Fonts folder) then there would be no need to install the font for all apps via the CC Desktop app. ... View more

Yeah, that was one thing I was wondering.   It's always a challenge bringing elements from CAD-based applications into Illustrator and then working with them further. The artwork may technically be vector-based, but the objects are defined in a very different manner. They'll arrive into Illustrator (or any other competing vector graphics app) as mostly broken open line segments. A pattern such as a brick wall will be drawn as a bunch of open lines rather than a series of closed rectangles. We'll have clients who want to see a proposed channel letter sign on a full color rendering of the building. I'll end up having to lock the original CAD artwork down on one layer and re-create clean, closed paths of the building shapes on another layer, just so they can be filled with color.   CAD applications don't support Bezier style curves; they just use arcs and lines and (maybe) B-splines. Bezier curves are a fundamental feature in graphics apps like Illustrator. Those differences create extra challenges for moving artwork back and forth between those two environments. ... View more

The Scissors Tool doesn't work the same way as the eraser tool. In order to break an open line path into two path segments the Scissors tool has to be clicked on the path in the desired location of the cut. It doesn't work by click-dragging across the path. Another version of the Scissors tool appears on the Control Panel in the upper part of the workspace when the Direct Select tool is in use; it can break open existing anchor points on paths to turn them into separate path segments.   I'm not seeing the same problems with the Eraser tool. I can drag it over a group of overlapping circles and it cuts through them precisely without any distortions in the remaining portions of the shapes. ... View more

The fonts in the dialog box are way too big. It looks like you need to go into Windows' Display Settings to fix that issue. Right click on the desktop and select Display Settings from the flyout menu. In the Display dialog box go to the Scale & Layout section. For normal resolution monitors the "100%" setting is usually good. I suspect the Scale setting may be cranked to something like 200%. ... View more

In the Wacom Tablet Properites dialog box, under the Pen tab, there is a line of text near the bottom that says "Use Windows Ink" with a check box next to it. I usually leave it not checked.   The biggest problem with Windows Ink is it constantly hijacks press and hold functions with the pen tip. The simple act of clicking on something and dragging it can be disabled. That could be anything from moving an application window, graphics objects on the art board or even sliders on a CMYK color mixer. I think Windows Ink pulls that nonsense as some kind of substitute for right click functions, but in doing so it overrides basic functions in the pen. I've looked through every dialog box in Windows related to Windows Ink in attempts to disable that function and haven't found anything that actually works. Even hacking the Windows registry doesn't seem to do any good either. Making matters worse, Windows Ink will mess with the right click functions in the Wacom Pen. When right clicking over the desktop the pen should display a flyout menu with various options, but much of the time it will only show a white animated circle by the pen tip. This situation with Windows Ink has persisted for at least the past several years. Microsoft has done nothing to address the problem. Instead they appear to be doubling down on these terrible choices in software design, almost like it's some kind of ideology. The only solution for getting around the problem is by disabling Windows Ink in the tablet driver and living without pressure sensitive functions in the graphics tablet. ... View more

Wacom released a new driver (version 6.4.10-3) on June 4. Is your computer running that driver?   Also, if your computer is a Windows-based PC, does your tablet driver have Windows Ink enabled? Windows Ink has to be enabled to allow pressure sensitve functions in the tablet. Unfortunately Windows Ink also opens a big can of worms. Imagine driving a vehicle and an invisible man is yanking the steering wheel. That's Windows Ink. I have to leave it disabled in the Wacom tablet driver otherwise I'll quickly lose my temper. ... View more

When you mention "the eraser never works" it has me wondering if you are trying to use Adobe Illustrator in the same manner as Photoshop. I remember how I was thrown for a mental loop the first time I started using vector graphics applications; I was used to painting pixels. ... View more

If I follow correctly what you want to make you'll need to build it using multiple objects. I attached an example of something I built based on your concept.   I stroked all the source objects used to build up the graphic that way the construction can be more clear. It's just a series of spheres aligned together. I sized all the spheres precisely in order for the lettering to be vertically center-aligned with the blue background shape. The blue shape can be created by compounding two spheres into one object and then using the Minus Front Pathfinder to cut away part of the object. Corners on the end of the object can be rounded after that.   I sized the letters according to cap letter height; this can be set in font height options. The text object can be positioned precisely using the Align to Glyph Bounds setting or just manually moving it with Smart Guides. The text is just getting wrapped around a different sphere than the blue background object.   I like Dave's suggestion of using an Art Brush for certain tasks, but it will create some distortion in the letters. The distortion can be minimized by creating the art brush graphic where it matches the path length of the target path where the brush would be applied. The Document Info panel can show the path length of a selected object. ... View more

Even for straight 2D work 16GB of system RAM is not a lot for doing work with Illustrator (or the current versions of other Adobe applications). The computer's operating system alone will eat a big chunk of that 16GB. What kind of CPU and GPU is in your computer? Is the GPU driver up to date? ... View more

No problem. 🙂 ... View more

Were the files stored locally or as cloud-based documents? If the files were stored on a local disc are those files visible in the OSX Finder? Could the files have been saved on an external volume current not attached to the computer? ... View more

Are any of the fonts in the older Illustrator files styled using Postscript Type 1 fonts? Are any variable fonts used? Are the files being edited on more than one computer? I'd be tempted to delete the font data cache to make the computer re-build it. I suppose it's possible there could be some corruption in the file. ... View more

I think the best approach to creating naturally looking grungy hand-drawn lettering is by using a combination of Photoshop and Illustrator to do the job.   First I'd work on a black and white pixel-based version of the lettering by either pasting it from Illustrator into Photoshop or by creating the lettering from scratch in Photoshop using either the Brush or Pencil tool. I'd give the letter edges a Gaussian Blur. Then I would apply filters like Spatter to roughen the blur and then use Stamp to make edges harder yet smooth some of the rough detail.   The goal is to create an image that can be converted into vector form and be usable. You don't want to end up with paths that have many thousands of anchor points. When the lettering image looks good enough it can be turned into a selection by opening the Channels panel. That selection can be turned into a vector-based path by opening the Paths panel and choosing "Make Work Path." Sometimes this approach can yield better results than the Live Trace and Live Paint functions in Illustrator. But some experimentation may be required. The resulting path can be exported in Illustrator format.   In the end you should end up with grungy lettering that looks natural. A grungy vector brush in Illustrator may end up repeating the same bits of messy detail in different places. The eye can pick up on the repetitive elements very quickly. ... View more

The issue appears to be fixed in the new 29.7.9 build of Illustrator. ... View more

If you are working with cut vinyl graphics it will be critical to know the differences between pixel-based objects and vector-based objects (especially if you plan to handle artwork provided by others). Additionally, it will be good to know the differences between vector artwork that is ready to send to a vinyl cutter/plotter versus artwork versus vector artwork that can only be printed. These technical details are easy to learn, but they are important for any vinyl production work flow. ... View more

I'm not sure how those fonts could still be appearing in the font menu if they're not installed locally and not synced via Adobe Fonts. Third party font management apps can allow such behavior. Have you tried deleting the font data cache to make the computer system re-build it?   Are you using Mac OSX or Windows-based systems? I've seen Windows occasionally be stubborn about removing fonts from its own Fonts folder. The Cinzel, Fira Sans and Ubuntu type families are all available free from various sources such as Google Fonts.   I've had technical issues with certain type families downloaded from Google Fonts, but those issues usually occurred in rival graphics applications rather than those made by Adobe. Sometimes I'd see the problem solved by going back months later and downloading new copies of the fonts again. ... View more

When you are viewing fonts in the Photoshop fonts menu are you looking at the fonts list for "Your Fonts?" If the "More Fonts" list is selected it will show a broad selection of fonts at Adobe Fonts. ... View more

Computers that are running Open Office or MS Office and have no Adobe applications installed would need their own commercially purchased licenses of Myriad Pro.   Adobe applications, such as InDesign, have a limited number of Myriad Pro fonts included in application folders. There are static fonts covering the basic regular, italic, bold and bold-italic styles. There are two "variable concept" fonts that only work in Adobe applications.   The more complete Myriad Pro family available at Adobe Fonts doesn't download any font files that can be copied to other computers; the font data is somewhat hidden from a computer's file system. ... View more

If the computers are running Adobe applications as part of a Creative Cloud subscription they would be able to add Myriad Pro via the Adobe Fonts service. The Myriad Pro fonts can be installed for all applications (including office applications) by using the Creative Cloud Desktop App.   If the computers are not running Adobe applications they would need licensed versions of Myriad Pro. ... View more

Make sure the driver for your NVidia graphics card is up to date. The current Studio driver is version 576.52, released 5/19/25.   Do you have any peripherals attached, such as a Wacom tablet? If so, make sure the drivers for those devices are updated. One particular Wacom driver from a couple years ago would cause Illustrator to crash immediately after launching.   Are other applications running in the background? 16GB of system RAM is not much at all to divide between Illustrator, the operating system and anything else running in the background. ... View more

Illustrator doesn't have the equivalent of a zoom to selected command. There are shortcuts for fitting the artboard in the window (Ctrl+0) and fitting all objects into the view (Ctrl+Alt+0).   The Ctrl+Spacebar shortcut will bring up the zoom in tool; Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar will toggle the zoom out tool. If GPU Preview is enabled in the computer animated zoom will be enabled. Press the Ctrl+Spacebar shortcut and then hold down the left mouse button to drag the zoom view in and out. Animated zoom allows the view to be adjusted precisely and gradually to objects in the view. ... View more

There isn't a quick/easy way to do what you're asking, but it is do-able.   First, you'll need to select the anchor points on the far ends of the expanded path. Use the Scissors tool to cut those anchor points to break the path into separate segments. Use the Direct Selection tool to delete the small paths at both ends. You should end up with two open parallel paths.   The next step is the "fun" part. Use the Blend tool to create a blend between the two parallel paths. The goal is to create a proper center line path between the two parallel lines. Go into the Blend tool's options to make it create a blend with 1 single step. Usually the blend will initially create a weird result between the two source paths. If you reverse the path direction of one of the two source paths it will usually solve the problem and make the center line fall in place properly.   If the original expanded path is complex in nature (has multiple bends, corners, etc) it will have to be broken into smaller segments with each segment getting its own separate single step blend. The centerline path would get assembled kind of like joining pieces of model railroad track together. Once the centerline is created and joined into a single path the line stroke width can be adjusted to a desired thickness. I attached an example I threw together pretty quickly. I drew a curvy path with the pen tool, gave it a fat stroke and then expanded it. I used the steps described to create a centerline path between the two original parallel paths. I had to divide the artwork into several separate segments for the blend tool to yield a proper result. I have the paths colored to show the different segments. ... View more

You should have the Creative Cloud Desktop App installed on your computer in addition to Acrobat Pro. If you open the app, click on the Adobe Fonts button in the right column of the app it will display a page showing all fonts that are synced from Adobe Fonts.   There is a Browse for More button that will launch a web browser and bring up the Adobe Fonts web site. Make sure your account user name and password is signed in at the Adobe Fonts web site. Once your account is signed in you'll be able to add fonts that are available in your plan.   If you want added Adobe Fonts to be available to all applications on the computer you'll need to use the Creative Cloud Desktop App to "install" those added fonts, otherwise they'll be available only to Adobe applications.   In addition to Adobe Fonts, the Google Fonts web site has a great deal of free fonts that are legal to download and use. Font Squirrel is another decent web site that has legal to use free fonts that are of good quality. ... View more

That is a known issue in the 29.6.173 beta build of Illustrator. The newer 29.6.180 build partially solves the issue. Pressing Shift+R no longer brings up the Artboard Options dialog box. But the app still won't allow a capital R to be typed in a string of text. ... View more

What kind of printer are you using? Is it connected directly to the computer or does it receive print jobs across a network? Do other applications on the Win11 desktop PC output jobs successfully to the printer? I wonder if it could be a print driver setup issue. ... View more

I hope Adobe can do something about the current problem where Corel-exported Illustrator AI files containing live text objects won't open in the current or beta version of Illustrator. I have Illustrator 28 installed alongside version 29 to get around that problem, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep version 28 installed.   Illustrator will open PDF files generated by CorelDRAW, but any live text objects are affected by various issues. Any variable fonts in the PDF will get outlined. That's also a big drawback for Affinity Designer; it can't really import Illustrator AI files. It just imports PDF data that may (or may not) be present in the AI file. Variable fonts aren't supported in PDF files. I haven't used Affinity Designer all that much; I just have a copy of it just in case I receive any customer provided art made in that application. ... View more

Make sure your computer is signed into your Creative Cloud account by opening the Creative Cloud desktop app. The account icon is listed in the upper right corner of the app; clicking that will show account status. Click the cloud icon next to the account icon for cloud activity and to see if CC Libraries are syncing. If they've stopped syncing click the Files icon on the left column of the app and then select Your Libraries. That can force Libraries to re-sync.   Some stubborn sync problems can be solved by signing out of the Creative Cloud account, rebooting the computer and then signing back into the Creative Cloud account. ... View more

What kinds of keywords are you using? Are they font names or font categories? I wonder if the problem could be related to a specific web browser. ... View more