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How do you change the default font in Illustrator CS5? [Locked]

Guest
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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I have upgraded my Illustrator to CS5 and my default font has changed to a strange font. In Photoshop and InDesign, I was told that all you have to do is change the font in the Character menu to the font that you wish to be set as "default" and it will be the font that you always start with.

NOTE: Does this mean that if I use a different font in a different document, the font will stay that font unless I change it back? Isn't there a way to make a particular font the font that I would always what I start with? All this setup means, is that the "default font" will always be whatever the last font that  was being used was. There has to be a way to make a default font that I will always start with no matter what the last font that was being used was.


Illustrator gives you no option on font type, unless a file is open. Then, if you change the font and close the file, next time you start a file, it will go back to what is was to begin with. There has to be a way to change the default font for all of these programs to where the font always stays the same unless you change it. Mine is just set to use a weird font that I would probably never use.

I just never thought it would be that big of a deal to change default settings for the font.

[This was posted on Jul 15, 2010 12:56 PM for CS5. This thread is now locked.]

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Jul 16, 2010 Jul 16, 2010

I'd forgotten there were two folders too. Glad we got it sorted.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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For Illustrator, open the New Document Profile that you use the most ( or all if you have a lot of time). From the Window menu choose Type>Character Styles. A dialog window should open with [Normal Character Style] highlighted. Double click and another dialog will open. From the list on the left. choose the Basic Character Formats. Enter the Font Family, Font Style, size and whatever else you want customized. Close and Save.

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Guest
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Are you talking about Apple or Windows? I am using Windows XP and IllustratorCS5. The reason I ask is because when I open a file and select Type, Character Styles is not in the drop down list. Here is what appears in the drop down list

Fonts >
Resent Fonts >
Glyphs >
Area Type Options
Type on a Path >
Threaded Text >
Fit Headline
Create Outlines

Find Font
Change Case >
Smart Punctuation

Optical Margin Alignment
Show Hidden Characters
Type Orientation >
Legacy Text >

There is no Character Styles to go into and make those changes. Are those the instructions for Apple?

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Community Expert ,
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Use the Window menu item, 4 places to the right. Did you open the New Document Profile?

Picture 3.png

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Guest
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Okay, I saw that and made those changes, but as I said, as soon as I open another file or create a new file, we're back to square one and the same font opens at the start. The font is Myriad Pro. How was that chosen to begin with to be the default font? There has to be a way to change that, huh?


*** The same with rulers: How can you set the program to always show rulers instead of having to go View -> Rulers -> Show Rulers everytime you start a new file.

By the way, I cannot do a basic size and make the settings for it (the font and rulers) whenever I go into Illustrator. The sizes of my images are always different and not always the same.

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Guest
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Sean,

See my post on changing the default stroke. The same kind of answer appears there about changing object styles. There used to be a much better way to change defaults.

I posted similar questions during AI CS2 or CS3 and was given instructions for changing a line or two of code deep in the heart of Illustrator. It was a ittle scary to mess with the code the first couple of times I did it, but loved the flexibility it gave me once I got used to my coputer not blowing up in my face for having the audacity to change some code. I wonder if someone hear could give us the path to the code for both default font and default stroke properties....

Toni

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Community Expert ,
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Sean,

When you use File>New what name appears in the top of the dialog dropdown: New Document Profile. This is the document you need to change to get what you want when creating any new file. You can make an entirely new document to what ever specifications you want and as long as you save it in the New Document Profiles folder in your user account it will be available in the dropdown on your next restart of AI. It can have whatever font, the swatches you use most, the default stroke, rulers. What ever you want.

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Guest
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Okay, I basically made three different documents and I made sure that I had everything chosen in each. I then saved the three to that file and they now appear in the list:

Settings for all 3:

  • 72psi, 150psi and 300psi
  • Rulers Visable
  • Times New Roman
  • 12pt
  • 14.4pt

I then went in and started three new documents. I used the three different New Document Profile's that I made and they all had Rulers, their sizes were correct, but the font stayed Myriad Pro. Did I miss anything? And, Yes, I did change the font and the setting before I saved them in the New Document Profile.


One other thing, I did create a file in the folder, but it was spelled incorrectly. I then went into the folder, erased it and made a second. Then, I went to open it in IllustratorCS5 and it was still listed. I went to the file and it wasn't there anymore, but it was still listed in the New Document Profile. Is there a way to get it off of the list or is all I have to do is restart Illustrator?

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Community Expert ,
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Did you change the Font and Size in the Normal Character Style of the files as mentioned above? Just changing them in the Character panel (Cmd/Ctrl-T) will not do it. Yolu must change the Normal Character Style. Restarting should clear the menu.

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Guest
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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I did change everything. That's what I was saying above. Everything else changed in the new files stayed w/o a problem, but the font stayed the same.

I went back in a second time and created the Normal Character Styles with the font settings, over wrote the file, closed it and then reopened it. The font was back to where it started and when I went into the Character Styles, it wasn't even listed.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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Here's a copy of my Print.ai New Document Profile settings. These are the ones you changed, right. Notice the font is Univers Condensed which I use most.

Picture 2.png

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Guest
Jul 16, 2010 Jul 16, 2010

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Yep - That's exactly what I did and then ok'ed, saved in the New Document Profiles, but as I said, everything was changed to the basic seeting except the font setting.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 16, 2010 Jul 16, 2010

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Is this the path to the New Document Profiles folder that you put the modified files in?

Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS5 settings\en_us.

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Guest
Jul 16, 2010 Jul 16, 2010

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Finally, I had to go in there, reopen the files, make the changes and resave. Perfect.

Also, that one file that I made, renamed and it was still in the list, I erased it from another folder. I didn't know the program had two different settings folders.


Thank You Very Much and Gr8 Weekend!!!

Sean McDonough

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Community Expert ,
Jul 16, 2010 Jul 16, 2010

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I'd forgotten there were two folders too. Glad we got it sorted.

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Guest
Jul 15, 2010 Jul 15, 2010

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It's in the Window>Type menu. It's not very intuitive at first.

T

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New Here ,
Jul 15, 2016 Jul 15, 2016

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window>type>character styles

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 03, 2010 Sep 03, 2010

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I am having trouble with this same issue on Mac OS X, Snow Leopard. I want to permanently change the default type from Myriad to Helvetica, and have gone to the Window, then Type Appearance, but then get lost as to how make a permanent change (this is all new to me). Any help (screenshots are great) would be appreciated. I never use Myriad, and use Helvetica 95% of the time. Thanks in advance.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 03, 2010 Sep 03, 2010

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As stated above you have to change the Normal Character Style in the documents in the New Document Profiles folder in your user account. Open one of the documents and go to menu Window>Type>Character Styles. Double-click on the Normal Character Style which should be highlighted in blue. A dialog will appear for you to set the font for the style. Make you changes and Save the file. Restart AI.

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 03, 2010 Sep 03, 2010

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I think I am missing something. I am making changes while Illustrator CS5 is open, by going to Window, then Type, then Character Styles. I am not sure where to find "User" files (where is "User Account") and then finding "New Document Profiles"- do not think i have seen this in Illustrator before. Where do I find or access these?

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Community Expert ,
Sep 03, 2010 Sep 03, 2010

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What OS are you using?


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Community Beginner ,
Sep 03, 2010 Sep 03, 2010

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Mac OS X, Snow Leopard. I did find the root folders and did figure this out. Thanks for the info. On a Mac, the root files are "Home" or maybe this is called "User", then "Library, then "Application Support", then "Adobe", then "Adobe Illustrator CS 5", then "en US", and then "New Document Profiles". I then opened the print.ai and made the settings change in there. Really complicated (wish it was just in Preference), but this will make my life a lot easier. Thanks again!!

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Community Expert ,
Sep 03, 2010 Sep 03, 2010

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Glad you found it. Have a good weekend.


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LEGEND ,
Feb 13, 2013 Feb 13, 2013

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Thank you for all the explanation in this topic; after almost 8 months I finally found how to change the default fonts.

B.t.w. the path for CS6 on Windows is

%APPDATA%\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS6 Settings\en_US\x86\New Document Profiles

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Community Beginner ,
Nov 01, 2014 Nov 01, 2014

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Thank you – that solved my problem!


One addition/clarification: I used this method in Illustrator CS6 (Mac) and had the effect that Sean originally reported: changes in the Character Style in the New Document Profile were not persistent (it worked for Sean eventually after re-opening and re-saving the New Document Profile file). Eventually I figured out that a change in Character Style is not recognized by CS6 as a "save-worthy" edit. That is, CS6 does not actually save/change the New Document Profile file if only the Character Style is changed. What worked for me eventually is editing something else so that there is a "save-worthy" edit in the file. I create and then delete a text layer... I guess any action on the artboard will do. Now the New Document Profile file can be saved, and new files created based on that New Document Profile have your font (e.g., Helvetica Neue) instead of the default font (Myriad Pro).

In short:

go to MacintoshHD â–¸ Users â–¸ [username] â–¸ Library â–¸ Application Support â–¸ Adobe â–¸ Adobe Illustrator CS6 â–¸ en_GB â–¸ New Document Profiles

open Print.ai (or whatever you use)

change Window > Type > Character Styles > [Normal Character Style]

create and delete a layer on the artboard

and do a File > Save

I am more or less just writing this for myself but maybe it's useful for someone else as well...

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