How do I get an installed font to show up in an inDesign document?

[gracehigginsdesign]

I've been through a few forums and tried several solutions but nothing is working. I received an indesign file that had missing fonts. The fonts that were provided were older postscript type 1. I was able to get these converted to ttf but one of the weights is giving me issues and I have the dreaded pink line.

What I'm not clear on is, why, if I create a new document this weight shows up fine however in the document I'm trying to update it shows up as missing. I've tried copying the font to the same folder as the .ind file, copying font to the indesign font folder, restarting indesign etc..

The font shows up on the indesign font menu but when I try to use it, it shows up in brackets. Any help would be great because this issue has been plaguing me.

[Mike Witherell]

Perhaps it could be that a Paragraph or Character Style is calling for the old version and you need to edit the style to get it to see your new converted font?

[gracehigginsdesign]

I had tried the Character Style/ Paragraph Style but no Joy.

[Randy Hagan]

My suspicion is, this is happening because you're using a different font.

You explain that you've somehow changed the font from Postscript Type 1 to a TrueType font. I'm assuming that you did that because you don't have a Postscript output device handy, because most all print vendors run on Postscript output devices.

While the name of the file prefix may be the same, the ttf suffix, as far as InDesign is concerned, is a different font than was used to generate the original file. Sometimes that doesn't take quite right when you use font substitution when you open the file.

Highlight the pink line, and manually change the font from the Postscript Type 1 font it was to the TrueType font you're now using and save the file as [jobname] with TrueType.indd. Then close the file. When you open it again, I suspect that you'll discover that the "new font" has taken root in your updated file. To be honest, I'm more curious why this is only occurring with one weight of the adapted font.

[gracehigginsdesign]

No, I don't have a Postscript output device unfortunately.

I realise what I did is far from best practise but as it was a small file that i needed to turnaround in a hurry I was trying some 'quick' fixes

When I highlighted the pink line and tried to change it to the TrueType font the font shows up as missing. However, if I generate a new document I can use the TrueType font without issue. It is just in this document it seems to have problems with.

The replacement fonts I've used are definitely causing there own problems (part of that cheapo package issue) But I still don't understand how it can work on one document but not on another.

The document was only 6 pages long so the work-around I came to was just to create a new document and type out some random words in the TrueType font. Then I copied the original document into this new document. Only then was I able to select the text and change it to the font I wish to use. This will do for now but I've a lot of documents similar to this with the same font issues so I'm not sure what the correct procedure would be going forward. 

[Randy Hagan]

I understand your position. It's not unique, and I appreciate that you used a workaround to fix the problem rather than dwelling on the cause. If you ask me, that's the right way to handle it.

But back to the underlying issue ... I suspect you might have a bit of a file corruption issue as well as perhaps a font corruption issue. The following is my generic catch-all file fix-up. It's not a universal fix, but I have a pretty good batting average at working around file issues using this workflow:

1) With the file open, Choose the File>Save As... menu command. Name the file [jobname] reformatted. Don't bother with a file suffix.

2) In the Format:/File Type: options box at the bottom of the Save As dialog box (depending on version), select the IDML/INX file interchange option. This will save the file as a stripped-down xml-compatible file, to be rebuilt by InDesign with the next step.

3) Close the original problem file. Open the [jobname] reformatted.indl or .inx file.

This workflow is good at stripping out a lot of, ahem, idiosyncrasies in problematic .indd files. If you've got the time, try this with your problem InDesign file and please let us know how this worked for you.

Now for dealing with future issues with Postscript Type 1 fonts. Personally, I wouldn't go through all the conversion hassles. I'd suggest working with the job as is, then use appropriate options through the File>PDF Presets menu command to create an Acrobat PDF of the job. Then I'd print the PDF version of the job on your non-Postscript output device. That workflow is a lot faster, and you'll generally get much better results. This would be a near-universal fix for your Postscript font printing issues.

Hope all this works well for you. Again, for the good of the cause, if this is resolves your problem please mark it as a correct answer so it can help others who may find themselves in the same spot.

[Geоrge]

Type 1 is an evil for new versions of ID, I have this few times long years ago. Try to find the analogue OTF-fonts and change in indd.

[Steve Werner]

@George,

Please support that statement. I don't believe there is any problem using Type 1 fonts with the current version of InDesign.

We would be flooded with problem reports if that was true, and it simply hasn't been happening.

The problem is more likely that a lot of PostScript Type 1 fonts are very old, and some may be damaged. You should run font checking software to see if that's true. (Fonts are just pieces of software, and bits can get shuffled, especially when people have hard drive problems.)

[gracehigginsdesign]

What would be the best font checking software to use? I think using cheap or free solutions so far on this has created a few of these issues!

[gracehigginsdesign]

Evil files or corrupted files.. not sure

[Geоrge]

I don't want to find my old works, and will not find, but I clearly remember that. Why need to check some old in ID, when all type 1 in 99% are have ttf/otf analogues?

[Randy Hagan]

Not to put you on the spot, but I've never had problems with uncorrupted Postscript Type 1 fonts through v.CC2015.4 on either the Mac or Windows platforms.I have CC2017 on both my two demo laptops , and haven't fully put them through their paces, but so far have not had any real problems on either platform. And I push a lot of work through InDesign on a regular basis. Other than copyfit variations occasionally cropping up between platforms, if the Postscript font is from either Adobe, Monotype or House Industries, it's worked fine.

My personal preference is for OpenType fonts because they work seamlessly across platforms, But I have excellent results with Postscript Type 1 fonts without fail. TrueType fonts have caused me problems -- not because of the intrinsic format, but due to poorly-created cheapo TrueType fonts. Like the "1500 TrueType Fonts for only $19.99" packages folks buy at the local office supply store.I've never heard of issues with InDesign and Postscript Type 1 fonts. I don't question you may remember that, but I suspect you may be mistaken.

Back to the original question: Lorraine, I hope you've had the chance to try what I suggested, and that it's worked well for you. If it has, please mark your question as answered to this thread is forwarded in the forum where it can help others with the same issue.

[gracehigginsdesign]

I realise this is probably a few different issues and I can create a new thread but I'd really like to understand the font is usable in one document but not the other before marking this solved.

I see it I've 2 issues going forward

1 - The font that I'm using was from an older Mac Operating system. When I try to install it, (using Font Book or Font Explorer) it alerts me to the fact that it is duplicated but its nowhere to be found.
Font Explorer says the printer-font files are missing. I've heard that this happened when fonts were transferred to OSX because it handled cases completely differently. 
I want to delete them all and try to start again - so what would be the best way in your experience to import/fix these old font files?

2 - All the original documents were created in an old version of Quark Xpress and have been converted to inDesign files so I've no doubt that there are issues here. Have you had any experiences good/bad in doing this?

[Randy Hagan]

Outside of the previous reply I gave you ... let me add a little information with the additional detail you just provided:

1) Font Checker/Fixer - I'd recommend you take a look at Font Doctor. It's an add-on component to Extensis' Suitcase font manager, and worth its weight in gold. Suitcase is not cheap, but its value more than covers the expense.

2) If you're finding duplicate fonts, you may need to search in your Mac's \Library\Fonts and System\Library\Fonts folders. Font Book (sorta) reports these fonts, and Font Explorer may or may not recognize these fonts exist, because they open automatically when you fire up your computer and can't be turned on/off while the computer is operating without a really elaborate workaround that beyond the scope of what I can type out here in the forum.

3) Conversion from old QuarkXPress to new(ish) InDesign files - This is another rabbit hole I really can't dive into within the scope of this forum. But the short story is yes, there will be issues. The more elaborate/intricate the original layouts are, the more and more complex issues you will discover. These files are going to need reworking as a matter of course. Please keep that file-fixing workflow I outlined above in mind when dealing with problematic InDesign files. It works very well in most situations.

I hope you get to bill this work by the job, or failing that, that you get paid well to fix these problems for whoever laid them upon you. You're certainly going to be earning your keep by making these jobs right for whoever gave you this job.