Finding Helvetica

[jhauga]

I use a MacBook Pro OS X Yosemite for work. My co-workers use Macs. I work with several people. We have to use the correct font when making adjustments to one another's files. We have different fonts on our computer drive. We share the same server, which houses all the fonts used. If I don't have a font on my computer that matches a font that (let's say co-worker Bob for this example) Bob used in his document, then I will search the server for the font, find the font, copy and, then paste the font onto my computers' local drive. This works fine, except for the font family Helvetica Neue (TT).

When I get a document from Bob, and it says that Helvetica Neue (TT) Bold is missing; I am only able to replace it with Helvetica Neue (TT) Condensed Bold. I've tried copying and pasting the font family on the server onto my local drive, copying the font family from Bobs' local drive, then pasting it to my local drive; then some other creative attempts in-between, but nothing works. The same case always presents itself. A small issue resolving fonts I know, but we try to be consistent with font usage, and this particular case has been an issue a few dozen times I think. I don't know. I stopped counting.

Anyway, does anyone have an answer for this?

[cbishop01]

Have you restarted after you moved the fonts?  I've had to do that in the past.

[pedley_s]

Not sure if this is helpful or not, but we've had this same issue amongst the three of us in our art department for years. And the weird thing is, it's always a Helvetica Neu variant causing us trouble. I must have 55 versions of Helvetica Neu, and sure enough, my co-worker has 56, and it's that one that he used and I can't update.

We copied and deleted and installed and uninstalled and restarted and eventually, we just quit using the typeface. I know that's a bit extreme, but for us, it was a font we didn't care that much about and we just switched out to Avenir as our "house" face and the problem has pretty much gone away.

[Dov Isaacs]

The trouble with Helvetica and Helvetica Neue families is that there are a number of providers of these fonts with slightly different names — not just the external font names, but names within the font that applications and even the operating system use to find particular fonts.

In terms of 55 versus 56, those aren't version numbers for this font, but rather totally different styles of the font. At one time, it was quite popular to use numbers or combination of numbers to differentiate between different widths (condensed, semi-condensed, normal, expanded, etc.), italic or not, and thickness (ultra light through black).

FWIW, your solution of simply going to another font family (Avenir) with less complex naming issues seems reasonable (unless you absolutely, positively, must have Helvetica Neue)! 

          - Dov