How to embed fonts in a PDF

Question

How to embed fonts in a PDF

I have a book which uses Garamond Light Italic and Helvetica light Oblique. Only 2 styles of 2 fonts.
The printer wants me to embed the entire font families with the PDF files.
My problem is that I don't know how.
All I know is that it will only embed the files being used in the document.
Should I include one letter of each style of each of the 2 fonts, so that the computer will know which fonts to embed?
Or, is it as simple as entering 100% in the Subset font below window?
I'm certain there must be a better and easier way.
Also, it there a way of verifying that the proper fonts have been embeded?
Please, I need your advise.

iMac 20", 2GHz Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X (10.4.1), 3Gb, Titanium 250Gb Ext FireWire Drive. Quark 6.5, PS CS2, Office 2004

Posted on Aug 3, 2008 8:00 PM

Reply

Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,253 points

Aug 3, 2008 8:48 PM in response to Frank Abramonte1

Hi Frank, you don't mention which APP you are using to do this, but oin say Canvas®, I have the option when the Print Dialog comes up to include the fonts... the Print to PDF.

Reply

Answer 2

Aug 4, 2008 2:53 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua, I'm using QuarkXPress 6.5 for creating the PDFs.
Under file I go Export>Layout as PDF
I understand from other contributors that I can also use
Print>Printer>PDF>Save as PDF
or
Print>Printer>PDF>Save PDF as Postscript
Thanks for your interest

Reply

Answer 3

Limnos

Level 10

427,103 points

Aug 4, 2008 6:36 AM in response to Frank Abramonte1

I understand from other contributors that I can also use
Print>Printer>PDF>Save as PDF
or
Print>Printer>PDF>Save PDF as Postscript

You can use these to print to PDF using the OSX built-in PDF generation feature but I don't know if that extends to font embedding - you'd have to test it to see.

BDAqua, I'm using QuarkXPress 6.5 for creating the PDFs.

This is really a third party software, Quark-specific question. While maybe somebody here can answer this question usually it is recommended you go, for example, to the [Quark forum|http://forums.quark.com].

Reply

Answer 4

LilyLC

Level 4

2,834 points

Aug 4, 2008 12:44 PM in response to Frank Abramonte1

+"Or, is it as simple as entering 100% in the Subset font below window?"+

Using the OS X Save as PDF method will only embed a subset of the fonts (i.e., only the characters used in the document).

To embed the entire font using Quark’s export to Layout to PDF, click on “Options…” then under the window title, click on the tab “Job Options”. Check mark the box next to “Embed all fonts” and UNcheck the box next to “Subset fonts below”. The PDF should then have Garamond Light Italic and Helvetica Light Oblique.

I suggest you try this with a couple of pages and send that to your printer for feedback.

+"The printer wants me to embed the entire font families with the PDF files."+

If your fonts are TrueType, then that may be the entire family. If your fonts are PostScript, then you could send the printer the entire screen and printer fonts as a package separate from the PDF.

+"Also, it there a way of verifying that the proper fonts have been embeded?"+

You mentioned in another thread that you use Adobe Reader. If it has an item called Properties under one of the Menus, then you can view embedded fonts there.

Reply

Answer 5

Aug 4, 2008 1:20 PM in response to LilyLC

LilyLC, I managed to find the properties and made a copy. Check the link. I hope it's what will help give me he answer.
I've included 2 links to the same document, because I don't know which one is better. They both show the same image.
Please let me know.
Thanks for being so heads up.

http://i34.tinypic.com/1r22dh.jpg

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=1r22dh&s=4

Reply

Answer 6

LilyLC

Level 4

2,834 points

Aug 4, 2008 5:58 PM in response to Frank Abramonte1

Frank,
Those screen images do show that a subset of two fonts are embedded in the PDF. What is a concern is that their names do NOT match the font names you stated in your original post, i.e., "Garamond Light Italic and Helvetica light Oblique."

I am going to assume you are using the Garamond Condensed family. The Helvetica is curious because to match what you stated, then I think the properties should show it as Helvetica-LightOblique or at least Helvetica-Light.

Other possible ways to check if your PDF has the correct fonts embedded is to try:
(a) Print the PDF on a computer that does NOT have these fonts;
(b) If you do not have another computer, trying turn off the fonts and all apps except Adobe Reader. Print a page or two; and
(c) Send a couple of pages to your printer to output (this is the safest assurance for both you and the printer.

Reply

Answer 7

Aug 4, 2008 7:27 PM in response to LilyLC

LilyLC, I double checked the usage on the page and it says that I'm using Garamond Light Condendensed Italic and Helvetica.
I probably typed Helvetica Light because I normally use that in all my other work, but I use Helvetica Regular for the page numbers in my books. I always use Gramond Light Condendensed Italic. That was an oversight on my part.
The screen image matches the fonts I used in the book.

I printed a page as you suggested. I deleted the Garamond & Helvetica fonts from my User>Library>Font folder?
I deleted them because the Garamond does't show up in font book. Could that be because I never opened it in font book?

I normally make PDF files of the individual pages and then create one PDF file using PDF merge for the 32 inside pages.
I wasn't able to open the merged file, but I could print the individual PDF files.
The page printed perfect.
Do you think I'll have to run all 32 pages?

I can present this new information to the printer and perhaps they will look further into what caused the problem on their end.

Many thanks. Will keep you posted.

Reply

Answer 8

Aug 4, 2008 7:45 PM in response to LilyLC

LilyLC, I opened the entire book including the covers in Acrobat Reader and checked the properties. They all read correctly.
One question, could the encoding: Custom have anything to to with the error?

Reply

Answer 9

LilyLC

Level 4

2,834 points

Aug 5, 2008 10:04 AM in response to Frank Abramonte1

Frank,
One more checking of the fonts with Quark utilities Usage …it should show
Garamond LightCondensedItalic <Plain>
Helvetica <Plain>
NOT
Garamond Light Condensed <Italic> and not Garamond LightCondensedItalic <Italic>
(Note the different style in triangle brackets.)

Also in your screen shot from Adobe Reader Properties, it shows Embedded Subset. However, your printer wants the entire font so the Properties should show only as Emebedded. To get that, re-export the layout to PDF but be sure to click the Options… button near the bottom of the window, then click the tab Job Options and UNcheck the box next to Subset fonts below. (Only check mark the box next to Embed All Fonts.)

+"I normally make PDF files of the individual pages..."+

Curious as to why you do that vs. one PDF of the entire document.

+"fonts from my User>Library>Font folder?…Garamond does't show up in font book. Could that be because I never opened it in font book?"+

I have not used Font Book in a very long time, but I do not think it's the problem because you said in another thread that the cover pages were fine. The OS looks for fonts on the computer in a few different places in a certain order with one being your user library font folder. Note that when the font resides there, it is only available to that user.

Reply

Answer 10

LilyLC

Level 4

2,834 points

Aug 5, 2008 10:14 AM in response to Frank Abramonte1

+"One question, could the encoding: Custom have anything to to with the error?"+

The Custom encoding is what results from Quark's export layout to PDF "feature". I have never sent a PDF to a printer using this method.

Reply

Answer 11

Aug 5, 2008 12:14 PM in response to LilyLC

Yes,Usage shows the correct items.
Garamond LightCondensedItalic <Plain>
Helvetica <Plain>

"it shows Embedded Subset. However, your printer wants the entire font so the Properties should show only as Emebeded."
I made a pdf of a page and unchecked Subset. When I checked the properties it read
Garamond LightCondensedItalic <Embeded>
Helvetica <Embeded>

I also created a PDF using Limnos original suggestion saving to print rather than export.
I didn't get the Job Options menu. Here I normally check to print as either RGB or CMYK.
I assume this will save as its formatted, automatically.
This generated properties which are the same as above except that
instead of Encoding: Custom" it reads "Encoding: Roman"

I'm trying to reach Quark to ask what the difference is.
This morning Quark told me that there is no difference in the way you save a PDF in Quark.
Very difficult to understand some of these techs, I understand one out of five.
If I call enough I will probably get someone I can understand.

Reply

Answer 12

LilyLC

Level 4

2,834 points

Aug 5, 2008 5:28 PM in response to Frank Abramonte1

The encoding refers to the character map of the typeface and the standard ones are (Mac) Roman and (Win) ANSI character sets. When I use either Acrobat Distiller or Print to Adobe PDF the encodings are either Roman or Ansi.

In spite of what Quark claims, the application your printer uses does not know what the custom encoding means or how to translate it. So, it seems for whatever kind of printing you are trying to do, font wise the best would be using the OS Save to PDF. As for having both RGB and CMYK images, I would suggest converting the RGB images to CMYK. Again, not knowing what type of printing you are doing, if it is lithography then the color photos will print with the inks cyan, magenta, yellow and black. This would be true with a color copy as it would be toner and even an inkjet printer uses those same four inks. If you let the printer's press/device convert the color they may not be what you want.

Reply

Answer 13

Aug 5, 2008 9:01 PM in response to LilyLC

LilyLC, All seems to have come to a conclusion this afternoon.
It seems that when I create individual pages, make PDFs of them and then merge them with PDF merge, what's happening is that the fonts are being embeded with each page. Apparently the RIP gets confused with all the fonts embeded and substitutes courier.
The printer recommends that I save the entire book as one document, and convert that document into one PDF file, thereby, embending the fonts once.
They guarantee that the book will print properly if I follow the above.

I had been reading through the printers vast instructions and noticed the paragraph relating to this problem, and they confirmed it.
They sent me a print out of the fonts embeded in my book and the 2 fonts were repeated for each page, 32 times.

I called Quark about a distiller (whatever that is) and the Custom and Roman encoding. Their answer was that none of it was Quark related. I would have to speak to Adobe.
I was made to understand that the only reason I would need a distiller is if I had postscript files to convert into PDFs. Since I was generating PDFs directly there was no need for the distiller.

I don't know how they print these books, other than the covers print RGB and the inside in CMYK. I always convert the CMYK photos.
I've been satisfied with the quality of their printing and the people, that's why I went through all the trouble to solve the problem.
I enjoy writing books for my 2 grandchildren. I've done 8 books in the past year.

You've been a big help, in that you persevered and explained in easy to understand language.

Again, thanks for all your help and to Limnos who made the original suggestion. I guess you can go back to enjoying the rest of the summer.
I will now make some reference notes for the future use.
If, by any chance this doesn't work out I'll will be posting back for additional help.

Reply

Answer 14

Aug 5, 2008 9:19 PM in response to LilyLC

LilyLC, I just realized I should have mentioned who the printer is.

http://www.viovio.com/wiki/Photo+Books

thanks

Reply

Answer 15

LilyLC

Level 4

2,834 points

Aug 6, 2008 1:24 PM in response to Frank Abramonte1

You're welcome Frank!
Glad to read the problem is solved.
I noted earlier my curiosity of why you were creating separate pages but your posts seemed to imply that you had used this process many times, so I didn't press the issue. Oh, viovio is print on demand, which is different from offset printing.
I'm sure your grandchildren love your books and will really appreciate them as they get older.
Thanks for posting back as it may help other users. 😉

Reply