Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Postscript fonts and OSX 10.6 not working ..?

I've just helped a friend upgrade their new mac book pro to OSX 10.6 snow leopard, and found that a lot of fonts are now not working? (I use an imac running 10.5.8 which runs them all fine)

Some fonts I have managed to fix by just adding .otf or .ttf according to font maker, (open type etc) which seems to work ok... but I am having a nightmare with many others like postscript ones.

Can any one suggest what to do to fix this, as I dread upgrading to OSX 10.6 if it means we lose fonts! I'm not sure what apple are up to, but they seem to have overloked the problems casued by their in-build helvetica neue family as well as this ps fonts issue.

any help or advice more than welcome.

Imac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jan 20, 2011 6:19 AM

Reply
24 replies

Jan 20, 2011 9:01 AM in response to Andrew Beswick Design

It all seems painful and longwinded...


Well! I never. 😉

what a shame apple have allowed this to happen.


Allowed what to happen? All fonts work quite well in Snow Leopard since 10.6.3 and better in later updates. It was not so rosey before that. If you mean the conflicts with Helvetica, it's been like that since at least Panther, 10.3.x. Though it wasn't until Tiger that Apple starting using their conflicting fonts in their supplied applications, making it much more difficult to work around them.

You don't need to read the whole thing, just the sections relevant to your problem. Section 1 to get the system down to the minimum fonts, and Section 5 to see how to deal with Apple's conflicting fonts.

I've just helped a friend upgrade their new mac book pro to OSX 10.6 snow leopard, and found that a lot of fonts are now not working? (I use an imac running 10.5.8 which runs them all fine).


If the same fonts are working on your Mac, then they should work on your friend's Mac. Something is wrong on the new Mac.

Some fonts I have managed to fix by just adding .otf or .ttf according to font maker, (open type etc) which seems to work ok... but I am having a nightmare with many others like postscript ones.


Not a good idea to just add extensions. Fonts on the Mac which don't normally have extensions are Type 1 PostScript and legacy TrueType suitcase fonts. Neither of which are, or can ever be .ttf or .otf fonts. Adding the extensions may have made the OS recognize them as fonts in general, but they are misidentified. This could cause big problems if you send them out to a print bureau and they don't work on the RIPs.

Back up the hard drive of your friend's Mac. Reinstall OS X, then apply the 10.6.6 Combo updater and any other updates available.

Jan 21, 2011 8:29 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Yeah, Kurt. Hi. I followed the instructions on that page of yours, and read a lot of the aches and pains of fellow designers/users after I upgraded to Snow Leopard on Tuesday. Installed the updates to 10.6.6 ...and here's what happened:

1. At first it was just Helvetica Neue T1 that was giving me problems (turned up missing in InDesign CS4, OS X pop-up window stated a conflict and I should delete), and I found your font management page... and I must've screwed up in following the instructions for Section 5: Controlling Helvetica and Courier, because a lot of the displays on certain browsers and programs are not displaying like they used to.

2. I followed other advice that I saw both by you and other users to reset the Fontbook font database (restarting in safe mode).

3. Ever since I did that, InDesign CS4 is NOT seeing any T1 fonts. Before, it was only a Helvetica Neue T1 issue. I was able to use other T1 fonts just fine. This is a huge issue because... naturally, my company's corporate fonts are all T1 format.

I keep seeing the comment of 10.6.6 solving all these issues, even though I'm already running 10.6.6 ...so, I don't know.

I'm backing everything up (again) and am going to re-install Snow Leopard (again), like you're suggesting to the other user who was having problems. I just wanted it known that these issues still keep coming up.

NOTE: I just re-read the above message, which was written an hour ago. The tone may sound a bit harsh, and that I'm blaming you for all my SL problems. I'm not. Trust me. I've read many of your posts and they've been helpful and I've learned a lot. Somewhere in trying to fix everything I screwed it up, and I felt that if anything, this font issue is still happening, and I'm on company time trying to fix it, with deadlines hanging. So, thank you for the help, and wish me luck.

Jan 21, 2011 8:48 AM in response to MaynardWinter

First question would be, what are you using for a font manager? For the type of work you do, Font Book should be just about your last choice. Suitcase Fusion 3 or FontExplorer X Pro are the ones I recommend.

If you already are using Suitcase or FEX Pro, then get Font Book off your Mac. Having more than one font manager on any system is a sure way to make controlling fonts difficult.

1) Open Font Book, and then its preferences. Uncheck the box for "Alert me if system fonts change". Close the preferences and shut down Font Book. Put the Font Book application in the trash and delete it.

2) Restart your Mac and immediately hold down the Shift key when you hear the startup chime to boot into Safe Mode. Keep holding it until OS X asks you to log in (you will get this screen on a Safe Mode boot even if your Mac is set to automatically log in). Let the Mac finish booting to the desktop and then restart normally.

This will reset Font Book's database and clear the cache files in your user account. Any font sets you have created will be gone. Also, all fonts in the three main Fonts folders (System, Library, your user account) will now be active, regardless of their state beforehand.

The main goal in this step is to remove the orphaned Font Book database from the hard drive. With the Font Book application no longer on the hard drive, a new one cannot be created. Which is what we want.

3) Close all running applications. From an administrator account, open the Terminal app and enter the following command. You can also copy/paste it from here into the Terminal window:

sudo atsutil databases -remove

This removes all font cache files. Both for the system and all user font cache files. After running the command, close Terminal and immediately restart your Mac.

because a lot of the displays on certain browsers and programs are not displaying like they used to.


That comes back to font cache data that no longer relates to a font still on the drive. Clearing all font cache data after manually removing any fonts is pretty much a must. As is resetting Font Book's database by doing a Safe Mode boot.

Ever since I did that, InDesign CS4 is NOT seeing any T1 fonts. Before, it was only a Helvetica Neue T1 issue.


I'd say something on the system is goofed up. When I first installed Snow Leopard to an erased partition, all fonts worked. I did my usual of removing Font Book and getting the fonts on the drive down to the minimum. I then started installing all of my third party apps. Somewhere in there, fonts simply stopped working. The only fix was to reinstall OS X and reapply the Combo updater, along with whatever else Software Update said was needed. Voila, fonts worked again as expected. Just had to remove Font Book and all the fonts I didn't want on the drive again.

It's a bit of a pain to do, but that's why I went right to "reinstall the OS" above.

Jan 21, 2011 11:51 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Kurt,

My first reply to this didn't go through, it was before I took action. I had commented on how surprised I was in your quick reply. I also thanked you heavily.

Anyway, progress report: I followed the first steps you gave me on removing Font Book and installing another font manager. I was only using Font Book. I went with FEX Pro (trial, it will take a few weeks for my company to buy).

I'm happy to report that the T1 font issues in InDesign CS4 seemed to have been resolved, even the Helvetica Neue (T1) issue. Following the steps you listed worked, and I didn't even have to re-install Snow Leopard.

Displays in browsers look fine again. The only thing is the font displays in Widgets look off still. Here's a screenshot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/luisisback/5375525031/ ...since the other font issues have been resolved, I don't want to push my luck. I honestly don't really care that they look off. I just care about my fonts looking the way I want in design projects. However, I figured I'd share this in case anyone else has this issue.

So, thank you again VERY much for your quick response, and for the specific advice. I hope anyone who experiences the same issues will find this thread.

Jan 21, 2011 12:04 PM in response to MaynardWinter

I'm happy to report that the T1 font issues in InDesign CS4 seemed to have been resolved, even the Helvetica Neue (T1) issue. Following the steps you listed worked, and I didn't even have to re-install Snow Leopard.


Excellent!

The only thing is the font displays in Widgets look off still.


That's actually normal for what you've done. When you remove Apple's Helvetica fonts and replace them with a Type 1 or OpenType font from another source, the kerning, baseline shift and leading aren't the same. So while OS X recognizes the replacement Helvetica font and uses it, text doesn't line up the way Apple intended them to in their apps.

Jan 25, 2011 2:17 PM in response to arttree

None of my old fonts are working on snow leopard.


Then, whether or not you personally have been able to fix it, there is something wrong with your system.

Once again Apple gets greedy...


What in the world does that even mean? Apple doesn't sell fonts, Photoshop, Quark, or thousands of other titles. There isn't a lot for them to even make at only $29 for a single user retail disk.

Everything, and I do mean everything, I have on my system works under 10.6.6. You need to find out why they aren't working on your Mac and fix it.

Lastly, your tag line says dual ppc g5. So what are you running SL on? It sure isn't a G5.

Jan 25, 2011 8:50 PM in response to arttree

art --

All of my fonts work on 10.6.6.
All my programs work, as well.

You must have old apps that haven't been updated on there.

I am all too familiar with the woes of non-billable time.
So do your homework, OK?
As a professional, old outdated apps should have been updated or deleted prior to updating your OS

At any rate, if you really want some help here, start your own new topic, OK?
We're not staff, but other Mac users here, asking questions and sharing solutions.

Jan 26, 2011 2:41 AM in response to arttree

art, as a freelance creative i dont have time to do all my own IT but have to managew as well.
I had a few issues with Formatta etc and a message saying that the fonts were not housed in right folder.
i found the way to solve was just reinstall them again...
all worked till i opened the new WORD programme as well as a indesign page, then formatta went bonkers
then i moved formatta (postscript) to the system font library too...and it has solved most of the issues.

Im wondering if i should strip all fonts off and start afresh.
postcript seem to be the issues.


Theres some great advice on the links above.

Jan 26, 2011 2:48 AM in response to TildeBee

HI Bee

I have updated all my apps, and just gone to OSX 10.6.6.
As a creative freelancer with a decent tech knowledge, i find the blind spot in my field is fonts!
I have many, as i do many jobs and clients, and find that some have goen haywire and wont draw on screen since going to 10.6.6.
I had hoped it woudl be an easy transition... as work is piling up and needs doing ..but some fonts just wont play. I have mastered and use Keynote, iweb, indesign, photoshop, quark etc all for work... but admit, im stumped at font storage.
We do need others on apple discussion to help us and rely on these good people to do that..as i do in return to people when i can.

I found some fonts just wont draw....
but installed a few, but am aware im doubling up now with some...

do i just clear my fonts all off and delete, then reinstall...
or move them all to the HD - LIBRARY -FONTS folder - of just main used ones....?

Being honest - Im afraid im desperate and need simple clear laymans advice on fonts.
I can rebuild iweb grids, pitch and art direct glossy and b2b big magazines and teams... be concept and practicla creative ..
but cant do **** simple font control! Help would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Postscript fonts and OSX 10.6 not working ..?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.