Font Embedding Problem in Distiller

Sue Boyles

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Mar 4, 2003, 8:02:46 PM3/4/03

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I am setting embed all fonts in job options, and also including the path to the font folder on the hard drive, and have even checked the embedding licensing on problem fonts (they say editable embedding allowed) but I am still getting errors saying "unable to embed" some fonts. Can I get some other suggestions?

Aandi Inston

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Mar 5, 2003, 3:37:53 AM3/5/03

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What are the messages in the Distiller log, in full?

Aandi Inston

Sue Boyles

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Mar 5, 2003, 7:41:10 AM3/5/03

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The message is "unable to embed "helvetica-bold". The fonts that are not being embedded are the helveticas, times, times new roman...those "normal" resident fonts.

Aandi Inston

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Mar 5, 2003, 7:48:40 AM3/5/03

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Please post the messages in FULL - the whole log, not being selective.
Thanks.

Aandi Inston

Sue Boyles

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Mar 5, 2003, 9:16:53 AM3/5/03

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I'm not at the site that the error message is coming up. (It's on a customer's PC). I can not replicate the error here. I was hoping to have a solution for her the next time I go on site.

Aandi Inston

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Mar 5, 2003, 9:47:40 AM3/5/03

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There are several different problems, producing similar symptoms.
Coverring all possibilities would be a very long message.

Probably the most common cause is trying to embed these fonts without
actually owning them in PostScript (not TrueType) format. Acrobat does
not include them, and you have to buy Helvetica in order to be able to
embed it. This would produce a message like

%%[Error: (fontname) not found. Font cannot be embedded.]%%

This is entirely different from cases that mention font licenses, and
cases that mention substituting Courier. If this doesn't fit be sure
to get the full text - copy and paste the log file if possible.

Aandi Inston

Fabian Szalatnay

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Mar 5, 2003, 11:57:25 AM3/5/03

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i've got exactly the same problem. days or weeks ago it worked and now i got a license error because of the helvetica font.

on my XP machine with acrobat 5.05 there was no problem but on the users pc with w2k and acrobat 5.05 i got the error.
what i do not understand is why it worked on the users machine some days ago....

any help would be appreciated

Aandi Inston

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Mar 5, 2003, 12:13:58 PM3/5/03

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Fabian, please copy and paste the entire Distiller log. There may be a
clue there.

Aandi Inston

Fabian Szalatnay

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Mar 5, 2003, 1:31:09 PM3/5/03

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i'll do that tomorrow when the users are back in the office. here in switzerland it's 7.25 pm right now :-)
and that's the way it looks here: <http://www.themoonbase.net/crx_gallery/HH_konvoi_07072002/full/DSCN1088.JPG>
:-)

Sue Boyles

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Mar 5, 2003, 6:49:28 PM3/5/03

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Start Time: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 at 5:43 PM
Destination: C:\Great Coupons\April 03\April PDF\Jerry's.pdf
Source: Jerry's.ps
%%[ Warning: Helvetica not found, using Font Substitution. Font cannot be embedded.]%%
%%[ Warning: Times-Roman not found, using Font Substitution. Font cannot be embedded.]%%
%%[ Warning: Helvetica-Bold not found, using Font Substitution. Font cannot be embedded.]%%
Distill Time: 3 seconds (00:00:03)
* *** End of Job ****

I got my client to email me the error! Here it is! Can you help?????

Thanks! Sue

Fabian Szalatnay

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Mar 6, 2003, 4:22:15 AM3/6/03

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and thats my log:

%%[ ProductName: Distiller ]%%
%%[ Warning: Helvetica-Bold cannot be embedded due to licensing restrictions.]%%
%%[ Warning: Helvetica cannot be embedded due to licensing restrictions.]%%
%%[Page: 1]%%
%%[Page: 2]%%
%%[LastPage]%%

Aandi Inston

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Mar 6, 2003, 4:42:13 AM3/6/03

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Sue,

>%%[ Warning: Helvetica not found, using Font Substitution. Font cannot be embedded.]%%
>%%[ Warning: Times-Roman not found, using Font Substitution. Font cannot be embedded.]%%
>%%[ Warning: Helvetica-Bold not found, using Font Substitution. Font cannot be embedded.]%%

Your client has probably not purchased the Helvetica and other fonts
in PostScript form. If they are installed, Distiller needs to be told
where they are (not TrueType!)

Or, simply add them to the Never Embed List. The base 14 fonts -
Helvetica, Times and Courier families, plus Symbol and ZapfDingbats -
almost never need to be embedded as all PDF Readers must supply them.

Aandi Inston

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Mar 6, 2003, 4:49:35 AM3/6/03

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>%%[ Warning: Helvetica-Bold cannot be embedded due to licensing restrictions.]%%
>%%[ Warning: Helvetica cannot be embedded due to licensing restrictions.]%%

More of an odd message, Fabian.

Be sure ATM 4.0 was never installed on the system; this breaks it (4.1
is OK).

Otherwise, bearing in mind that Windows does not include these fonts,
try and find them and check their origin. Perhaps the creator of these
fonts really did not license them for PDF use. Some font makers do
this, not sure why, but Distiller has to respect their choice.

Aandi Inston