Helvetica Neue Vs Helvetica

[Tisha]

Ihave an OTF package of Helvetica Neue and I had installed it, but every time I opened a file which contained some text using Helvetica Neue, Photoshop or Illustrator displayed that "resolve fonts" screen. All files I downloaded including mockups, layouts, icons and others which were using HelveticaNeue, there wasn't a match with their "helveticaneue" and the one installed on my computer, and those Helvetica Neue variations are always the same.

So, my question: Are there "standard" files for Helvetica Neue? Sounds like every designer in the world uses the same Helvetica Neue (a TTF version maybe) and I just can't find a file that matches the most used one. I downloaded Helvetica Neue from a lot of sources on the internet but they come different, then I have to see that annoying screen asking me to resolve fonts missing.

Fonts are not public property, there are bought, sold and controlled like any other art or tool. If you want the real Helvetica Neue you can get directly from the foundry that created it - -originals-library.html

I didn't know MacOS already came with it, Windows doesn't come neither with Helvetica Neue nor standard Helvetica. It's not about being an "authentic" file or having the original font bought from its founder, it's about avoiding a "missing fonts" notice.

I understand completely, it's a constant problem. Any artwork you receive from a designer should be packaged with the fonts they used so for your immediate problem it may be best to let the designer know you need the fonts. For the long term problem, there's no solution really. You can turn on 'font substitution' but that lends itself to an entirely new set of problems, a major one being having to do typesetting everything from scratch again. There are about 5 billion versions of every font made by random people available for free and then there are the originals, crafted by the foundry.

It depends on your needs. If your just needing to print something submitted to you then all you need is the font the designer used. On the other hand, if your the designer then it matters more and OpenType tends to be more flexible, allowing more typesetting and finessing, alternates, ligatures, etc.

Fonts are not public property, there are bought, sold and controlled like any other art or tool. If you want the real Helvetica Neue you can get directly from the foundry that created it - -originals-library.html.

Allowing another designer access to fonts for the same projects and packaging fonts with projects are both perfectly acceptable. Did the files you downloaded include fonts or not? If they did then you just need to install them and use them, if they did not you need to ask them for the fonts so you can finish the project. It's that simple. And no, there isn't just one single standard Helvetica Neue anymore, there is the original Neue Helvetica from Linotype I posted in the very first reply. Others are legitimate remakes or variations, and a lot are knock-offs and pirated copies.

No, you didn't understand. When I say "designer" or "websites", I was referring to websites that everyone can download assets from, like dribbble, freepik, behance etc. For example, I've downloaded a psd with all elements of Bootstrap UI, such as buttons, tooltips etc, but I have seen that who works on a Mac usually uses Helvetica Neue, like you've said me that it already comes with Mac, which is great and Mac fonts are very better than those that come with Windows, I just use Windows because Macs in Brazil cost higher than a Camaro in US.

Anyway, when I download a UI, a mockup, a set of buttons or whatever else, they usually come with Helvetica Neue, so it's a top popular font as I can see. I have around 4 options of versions of Helvetica Neue, but they are not the same when they are installed, I mean, every version appears different on Photoshop fonts list, and when I open a file where Helvetica Neue was used in, Photoshop "prompts" me to resolve "missing" fonts. Like you've said, that's an annoying pain really.

There are differences just between various versions of Helvetica Neue. That was our corporate font, and when we switch from Win XP to Win 8, we had to get a new version what worked with Win 8. Then all my text files had the same problem you're having. I feel your pain, but not sure there is much you can do.

Gotcha. I was under the assumption you were downloading project materials from a firm, agency, etc. So we're right back where we started - it can be a constant problem and there is no solution other than buying a version that you like to use in place of all the hack versions. People make their own fonts all the time and name them whatever they want, there may well be 100,000 versions of Helvetica Neue out there for all I know. Frustrating.

If you're not interested in purchasing it then there is positively no solution for you. You will simply just have to deal with having multiple versions on your machine. I purchased the entire family from Linotype about seven years ago and have never messed with another version since. Linotype: Neue Helvetica font family. Authentic, genuine and a little expensive but worth it.

Yes, I think that there is no better option than buying the original, doesn't matter if is a font, a software or anything else. The problem is that everything in Brazil costs a whole life and after that it's possible that you're still in debt. In summary, I will "resolve" the missing fonts by picking an option for each them which Photoshop says that is not installed, that's the way...

Completely forgot about doing this for you, sorry. Anyway, here are screenshots of of Neue Helvetica installed on this very machine in Photoshop 2017, if these screenshots are NOT what you were after then carefully and clearly explain what you're wanting to see and I'll post it back up.

First image is just FYI, only showing the macOS version in case you were curious. Two other Helvetica Neue families from Linotype are listed immediately below it - 'Helvetica Neue LT Pro' and 'Helvetica Neue LT Std'.

TYPOGRAPHIC HELP! Any thoughts? Neue Helvetica is a resident font on Apple. As such it cannot be disabled, deactivated, hidden, deleted, removed. The system and Font Book do not have the complete family. This means you have to have another version /source. Herein is the confusion. Both will display in font lists within software. This means you could inadvertently end up with a mix of sources. Apple displays as light, bold, etc The other source displays as the numerical system 45, 65, etc. Adobe InDesign seems to display using the numerical system and therefore which one are you actually using? Affinity Publisher mixes everything up with two lists of Neue Helvetica in the list. If you have both open then Font Book will alert you to the issue that you have 'multiple' copies open. Multiple suggests lots and not two sources. Confused? I'm not sure there is any way around this. Am I wrong?

One potential method to fix this would be using a font editor and rename the family of the non-Apple Helvetica Neue to something else. It is of course a large family so maybe quite a nuisance, and would or course require a specific tool.

It looks from your screenshot that your Apple and Adobe versions are in the same list but fortunately sorted out. Mine are a little bit mixed up between the two sets. I don't know what the original source is. I used to work at a University where the Adobe license and typefaces were taken care of. I've left now and the laptop was taken back and the account closed. Hence the move to Affinity. The source of the other typeface might be someone who I worked with who artwork a publication and then packaged the job so I could check it. That person unfortunately died. So am figuring things out. I can't deactivate the Apple resident fonts so they have to appear. Both my sources appear in Publisher so maybe I just need to take more care selecting and then check fonts when packaging for output. Whilst the Publisher displays the fonts. Font Book alerts that there are multiple copies. Maybe this doesn't mean much. Screen shots attached. Of course I could delete my other source and buy a new set from Font Shop (165). I think the same thing will happen in that the Apple Version will display alongside the bought version.

Yes, the both Helvetica Neue versions on your computer seem to have same or close to same family names (perhaps a space character is not enough to separate the names, unless the app can make a difference when enumerating the fonts).

Font editors typically use the FamilyName as a base, and then other parameters to build several other names to create a unique set of font names to avoid name conflicts. Since e.g. PostScript name seems to be built based on Family name (spaces removed and style name appended by other parameters), it may be that at least certain fonts that have close to identical family names, end up having fully identical secondary names (like PostScript name).

If an app enumerates fonts based e.g. on PostScript body (the first part of the name), name conflicts would happen and all kinds of issues related to this problem. I do not think that it is possible to resolve the issue unless the family name of one of the conflicting font is changed and sub names thereafter rebuilt. As mentioned, the problem is often app-specific, depending on whether an app uses multiple name fields to deduce how individual fonts should be grouped and identified.

If name editing is not an option, you could try if just removing the exactly conflicting fonts from the non-Apple family would make it possible to use all sub styles of these fonts, even if from mixed families. The Font Book is probably good enough tool to do this task, as it allows just deactivating conflicting fonts without needing to uninstall them.

It looks from your screenshot that your Apple and Adobe versions are in the same list but fortunately sorted out. Mine are a little bit mixed up between the two sets. I don't know what the original source is.

3a8082e126