Expert needed: problem with a font

[jvaska]

I have two versions of Trade Gothic - one from Adobe and one from Linotype. Of course, I only have one version installed at a time...

I'm having problems with their kerning - both of them. They work fine and all in print projects, but on screen they do some funny things. For instance, in Fireworks the A, W and T have extra space behind the characters...if I turn on the auto kern then it's fine.

However, and this is the problem, when I use the same fonts in Flash the kerning problem always exists and I can not fix it. I can't export a Flash movie with this font or it will have bad kerning.

I don't believe this is a font or Flash problem as I know other people who have exported Trade Gothic without a hitch - somehow I think it's related to something on my computer. I don't know where to begin to try to sort this out...

I'm running 10.3.7 on a couple machines...this problem has existed for some time now but I need to try to resolve this.

???

 

[Blue Velvet]

Curious

I don't know much about Flash – I'm a print designer but it sounds like a metrics problem. Very long shot but does Flash have a kerning table or something similar? If so, you could tweak your kerning pairs there...

If it's purely a screen thing then you have to wonder how Flash is interpreting the Postscript... they're Postscript fonts, aren't they?

It also could have something to with permissions on the font files themselves, perhaps the metrics aren't being properly read.

Are you running Suitcase/Font Reserve or another type utility?

After repairing permissions, what about trying installing Flash into the Applications folder of a new account set up for the purpose of testing and trying it from there? Just for the purposes of narrowing down the possibilities...

Trade Gothic, nice font.

 

[jvaska]

I don't know much about Flash – I'm a print designer but it sounds like a metrics problem. Very long shot but does Flash have a kerning table or something similar? If so, you could tweak your kerning pairs there...

If it's purely a screen thing then you have to wonder how Flash is interpreting the Postscript... they're Postscript fonts, aren't they?

It also could have something to with permissions on the font files themselves, perhaps the metrics aren't being properly read.

Are you running Suitcase/Font Reserve or another type utility?

After repairing permissions, what about trying installing Flash into the Applications folder of a new account set up for the purpose of testing and trying it from there? Just for the purposes of narrowing down the possibilities...

Trade Gothic, nice font.

TG is my first love.

No, I don't run any other font utilities...should I? After all the fuss I just dropped all of that - managing things in Font Book is a little more work but it's no hassle for m.

This problem has existed for some time and I do repair permissions frequently. I notice the kerning irregularites in FW all the time, but I could certainly give it a shot. But, why only TG? I have a billion POSTSCRIPT fonts and this is the only one (and I have two different versions of it).

I know other people who output TG in Flash all the time. Certainly that doesn't really mean much, but that's why I think it's something up with my OS in general. How would I check the permissions on the actual font files aside from fixing permissions in general?

Very mysterious...perhaps TG wants a divorce?

 

[Blue Velvet]

I do recommend Suitcase X1 over Fontbook. Fontbook physically moves the fonts in and out of folders, not entirely desirable as corruption may occur.

Suitcase also comes with FontDoctor to diagnose and repair troublesome fonts. It's just a far more elegant and powerful tool and if you have a billion PS fonts then that's even more reason to get it. FontBook is not a serious font utility...

Anyway, try setting up a new account and installing Flash into the Apps folder of that account. It's what I would do only to confirm whether it's a Flash thing or a font thing.

With this kind of problem, you have to approach it methodically and narrow down the possible causes.

 

[jvaska]

After the horrible problems with font management when OSX first came out I quit Suitcase...actually, I think I was using Reunion or whatever it was called...???

I actually have a rather new copy of Suitcase that I got at some event thingy...it doesn't want to scan/repair my fonts. Sheesh...keeps telling me that it can't with no other explanation.

Went to another account...same problems...

 

[Blue Velvet]

I actually have a rather new copy of Suitcase that I got at some event thingy...it doesn't want to scan/repair my fonts. Sheesh...keeps telling me that it can't with no other explanation.

That sounds like a permissions problem...

 

[jvaska]

That sounds like a permissions problem...

Yep, but I've repaired them...what should the permissions on them be? I know, I know...that's not such an easy question. I just noticed that Futura has the same problem (but I think I've only used it once in the past 6 years).

 

[Blue Velvet]

Hmmm... it's late here, I'll check in tomorrow, see if anyone else chips in with helpful advice.

In the meantime, can you do the type in something like Freehand/Illustrator and import vector outlines... like I said, I'm no Flash expert.

There must be a temporary work-around.

I know exactly how difficult when a particularly troublesome work-horse font winds you up... I have the same problem with Gill Sans and its odd kerning... don't even get me started on its '1'...

Best of luck.

 

[jvaska]

After I realized that this was affection alot of my fonts I started to panic. Luckily, the problem wasn't on my end - it was on Macromedia. I needed to upgrade to a newer version of Flash MX Pro and the problem was solved. Thank goodness...

Regarding Suitcase...do I really need to keep this thing running at all times? It doesn't run in the background? I'm sort of a purist about things like that...and I remember back when I first got OSX that I dumped these font utilities because they didn't operate like before...

Not sure if I'm going to keep it...I'm perfectly comfortable moving my fonts around manually to get what I need. I've got backups...so if a corruption happens I'm still ok...

 

[iGav]

Regarding Suitcase...do I really need to keep this thing running at all times? It doesn't run in the background? I'm sort of a purist about things like that...and I remember back when I first got OSX that I dumped these font utilities because they didn't operate like before...

Not sure if I'm going to keep it...I'm perfectly comfortable moving my fonts around manually to get what I need. I've got backups...so if a corruption happens I'm still ok...

Suitcase runs in the background, have it fire up when you switch your Mac on. After that, unless you need to activate a font, you'll never know it's running.

Fontbook is a shocker in comparison, and manually moving fonts around is just silly when you can just switch fonts on and off within Suitcase without having to quit and restart apps for them to be recognised.

I'm running over 10,000 fonts in Suitcase and it's by far and away the best font solution out there.

 

[jvaska]

Suitcase runs in the background, have it fire up when you switch your Mac on. After that, unless you need to activate a font, you'll never know it's running.

Apps that run in the background don't show up in the dock do they? Anyways, I'm convinced and I'll start using it again anyways.

The reason I've become so fussy about font management, preferring to do it manually even, is because I had so many problems with OSX first came out. The mere thought of going through that again...it's not good.

Thanks for your help...v

 

[Col. Panic]

Is there a reason you have 2 versions of TG? Unless there are different faces in each font I would keep just one.

 

[big]

Just throwing this in... Suitcase is awesome, Unix never really understood but like one font, which was all it needed, so it never had a reason to be run like it is. One thing about Suitcase that you must do, but does not come in the instruction manual the removal of fonts. ALL font but 2 in the system folder, and keep your font you want to use in your home directory. Last Resort & Lucida Grande I believe are the 2 fonts to be left in any Library Font folder.... I never worry about OS9 font folders, it'd be pointless...

 

[iGav]

Apps that run in the background don't show up in the dock do they? Anyways, I'm convinced and I'll start using it again anyways.

Not sure... I consider it to be a background app because unless I open the window, then you simply don't know it's running. For all intents and purposes it's running in the background save the icon in the dock, which you need so you can open the management window to activate and de-activate fonts.

It's a really good app though, it's as seamless as ATM Deluxe was back in pre OS X days.

The way I have mine set up it to leave the System fonts folder alone, and create a 'My Fonts' folder in my home folder, then import all the fonts from that folder directly into Suitcase, that way you won't have issues corrupting or changing any of your System fonts.

I have it set to launch on boot up, and maintain any activated fonts so that I don't have to keep switching them back on after boot up or a restart.

As I say though, I've got 10,000+ fonts and it handles them beautifully, fast and stable and allows you a high degree of flexibility, reliablity and of course the real time ability to switch fonts on and off without having to quit apps.

AThe reason I've become so fussy about font management, preferring to do it manually even, is because I had so many problems with OSX first came out. The mere thought of going through that again...it's not good.

Totally understand, early versions of OS X were a total dog for font management, and after Adobe announced they weren't going to develop ATM for OS X (why I don't know) things didn't look like they were going to improve.

I switched to Suitcase early on in OS X and those version had their fair share of gremlins, Suitcase unexpectedly quitting when you imported a corrupt font was the main one, but the latest version of Suitcase is as bulletproof as they come, hasn't quit once on me yet even when it's handling a fair amounts of fonts.

G

 

[jvaska]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm down with Suitcase again and digging it.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm down with Suitcase again and digging it.

Wicked.

Glad you eventually found a solution to your problem.

One note of warning about Suitcase. When you activate a font, Adobe apps seem to need restarting to 'see' the font, not Quark funnily enough...

 

[Kirk]

I have had a lot of problems with fonts since moving to OSX, but after I installed Font Agent I am finally in control again. In my experience it takes care of corrupted fonts in a much better way than Suitcase does.