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Helvetica Neue PS in Snow Leopard

B

BigGarb

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 5, 2004
30
0
After upgrading to Snow Leopard, I am unable to activate my PostScript version of Helvetica Neue. The weights/styles that are not included in the System version of the font are fine. I am in the print/design field and would prefer to use the PostScript version as opposed to the TrueType versions.

Any suggestions?

Mike
 
Yeah, this is a major problem in my eyes. You can't delete Helvetica Neue from the system folder either, as the Finder automatically restores it! I guess Apple wants to have the monopoly on Helvetica Neue.
 
Helvetica Neue in Snow Leopard

I found this web page with instructions for removing System fonts from Leopard and Snow Leopard:
http://indesignsecrets.com/removing-nonessential-system-fonts-in-leopard.php

The problem now is that iTunes in Snow Leopard uses the Apple Helvetica Neue to display new Podcasts, Applications, etc. in circles in the left hand column of the application.

I haven't thoroughly checked other Apple applications to see if they are now broken because I have removed the Apple Helvetica Neue.

My thoughts are that since so many creatives use Macs that Apple needs to make it easier for us to remap System fonts so we don't get these conflicts or have to go through this kind of hassle.
 
Helvetica Neue PS in Snow Leopard

I, too, am a graphic designer and I'm required to use Helvetica Neue by our corporate ID standards. Snow Leopard would not allow me to install the additional weights that I need (I would receive a "conflict" message in Fontbook and the Helvetica Neue fonts that I installed did not appear in my Adobe Creative Suite apps and MS Office). I called Apple Care and they had no solution other than not using the font--which is not an option. I told them that I would have to revert back to 10.5. The Apple Care tech was shocked. Clearly she didn't understand that I can't do my job without that font family. I asked her how to uninstall / revert to 10.5. After checking, she told me that I would have to ERASE my disk, then reinstall 10.5. What a nightmare. Now, nobody here is to install Snow Leopard and I will not install it on any home computers until I'm certain that this has been resolved AND there are no other such conflicts that would require the uninstall process.
 
HelveticaNeue Snow Leopard Fix

I Thought I had this fixed, then continued getting conflicts on opening my full set of Helvetica Neue.

Ended up leaving system HelveticaNeue in place and added this set to suitcase as well.

http://www.linotype.com/1266/neuehelvetica-family.html

No conflicts at all as font naming is slightly different. Just have to substitute fonts as I open them.
 
Wow this is shocking. How can Apple be so incredibly stupid? Helvetica Neue is probably the most popular "design" font on the planet. I have a ton of things in Helvetica Neue.

Are they freaking nuts?
 
JonWillmac said:
I Thought I had this fixed, then continued getting conflicts on opening my full set of Helvetica Neue.

Ended up leaving system HelveticaNeue in place and added this set to suitcase as well.

http://www.linotype.com/1266/neuehelvetica-family.html

No conflicts at all as font naming is slightly different. Just have to substitute fonts as I open them.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, spend $350 to purchase a font that I already own? No thanks.

This did give me an idea of changing my current font name and regenerating a new font. Downloaded FontForge and spent all morning figuring it out. I finally got a version out, but it didn't have the weights (55, 56, 65, etc) showing up in my font menus. Guess I'm off to fire up an old PowerMac and see if I can get Fontographer to work.
 
I had the same problem as BigGarb, but I think I got it covered.

In Leopard, I removed the system fonts as shown in the link that Brad posted. But I couldn't find the protected fonts folder in Snow Leopard, they seemed to have moved it. So I gave up on that.

Someone suggested trying to put the fonts in InDesign's font folder. I didn't even know it had one until today! It seems to have worked. The missing fonts from the Post Script version of Helvetica Neue now show up in InDesign, which is where I do most of my design work.

I didn't check Photoshop and Illustrator until after I placed the fonts in the InDesign font folder, but the fonts seem to working fine there too. I speculate that the conflict never effected those programs in the first place.

It appears, at the moment, that I won't have to remove the system fonts, I can ignore the conflict, and everything will be okay. Woohoo!
 
I'm also having tons of font issues with Snow Leopard.

Regarding the Helvetica Neue problem, I found that if you have it, you can install the Helvetica Neue LT Std family. I think it is mostly identical to the stock system Helvetica Neue, and it will let you avoid having interactions with the stock Helvetica Neue.

Is anyone using Linotype FontExplorer X (not the newer "pro" version) and having issues?
 
Workaround for Adobe Creative Suite

If you load your needed fonts into the font folder for any of the Adobe Creative Suites, which should be located in their respective application folders you will not get the conflict. So far this has worked for us. QuarkXPress does not have this option and I have not found a workaround for this as of yet. By the way the real issue here is that Snow Leopard does not support Postscript fonts any longer. I know this will cause an uproar with the millions of us in the printing industry as we have the entire Adobe library in postscript. I could simply replace it with the current Adobe OTF library, but what about the thousands of customers who can't afford to do this. I don't really blame Apple as Adobe started this back in 2005 when they decided to convert all of their fonts to OTF. I guess it is just starting to catch up to the end user.
 
sseilhan said:
By the way the real issue here is that Snow Leopard does not support Postscript fonts any longer.
Click to expand...

Is this true? Where did you find out about this? I would like to read more.

I have a number of Postscript fonts that appear to be working fine
 
Allen Werner said:
Is this true? Where did you find out about this? I would like to read more.

I have a number of Postscript fonts that appear to be working fine
Click to expand...

Hmmm . . . I haven't tried any of my PS fonts. Over the last three years I've been trying to get OpenType versions of them.

I'm a typeface-lover, and I collect them.

If it's true that PS fonts are no longer supported, that would be troubling. I'll have to test them.
 
Solution >> Helvetica Neue LT PRO (OTF)

I noticed this too with 10.6 / 10.6.1 SL. I installed Helvetica Neue LT Pro (OTF) and that works, but you have to replace the font manually in your documents. See how it works out, but Apple should have a solution for this... like you said it is the most popular design type font in the world. WTF!
 
sseilhan said:
If you load your needed fonts into the font folder for any of the Adobe Creative Suites, which should be located in their respective application folders you will not get the conflict. So far this has worked for us. QuarkXPress does not have this option and I have not found a workaround for this as of yet. By the way the real issue here is that Snow Leopard does not support Postscript fonts any longer. I know this will cause an uproar with the millions of us in the printing industry as we have the entire Adobe library in postscript. I could simply replace it with the current Adobe OTF library, but what about the thousands of customers who can't afford to do this. I don't really blame Apple as Adobe started this back in 2005 when they decided to convert all of their fonts to OTF. I guess it is just starting to catch up to the end user.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to say thanks for this work around for the Adobe apps. I just upgraded to Snow Leopard and have been struggling with the font issues. Putting the Helvetica Neue fonts that I could not get activated into the Fonts folder in the InDesign app folder worked great.
 
Solved

I think a couple people above have spoke to this, but the solution I found was loading my complete Postscript Helvetica Neue and Helvetica sets into:

/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts

Now these full font familes load and appear in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.. and the system can continue using its own slimmed down Helvetica sets.

Not sure what to do if other apps need these fonts, but given these are likely the only apps that really need these full sets, this solution should work!

ev
 
Still having issues - seeing a different Adobe folder structure then recomended here

I am having the same issues with the open type version of Helvetica Neue. I am running OSX with CS5 and using font explorer pro. I have all fonts activated but only 4 of the open type versions appear in any of my apps. I have tried copying them to the InDesign/fonts folder but had no luck. I then tried following the path /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts
but once I get /Library/Application Support/Adobe/ there is no specific fonts folder - the folders i see are : fontsRequired, fontsRecommended, Savedfonts. The saved fonts folder is the onyl one with actual fonts it it. I tried dumping them in there but still had no luck. Anyone have any other suggestions?
 
Helvetica Neue font issue resolved..

Thanks for the help everyone!! I hate this process of having to upgrade when our systems are working just fine... Anyhow, the placing of conflicting fonts into InDesign Fonts folder worked just fine after a restart of InDesign. My system is SnowLeopard and just installed CS5 a couple weeks ago. I'm hoping Helvetica Neue is the only issue.. I have a feeling I will find more working in the Graphic Production end of things.

Thanks Again!
 
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