benwiggy

PDF import should do the following: In Publisher, import as an image (e.g. 'pass=through); or as a 'document' (current behaviour) with text boxes and objects. In Designer, import using available fonts and asking whether to outline or substitute other glyphs. In Photo, import as an image.

The dream of 'pass-through PDF', in which Affinity Suite represents an imported PDF as intended, without trying to re-interpret the text, remains. You have to outline all fonts in any PDFs you're importing into Affinity, if you want to ensure accuracy.

Yes, it's a known major failing across the Affinity suite. Any PDF with embedded fonts cannot be relied upon to import correctly. This is true if you want to rasterize a PDF in Photo; or load into Designer for editing; or just position a PDF on a page in Publisher. The only workaround is to Outline the fonts in the PDF using another program: don't use "Text as Curves" in the PDF Export options, use Outline fonts in Acrobat or Illustrator, or GhostScript.

Editing a PDF is not an unreasonable expectation. Adobe's Illustrator can open, edit and save to the PDF format natively. PDF is essentially tokenised PostScript. There's nothing magic that prevents its use as an editable file format. Very close? No. Pass-through is missing in Publisher, but all three apps make the same errors when importing PDFs.

I'm not asking to illegally extract fonts for my own use! Currently, Affinity does not even display PDFs correctly when I DO have the fonts installed. Yes, we need pass-through PDF for placing PDFs in Publisher: but we also need accurate Rasterisation to bitmap in Photo; and accurate vector editing in Designer (either with system fonts, replacements, or outlines). These things work perfectly in plenty of other apps, but not in Affinity.

The .458 Release Notes say "PDF Import: Improved Font Substitution suggestions when opening PDFs etc". Build .420 also claimed fixes to PDF Import. What changes have been made? A few quick tests shows Publisher still cannot usefully import PDFs containing font data at all.

What are the "PDF Import fixes for specific files" listed in the Release Notes? I'm still seeing the usual problems of text moving, wrong glyphs, etc. Should I be seeing anything different?

Calibri is a Microsoft font and comes with Office. The version on that linked site is quite an old version. Bauhaus 93 is a specific version made by URW. The ones in the wfonts.com link look like crude imitations that aren't very accurate. Do make sure that you are legally entitled to download these fonts for free.

Editability seems to be what Affinity has gone for from day 1. PDFs in Publisher are treated as some kind of interchange format, in which the text can be fully editable, even if it's in the wrong font/glyph/position. Hence the "Favour editable text over fidelity" option. (Sadly, unchecking the box doesn't guarantee fidelity.) But this behaviour is identical in Designer, and even Photo. While there are circumstances when this might be useful, it's a curious architectural decision to prioritize over the more 'normal' needs of accurately rasterizing; accurately placing; and accurately rendering for vector editing.

That doesn't work either. Even with the correct fonts installed, PDF imports don't use the correct ligatures and OpenType variants. Text objects also move. I'm going to offer you the compromise wording of "PDF import guaranteed for small minority of specially prepared PDFs!".

Did you read the other thread? A member of staff says the actual words "We don't currently support PDFs with embedded fonts". You can of course object and suggest that they support all aspects of PDF import except for that one, which just needs improvement, if you wish. But it's a pretty pointless distinction. I've done the simplest of tests with PDFs from a range of creators, including Adobe, and they've come up a complete mess in Affinity. And only in Affinity. The characters may be understood, but the glyphs used in the PDF are not used. Currently any PDF with text cannot be relied upon to appear correctly in Affinity Suite. I eagerly await the day when this is no longer the case, but it needs stating now.

No it isn't. Read this thread. Currently, an imported PDF cannot be trusted to display any of the correct glyphs if it uses ligatures or OpenType variants. Some text elements can move, too. The entire Affinity Suite cannot rasterize a PDF; import for editing; or place on a page correctly.

The other threads about ligatures are about PDF import, (which is unsupported), not export. I'd humbly suggest that turning off all ligatures may not be desirable or viable in all circumstances.

And every other font display correctly? It works for me. Can you show a screenshot?

No. Unlike other vector artwork packages, Designer doesn't open PDFs accurately for editing, outlining fonts if necessary; and Publisher doesn't accurately import placed PDFs, like other layout apps. Instead, both apps give you entirely editable text that's roughly in the right position but not necessarily with the correct glyph. Or font. You'll have to either outline the fonts (Acrobat DC has a Preflight profile to do this) before importing, or convert to another format. EPS or SVG will retain the vector data (though there's no guarantee of complete fidelity). You could convert the PDF into a bitmap image to preserve the content for placing, but you'd lose the ability to edit elements. (NB: Affinity Photo won't rasterize a PDF to bitmap correctly, either.)