Bug: PDF Export and Import with Font Windings

[erdi12]

I found a bug after crating a document with some characters of the font "Winding" in a new document. After exporting the publisher file to pdf and reimport this PDF File in Publisher the characters of the Windings font are not visible. the characters of Windings are often used as Textboxes in formulars to choose an option.

The behavior is reproduceable.

Regards

erdi12

[kenmcd]

@erdi12

Where can this "Winding" font be found?

Can you post the PDF?

 

[Komatös]

12 hours ago, LibreTraining said:

@erdi12

Where can this "Winding" font be found?

Can you post the PDF?

 

This probably means the font Wingdings. This is installed by default with Windows.

[Alfred]

23 minutes ago, Komatös said:

This probably means the font Wingdings. This is installed by default with Windows.

Indeed, and it includes several checkbox glyphs (with and without ticks and crosses).

[Komatös]

I believe it is not a bug, but a licensing issue as to how the font may be used.

This is what the license agreement says:

Microsoft supplied font. You may use this font to create, display, and print content as permitted by the license terms or terms of use, of the Microsoft product, service, or content in which this font was included. You may only (i) embed this font in content as permitted by the embedding restrictions included in this font; and (ii) temporarily download this font to a printer or other output device to help print content. Any other use is prohibited.

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Komatös
Corrected

[Alfred]

11 minutes ago, Komatös said:

I believe it is not a bug, but a licensing issue as to how the font may be used.

Since the font is supplied as standard with Microsoft Windows, it must surely be licensed for use in any software running on that platform. The embeddability flag is set to allow editable embedding, so there’s no reason for any of the glyphs that are embedded in the PDF not to display and be editable.

[erdi12]

I create a demo file to show what happens.

In the document "winding-step_1.afpub i create a textbox with the windings glyphs.

Th wingings_step-1 show the PDF file, exported by publisher with the adjustment for printing

The winding_step_2-Reimport shows the result by importing the PDF file above. The glyphs are completely different, some of some are not visible. if you check the fount, no warning an the font is recognized as Windings.

winding_step_1.afpub winding_step_1.pdf winding_step_2-Reimport_PDF.afpub

[Komatös]

51 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Since the font is supplied as standard with Microsoft Windows, it must surely be licensed for use in any software running on that platform. The embeddability flag is set to allow editable embedding, so there’s no reason for any of the glyphs that are embedded in the PDF not to display and be editable.

You are right. The PDF exporter importer of the Affinity programs has a problem with fonts where no Unicode ranges are specified.

[erdi12]

The export works well, but the import is the problem. The font has also unicode codes.  Affinity change the codes during import.

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by erdi12
more explamation

[kenmcd]

Wingdings.ttf is a symbol font, not a Unicode font.
Yes, it does have Unicode code points assigned to the glyphs, but they are all up in the PUA (Private Use Area).
And are not used in this case.

The problem is sub-setting the characters when embedding the font.
When the sub-set font is created an index to those particular characters is created in the embedded font.
This index only works for this sub-set embedded font.
This index does not match-up with the full font character set in your installed font.
For it to match you have to embed the entire font, which has the entire character set.
Note: this is a PDF specifications issue not an Affinity Publisher issue, or PDFlib issue.

When you Export to PDF make sure to un-check Subset fonts.
Then when you re-import it works.

This is the new no-subset PDF opened in APub. (The actual PDF is below.)

winding_step_1_no_subset.pdf

 

[erdi12]

Thanks, with the recomendetd export adjustment ist works.

[SPaceBar]

Hi @erdi12 Thanks for sharing this issue with us. While the export adjustment works on Windows it isn't working on macOS so I will get that logged. 👍