Trouble embedding Print and Preview fonts

[waltonmendelson]

I am using Affinity Publisher, ver. 1.9.2.1035 and Windows 10.

In trying to solve a problem on the Amazon KDP forum, I ran some tests. The problem had to do with a rejected file.  I diagnosed the problem to a font.  This font had Print and Preview embedding rights.  The person was using AffinityPublisher.  Getting some confusing results I:

• Created a new afpub file
• Typed the names of 30 Print and Preview fonts, set in their relative typefaces
• Exported to PDF/X-1a
• Opened the file in Acrobat DC Pro
• Confirmed PDF/X-1a compliance
• Checked the embedded fonts

I repeated repeated this in InDesign.

All 30 fonts embedded correctly in the InDesign > PDF/X-1a files.  

Only 23 of the fonts embedded correctly in the Affinity Publisher > PDF/X-1a files.

I have attached screenshots showing the Preflight compliance of both PDFs, as well as the expanded list of the embedded font.

The fonts that failed to embed are:

• AerojonesNF . . . TTF, Nick Curtis
• Amigo Regular . . . TTF, Adobe Systems
• AnAkronism . . . TTF, Nick Curtis
• AnchorSteamNF . . . TTF, Nick Curtis
• AndNowHand . . . TTF, Luca Tornatola
• AntsyPants . . . TTF, Nick Curtis
• AutographScript EF . . . TTF, Elsner+Flake

I simply chose fonts starting the first one and selected those with only Print and Preview embedding rights.  Those with multiple rights that included Print and Preview is did not select.  I had no other criteria for the selection.  

 

Walton

 

 

[Alfred]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, Walton. 

26 minutes ago, waltonmendelson said:

I simply chose fonts starting the first one and selected those with only Print and Preview embedding rights.  Those with multiple rights that included Print and Preview is did not select.  I had no other criteria for the selection.

If multiple flags for embeddability licensing rights are set, the least restrictive one should prevail.

I’m afraid I’ve no idea why some of the fonts passed compliance testing but nevertheless failed to embed.

[waltonmendelson]

Thank you.  I apologize for some careless typing.  

 

[kenmcd]

23 hours ago, waltonmendelson said:

I simply chose fonts starting the first one and selected those with only Print and Preview embedding rights.  Those with multiple rights that included Print and Preview is did not select.  I had no other criteria for the selection.  

Appears to be an error/bug.
Here is the OpenType spec:

Quote

4: Preview & Print embedding: the font may be embedded, and may be temporarily loaded on other systems for purposes of viewing or printing the document. Documents containing Preview & Print fonts must be opened “read-only”; no edits can be applied to the document.

As a work-around you can print to a PDF printer which either embeds the fonts properly, or enables you to force embedding all fonts.

[waltonmendelson]

Thank you.

Export to PDF 

Yes, I believe this is a bug.  I've been testing Print and Preview fonts in AffinityPublisher to see how they export to PDF for almost a week now.  My initial post shows the problem: not all Print and Preview fonts embed in the PDF. 

Print to PDF

In response to your suggestion about using Print to PDF, here's where the basic question problem gets complicated, which I was trying to avoid.  From AffinityPublisher:

• Print to AdobePDF with text in Arial no problem
• Print to AdobePDF with Caecilia (Print and Preview, OTF, an Adobe font, it was Kindle's default font for years) causes a failure loop: 

%%[ ProductName: Distiller ]%%
%%[ Error: CaeciliaLTStd-Roman not found. Font cannot be embedded. ]%%
%%[ Error: invalidfont; OffendingCommand: findfont ]%%

I chose Caecilia because it was Print and Preview and from Adobe.  My first test with it, and it caused what happened with my previous tests using Print to AdobePDF. The loop continued until I turned off my computer.

• Print to doPDF worked perfectly with Caecilia.

I believe there are also bugs in the latest Adobe Acrobat DC and Adobe PDF. I've gotten the looping error with Print to AdobePDF from Word. I've also gotten total garbage conversions to PDF where all the letters are scrambled, overlapped, in the wrong fonts.  

Work around

I am not looking for a work around.  I was helping someone on the Amazon KDP forum, which led to tests.  I was trying to alert AffinityPublisher to a potential problem.

Professional Use

I would love to ditch Adobe for Affinity, but:

1. The export to PDF feature needs to embed all embeddable fonts.
   1. I have heard people say that just get the printers to use Apub and the commercial side works: it doesn't.  No printer I've worked with will accept anything except PDFs, often using their proprietary preset. This goes for p-o-d printers (KDP, IS, etc.) to high-end printers.
2. Apub needs to have an Export to epub feature.
3. Ideally, Affinity should have a PDF program in the suite.  Preflighting is vital.

Walton

 

 

[waltonmendelson]

Curious:

I created a new Apub file, with 100 different Print and Preview fonts.  All 100 embedded!

What I initially reported was the result of a dozen tests, all with using the first whatever number of Print and Preview fonts in my font folder.  This test, picked up where they left off in my font folder.  

Both files in this thread were PDF/X-1a. Created the same way, using Export > PDF.

 

However: Print > Adobe PDF > PDF/X-1a does not work.  The system gets caught in an error loop.

 

Walton