Embedding fonts in PDF

[inkster]

Hi all

If you embed fonts on a PDF export from Affinity Publisher, can the user extract the font to use as a font on their computer?

Also, if they dont have the font on their computer I assume the PDF will correctly show the font?

I am asking because I am wondering why people choose text as curves vs embed fonts as an export and am wondering what the difference is?

Thank you!

[ashf]

No, the font must be installed on your computer.
Otherwise, the font will be altered by the default font.

[MikeW]

1 hour ago, inkster said:

Hi all

If you embed fonts on a PDF export from Affinity Publisher, can the user extract the font to use as a font on their computer?

It is possible to extract the characters used from a pdf as a font. If the pdf uses a subset setting, only those characters used will/can be extracted. 

1 hour ago, inkster said:

Also, if they dont have the font on their computer I assume the PDF will correctly show the font?

As long as the pdf has at least the fonts used subset in the pdf, they will view the pdf as in the originating application. As long as the pdf has the default printing permissions it will print as designed. 

1 hour ago, inkster said:

I am asking because I am wondering why people choose text as curves vs embed fonts as an export and am wondering what the difference is?

There are valid reasons to export type as curves. However, in general for printing purposes it is best not to export type as curves. This is especially true when smaller type is used as a font's hinting is removed when converted to curves. 

[William Overington]

4 hours ago, MikeW said:

It is possible to extract the characters used from a pdf as a font. If the pdf uses a subset setting, only those characters used will/can be extracted. 

Oh!

I thought that it was not.

So does that mean that my personal font could be extracted from the following document?

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/localizable_sentences_the_novel_author_note_after_chapter_046.pdf

William

 

[Joachim_L]

5 minutes ago, William Overington said:

So does that mean that my personal font could be extracted from the following document?

Yes, do you need a backup?

[thomaso]

6 hours ago, inkster said:

I am asking because I am wondering why people choose text as curves vs embed fonts as an export and am wondering what the difference is?

For certain media production text must get curved, e.g. cut-out plot. Though it might be possible after PDF export, too, the common way is to deliver curved text only.

If text is converted to curves, it cannot …
… be selected / copied / edited as text
… be used for text-to-speech soft-/hardware
… be read automatically, e.g. by search engines

[William Overington]

Wow!

How did you do that please?

Are the ligatures on a later page not shown in your post?

William

[Joachim_L]

4 minutes ago, William Overington said:

How did you do that please?

I used a command line tool from MuPDF. Interestingly I got two fonts, the one from the screenshot and a second one with "special characters" like TM, Euro, Pound, ligatures etc.

[William Overington]

That two fonts part reminded me of that episode of Star Trek The Original Series where a transporter error results in two Captain Kirks.

William

 

[inkster]

Thanks for all the above...

I am now wondering about password protecting the PDF in order to disallow "page extraction" or "content copying".

I wonder if these will disable programs like muPDF from extracting the font?

 

 

[MikeW]

6 hours ago, inkster said:

Thanks for all the above...

I am now wondering about password protecting the PDF in order to disallow "page extraction" or "content copying".

I wonder if these will disable programs like muPDF from extracting the font?

 

 

Password protection on what can be done with a pdf takes a fraction of  a second to remove. 

Only a very strong Open password takes effort. But once you supply enough people with the Open password, it will eventually leak out.

[thomaso]

6 hours ago, inkster said:

I am now wondering about password protecting the PDF in order to disallow "page extraction" or "content copying".

Copyright protected items don't need to disallow copying. Even disabling specific features can not avoid misuse, a 100 % security can't get achieved. To prevent a font from extraction of a PDF its best to not embed it, either by converting to curves or to an image (via rasterizing its layer). Each way has its own advantages/disadvantages. A font with less standard (common, clear) character shapes (~less legibility) is more difficult to reconstruct from curves or raster image and requires more criminal / -istic energy for an error-free result. Whereas it needs more afford to reconstruct a font than a text content from curves or image.