How to NOT have text converted to outline when saving as PDF?

[Patrice Salome]

I downloaded the latest version of Affinity Designer from the Apple store (I am running a Mac BookPro with M1 Max) and always select the "embed font" option when saving as PDF.

I was rather surprised when multiple clients (and later confirmed by me) mentioned how none of the text in the figures they received from me is editable. The text only appears as outline.

I found an earlier post that mentioned such a problem, but it was over two years ago and that problem was supposed to have been fixed (

).

 

Is there a possible solution to this problem? I cannot keep sending deliverables to clients that are not useful. Help appreciated!

[joe_l]

2 hours ago, Patrice Salome said:

Is there a possible solution to this problem?

As MEB said this should be already fixed. Could you provide a sample .afdesign document and the corresponding PDF here?

[stokerg]

Hi @Patrice Salomeand Welcome to the Forums,

Just to add to the reply from @joe_l, what app are your clients trying to edit the PDF in?  

[Patrice Salome]

I attach a small .afdesign file and the corresponding PDF. I am using AF Designer 1.10.5.

The problem is not limited to my clients: if I open the attached PDF in AF Designer, the text shows up as outline. So even a PDF saved in AF Designer will have text as outline when reopened in AF Designer.

Patrice example AD.afdesign Patrice example AD.pdf

[Old Bruce]

When I exported the afdesign file to a PDF the text was text in the PDF. You must have decided to export the text as curves when you exported the file.

[markw]

I get the same results as Old Bruce with your example AD file, it exported to PDF just fine, with all text still editable after opening the exported PDF back in AD.
Can you give more info as to your PDF export settings and which version of macOS you are on?

[Patrice Salome]

I specifically went through all "Embed font" options. I never selected "Text as curves", but no matter what, the text always ends up as outline. Screen grab of the PDF export settings attached.

I also sent the AD and PDF files to a friend with AD 1.10.5, running on an iMac. When he opens the PDF, he also sees text as outline. However, when he saves the AD file as PDF and then reopens in AD, the text is editable on the iMac and on my Mac BookPro. We both downloaded AD from the App store. We both use the same OS (OS 12.3 Monterey), we both have the latest AD update as of March 16.

The only possible difference would be that I am running AD on an M1 Max Mac, but he is not. I turned off "metal acceleration", but it did not help. I have an old MacBook Air I can check later, but I kept that computer to the one OS before Apple switched to 64-bit app support only.

[R C-R]

@Patrice Salome, not that it is of any help for you but when I use the identical settings you show above in the "More" window to export your Patrice example AD.afdesign to PDF, I also get editable text in the exported PDF when I open it in any Affinity app. I am running macOS Catalina & the 1.10.5 version of all 3 apps. AD & AP came from the Mac App Store & APub from the Affinity Store.

Attached is my PDF export, Patrice example AD xport 2.pdf should that be of any use to you.

[Patrice Salome]

Thanks for trying out the file on your configuration, @R C-R!

I just tried the same file on the old MacBook Air (running Mojave, so I can only upgrade AD up to 10.1.4), but the resulting PDF had editable text when open in AD on the Air AND on the MacBook Pro M1 Max.

 

If anyone could try the file on an M1 or M1 Max Mac, I would be very interested in the result! I can shuffle back and forth between the two computers for now, but this is not a long-term workable solution.