When you open a document with missing fonts, they are always replaced instead of rasterised, even if you choose not to replace them

[Blake_S]

When you open a PDF document with missing fonts, they are replaced instead of being rasterised.

Even when "Replace missing fonts" is not selected, they are still replaced and this checkbox is ignored.

Because of this I can't open any such files in Affinity software.

The exact same thing happens with Affinity Photo. It also replaces fonts regardless of what you selected.

[thomaso]

Hi @Blake_S,
welcome to the Affinity Forums!

To rasterize a text it is required to have the according font installed. Rasterizing requires the font to know its look and the shapes of its characters.

If you open a PDF you can choose whether fonts get replaced or not. If you untick the replace checkbox, they do not get replaced and the according text keeps its missing font assigned while a substitute font is used just to display this text. If you select in an opened PDF such text which has a missing font assigned the interface shows in its panels and bars a question mark in front of the name of the missing font.

If you want to use a PDF in your layout and get its initial fonts used you would place the PDF like an image resource – instead of opening it as an Affinity document – and keep it set to Passthrough in the Context Toolbar to avoid font substitution.

[Blake_S]

It isn't required to have a font installed to rasterize any font in Photoshop though, which is what I resorted to doing.

There are many other different programs which can rasterise fonts without having them installed - after all, the fonts needed to display text are embedded into the PDF itself.

If I open the same file in Affinity Photo, and the export it, it will save with the wrong fonts - they are still replaced on export, even with "replace fonts" not selected when opening the PDF. Even if you choose "rasterise everything" in export settings.

I know about placing a PDF to keep its appearance, but I needed specific characters rasterised to be able to easily copy them without linking a PDF everywhere.

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Blake_S

[thomaso]

You seem to confuse / mix different ways to access a PDF. If you open a PDF in Affinity (or AI for instance) you choose this with the goal to edit its text contents. At least for font license reasons Affinity must not just use the embedded font if anybody opens a PDF without having the fonts installed.

If you have rasterized text in a PDF you aren't able to handle this as text, so you can not select characters with the text tool and the goal to copy them. Instead you can do a pixel selection and copy that part. Accordingly for curved text inside a PDF.

In a similar way you can copy a single character in a placed PDF which has the text not rasterized, e.g. by masking all parts except for the desired character.

If you prefer rasterized PDF appearance you could export the PDF as image which will automatically result in pixels. Alternatively to export via Affinity or any PDF viewer you  can simply use a screenshot of the wanted character.

[Blake_S]

6 minutes ago, thomaso said:

You seem to confuse / mix different ways to access a PDF. If you open a PDF in Affinity (or AI for instance) you choose this with the goal to edit its text contents. At least for font license reasons Affinity must not just use the embedded font if anybody opens a PDF without having the fonts installed.

So if its because of font licensing, why can Photoshop and many other programs rasterise embedded fonts?

[Old Bruce]

9 minutes ago, Blake_S said:

So if its because of font licensing, why can Photoshop and many other programs rasterise embedded fonts?

I would guess that PhotoShop is doing the equivalent job of rasterizing a Placed PDF in one of the Affinity applications. Make a new Document and File > Place... the PDF, do not open it.

[thomaso]

22 minutes ago, Blake_S said:

why can Photoshop and many other programs rasterise embedded fonts?

I assume they do not deliver the option to edit text as text once the PDF got opened?

Affinity can rasterize, too, but doesn't do it automatically or by default, for various reasons. As mentioned before, just place the PDF instead opening it. If you then still desire rasterized PDF contents just select the layer + choose "Rasterize" from the menu "Layer" or this layer's right-click menu.

[Old Bruce]

You can even choose to have the text's font exported as curves instead of rasterizing it.

[thomaso]

6 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

You can even choose to have the text's font exported as curves instead of rasterizing it.

... and then open that PDF in Affinity to get access to its single characters as curves – which would enable you to pick the wanted character and keep its vector property.

And, if you export only a certain area of the PDF you can limit the exported PDF to the wanted character only.

[Blake_S]

15 hours ago, thomaso said:

Affinity can rasterize, too, but doesn't do it automatically or by default, for various reasons. As mentioned before, just place the PDF instead opening it. If you then still desire rasterized PDF contents just select the layer + choose "Rasterize" from the menu "Layer" or this layer's right-click menu.

Tried this and its indeed what I initially needed, thanks, will be using this method.

15 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

You can even choose to have the text's font exported as curves instead of rasterizing it.

Just tried it and it didn't work.

I place a PDF in the new file with "passthrough mode", as "interpret" mode replaces all the missing fonts,
then use Export function, PDF format, and in the settings choose "Embed Fonts: Text as Curves"

Except, no text is actually being converted to curves.
Exported PDF still has the text as actual text, with the same font as initial PDF embedded as subset.

Edited September 1, 2022 by Blake_S

[David in Яuislip]

6 hours ago, Blake_S said:

Just tried it and it didn't work.

Yep, I can't get it to work

However, import into Inkscape, save as pdf, perfect on a document using CIDFonts which are not installed

Bit of a pallava but needs must.....

[dandyse]

having the exact same problem: this still does not work – please fix this!

although rasterising works when placing a document and selecting "passthrough" – unfortunately, it rasters all layers of the placed document, not only the fonts.

this is really stupid, does not make sense and makes the whole thing useless.

am I missing something?

 

[walt.farrell]

11 hours ago, dandyse said:

having the exact same problem: this still does not work – please fix this!

although rasterising works when placing a document and selecting "passthrough" – unfortunately, it rasters all layers of the placed document, not only the fonts.

this is really stupid, does not make sense and makes the whole thing useless.

am I missing something?

 

If you want to edit the file, e.g. by using File > Open or File > Place with Interpret mode, you must have the fonts installed or you must accept a font substitution. If you don't need to edit the file, you can use File > Place with Passthrough mode, and there would be no need to rasterize anything. (Also, I think that "rasterize" is not a correct term here. Convert to Curves would be better, but that's an output option in Affinity applications, not an input option.)