Adobe Fonts and Affinity

[Helge Skogh]

I use InDesign and Adobe Fonts. If I need a font, I go to Adobe Fonts, install it from there and that is it.

I also use Affinity Publisher. I might want to use the same font, but it is not there.

Does this mean that Adobe Fonts are not compatible with Affinity software?

Kindest regards, Helge Skogh.

[thomaso]

Affinity supports all common font file types, variable fonts excepted.

It's unclear how you mean "Adobe fonts", for example, Adobe as font "manufacturer" or more likely just as "distributor". You may have purchased Adobe font files with a perpetual license – or you may have access to fonts as part of an Adobe app subscription. So it may be a licensing issue. There seem to be three font licensing models, one of which ("Standard") limits the use of the fonts under the subscription to the CC apps:

https://helpx.adobe.com/fonts/system-subscription-requirements.html  <-

"The majority of Adobe's fonts are available on fonts.adobe.com as part of the Adobe Fonts subscription library. Perpetual desktop licenses, as well as extended licensing, are available from the following resellers:  MyFonts | Fonts.com | Fontspring | Typenetwork.com" 
https://www.adobe.com/products/type/fonts-by-adobe.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/fonts/using/font-licensing.html

[Helge Skogh]

I have now solved the problem. Adobe seems to have changed the way one can handle fonts in other companies' software and not only together with Adobe. This can now be handled in the Creative Cloud App. Very nice that now I will be able to use Adobe and Affinity together! For various purposes!

[lacerto]

Obsolete.

[Underboyleheating]

On 9/10/2023 at 11:57 AM, Helge Skogh said:

I have now solved the problem. Adobe seems to have changed the way one can handle fonts in other companies' software and not only together with Adobe. This can now be handled in the Creative Cloud App.

I’m having the same issue. The Adobe fonts that I use in photoshop are now no longer available in my Affinity applications. 
In simple terms/steps can anyone explain how I can resolve this using the Creative Cloud App? Thank you!

[Dan C]

Welcome to the Affinity Forums @Underboyleheating 

1 hour ago, Underboyleheating said:

In simple terms/steps can anyone explain how I can resolve this using the Creative Cloud App? Thank you!

The following Adobe article should outline this for you - https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/fonts/using/activate-fonts-desktop.html

I hope this helps!

[Underboyleheating]

7 hours ago, Dan C said:

Welcome to the Affinity Forums @Underboyleheating 

The following Adobe article should outline this for you - https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/fonts/using/activate-fonts-desktop.html

I hope this helps!

Thank you, I will give that a read over.

[Underboyleheating]

7 hours ago, Dan C said:

Welcome to the Affinity Forums @Underboyleheating 

The following Adobe article should outline this for you - https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/fonts/using/activate-fonts-desktop.html

I hope this helps!

It worked! Thank you again. 🙂 

[Woodpig]

I need a number of fonts that come with Adobe Fonts. I remember that last time I tried to use Adobe Fonts (via Creative Cloud) that they did not appear in Affinity apps. Has this been resolved now, before I go down that road? Or is it simpler to buy the fonts directly?

[kenmcd]

20 minutes ago, Woodpig said:

Or is it simpler to buy the fonts directly?

Always better to own your fonts rather than rent them.
Far less problems in the long run.

[Woodpig]

True. Just more expensive, especially when you use lots of different fonts.

[Helge Skogh]

I subscribe to Photoshop/Lightroom Classic. Very cheap, I think. Some 12 US dollars a month. The subscription includes ALL Adobe fonts, which is incredible, to say the least! You can download fonts from the Creative Cloud App and use them in other applications, not only Adobe ones. I use them in Affinity Publisher and Affinity Designer.

[Woodpig]

Thanks, Helge. And they definitely work? Because they didn't used to, for me.

[Helge Skogh]

Yes! But you have to have an Adobe subscription, like mine. I go to fonts.adobe and choose a font. When I have installed it, I am told to go to the Creative Cloud App and then I am presented with a page that looks like this (I have cropped it). See my image. Click on the icon, around which I have made a red circle. This will download the font in a way that it can be used in Affinity for example!

For your information, I use a Mac computer, but I guess this will work in Windows as well.

Good luck! And do not hesitate to get back.

Helge.

[lacerto]

17 minutes ago, Woodpig said:

Because they didn't used to, for me.

I do not remember to have experienced a time when Adobe Fonts did not operate in context of Affinity apps, but you should know that earlier Affinity apps did not support variable font technology. They also do not support OpenType-SVG color fonts. Also, people do not always understand that initial activation of Adobe Fonts only makes the fonts available within Adobe apps, so they need to be "managed" to make them available with other apps (so that they are installed as system fonts). Also, fonts installed this way, need periodically to be reactivated.

[Helge Skogh]

I have never had to reactivate any fonts ...

[Woodpig]

10 minutes ago, lacerto said:

I do not remember to have experienced a time when Adobe Fonts did not operate in context of Affinity apps, but you should know that earlier Affinity apps did not support variable font technology. They also do not support OpenType-SVG color fonts. Also, people do not always understand that initial activation of Adobe Fonts only makes the fonts available within Adobe apps, so they need to be "managed" to make them available with other apps (so that they are installed as system fonts). Also, fonts installed this way, need periodically to be reactivated.

How do you manage them so that they become system fonts?

[Helge Skogh]

I go to https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts?purpose=desktop&ref=tk.com&referrer=dd01e5bd12.

I choose a font, install it.

I follow the instructions on the screen, finally I click OK and end up in the Creative Cloud App and this is the image I see, I click on the symbol encircled (by me!) a red circle. Once I click, the font is installed and can be used in Affinity, in Pixelmator Pro etc, not only in Adobe applications! But remember, you need to have an Adobe subscription, like the Photography Plan, which is cheap, at least cheaper than the others (half as cheap).

Helge.

[lacerto]

19 minutes ago, Woodpig said:

How do you manage them so that they become system fonts?

With Adobe CC Desktop (the term is "added fonts", when available only within Adobe apps, and "installed fonts", when made available for other apps, as well:

27 minutes ago, Helge Skogh said:

I have never had to reactivate any fonts ...

If you stop subscription, they will eventually become unavailable outside Adobe apps. If they ever do that in context of Adobe apps, I think they auto-re-activate whenever needed, and are otherwise easily available in context of Adobe app font menus.

UPDATE: This is what I Googled (by Adobe Support), but cannot say how up-to-date this information is:

Quote

Please note that Adobe fonts that have not been used in over 150* days need to be reinstalled for use in older Creative Cloud and third-party apps. Creative Cloud keeps apps running smoothly by periodically cleaning up fonts that you don't appear to be using.

 

[Helge Skogh]

OK!

A subscription is a subscription. Like renting (in a way "subscribing to") a flat, if you stop paying, you will be thrown out onto the street! To own is better, but I do not think one can own Adobe fonts and whatever you think of Adobe, their fonts are terrific! But, I like Google fonts, as well. I use Hype (tumult.com) and there I can choose Google fonts directly in the software.

[lacerto]

17 minutes ago, Helge Skogh said:

To own is better, but I do not think one can own Adobe fonts and whatever you think of Adobe, their fonts are terrific!

It used to be possible. If memory serves Adobe FontFolio 8 and 9 (Type 1 fonts) used to be sold only in 20-license packages, and did cost a lot (I purchased 1/20 part which was not strictly legal, but that was the only way to get high-quality fonts at "fair price" at that time). I later purchased a 5-user license FontFolio 11.1 (OpenType PS fonts), at something like EUR 3,500 (might have been more), which they stopped selling a couple of years ago.

Subscribing vs. purchasing, I have no clear opinion. I still purchase fonts for important projects, and some high-quality fonts are only available for purchase. But availability of free fonts (e.g. by Google) is nowadays very much at different level than a couple of decades ago. CorelDRAW came (still comes) with about 1,000 decently designed fonts (by Bitstream, initially in CorelDRAW proprietary .WFN format, then as Type 1, TrueType, and now OpenType), which at one time was a bargain.

[Helge Skogh]

I understand and agree with your reasoning!

[Woodpig]

OK, thanks to everyone for your help. I can confirm that Adove Fonts do work with Affinity apps!

However...

I have one font that refuses to play ball: Athelas. It's saying that there's a conflict with an installed font by the same name. There isn't. I've just been talking to an Adobe support person for an hour, and we tried everything to get it to work.

Could I possily ask someone who has Adobe Fonts to see if they can get Athelas to work? Then that would prove that it's an Adobe (or Apple) problem, and not an Affinity one. Thank you.

[lacerto]

44 minutes ago, Woodpig said:

Then that would prove that it's an Adobe (or Apple) problem, and not an Affinity one. Thank you.

The Install button is available only on Windows platform, where I can have Athelas available within Affinity apps:

...but not on macOS (Sonoma 14.6.1, and the latest Adobe CC apps), where it is only available for Adobe apps.

[Woodpig]

Thanks @lacerto. I'm using a Mac, which does allow install/download, but brings up this error (only for Athelas, though). Are you just trying it on Windows?