Provide editable PDF from Aff. Designer.

[AT.HA]

Dear friends,

I designed some flyers in separate pages/artboards, in Affinity Designer, converted everything into curves to preserve the look of the fonts I used (purchased fonts) and exported to PDF (print and web quality), so my client can e-mail and/or print in inkjet the flyers.

I now want to provide my client with versions that are editable by him in Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Pro (they own the Adobe Creative Cloud) so they can make minor text corrections and cut some pages if needed.

How to make? Do I export my documents without converting them to curves? So the fonts I used are still included in the PDF? Or do I have to do something else?

By the way (outside the scope of this forum, but it's work related); Do both Adobe Acrobat DC or Pro versions allow this type of text editing and erase some pages?

 

A second question (so sorry):

If I want to hand my Affinity Designer files to another designer who uses only Adobe Illustrator to continue my work in the future, what format should I choose to give him this work? The original files in Affinty Designer? Or do I need to export in a format that Adobe Illustrator understands? If so, which one? And the fonts? Do I have to add them separately or are they automatically included in the files I am going to provide?

 

Thank you very much for your help.

Best regards.

[MikeW]

The best options?

Scenario #1: Your client purchases a copy or copies of Affinity Designer and purchases licenses of the fonts your design(s) use and edits the original AD file, then exports to PDF or whatever.

Unless they are simple designs & simple edits, your client(s) will only be frustrated with attempting the use of any PDF editor to make changes, including Acrobat. A PDF only includes the characters needed/used in the PDF, not the entire font. They will need to license the fonts.

Scenario #2: The other designer purchases a copy of Affinity Designer and purchases licenses of the fonts your design(s) use and edits the original AD file, then exports to PDF or whatever.

Turned over files should have an instructions text file included that indicate the font(s) required to edit each file.

Mike

[Alfred]

Depending on the fonts used, they may be available to your client through his Adobe CC subscription.

[AT.HA]

Thank you for your kind help.

 

1.

It seems hard to edit using Adobe Acrobat  ,-( Not good.

Anyway; without an Aff. Designer copy, to open using Illustrator what is the best export format (If it is possble)?

 

2.

What about simply erase some pages in the PDF (no fonts; everything is in curves)? My clients can do that with Adobe Acrobat DC/Pro?

 

(fonts are not available via Adobe CC fonts)

[Alfred]

7 minutes ago, AT.HA said:

What about simply erase some pages in the PDF (no fonts; everything is in curves)?

That wouldn’t work. In your original post you wrote:

1 hour ago, AT.HA said:

I now want to provide my client with versions that are editable by him in Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Pro

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, if you convert the text to curves it will no longer be editable.

[MikeW]

#1. There is not a great option for opening an AD file in AI. Depending upon the design, an SVG file exported from AD and opened in AI can work OK. PDFs can work, but there will be X number of clipping masks that have to be released in AI in order to work on a design and likely a number of items will become raster (e.g. gradients). This isn't necessarily AD's fault, it's AI's because it is the worst application there is for opening PDFs.

There is no good option without you having a copy of AI to open an SVG or PDF and editing it in AI in order to provide an AI file.

#2. Yes, pages can be easily removed from a PDF in Acrobat. Whether there are live fonts or text as curves makes no difference.

[Alfred]

2 minutes ago, MikeW said:

#2. Yes, pages can be easily removed from a PDF in Acrobat. Whether there are live fonts or text as curves makes no difference.

Thanks, Mike. I interpreted the OP’s phrase “erase some pages” to mean erasing the content of those pages rather than erasing (i.e. deleting) the pages themselves.

[AT.HA]

3 minutes ago, MikeW said:

#1. There is not a great option for opening an AD file in AI. Depending upon the design, an SVG file exported from AD and opened in AI can work OK. PDFs can work, but there will be X number of clipping masks that have to be released in AI in order to work on a design and likely a number of items will become raster (e.g. gradients). This isn't necessarily AD's fault, it's AI's because it is the worst application there is for opening PDFs.

There is no good option without you having a copy of AI to open an SVG or PDF and editing it in AI in order to provide an AI file.

#2. Yes, pages can be easily removed from a PDF in Acrobat. Whether there are live fonts or text as curves makes no difference.

1. Ok.

2. Ok. Good news ,-) 

 

Thanks a lot.

[AT.HA]

Just now, Alfred said:

Thanks, Mike. I interpreted the OP’s phrase “erase some pages” to mean erasing the content of those pages rather than erasing (i.e. deleting) the pages themselves.

No problem Alfred ,-) I thank you too.

Imagine 9 pages/artboards > 9 PDF pages. My client can open the PDF and erase pages 4/5/6 and keep pages 1/2/3/7/8/9; correct?

(yes; this was done before Publisher was released) 

[Fixx]

15 hours ago, MikeW said:

A PDF only includes the characters needed/used in the PDF, not the entire font.

You can though include entire font within a PDF by unticking "Subset fonts" in More panel in Export. That does not though make all problems go away, editing text with Acrobat is something to be avoided.

[AT.HA]

Thanks a lot Fixx for the tip and advice.

[MikeW]

9 hours ago, Fixx said:

You can though include entire font within a PDF by unticking "Subset fonts" in More panel in Export. ...

Are you certain that works in any (especially modern) application, much less Affinity applications?

[Fixx]

1 hour ago, MikeW said:

Are you certain

Nope, I have not tested. But usually touch-up text tool works, and we have set complete set to be embedded (and we use only one family in normal documents so size is not an issue).

And sometimes it just does not work...

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, Fixx said:

And sometimes it just does not work...

I wonder if this is because the license for some fonts is restrictive & does not permit embedding fonts or something like that?