Fonts - working with and choosing

Fonts can often cause problems especially when non-standard ones have been used. Many people download free fonts, which are widely available these days. If they then go on to design their artwork in Microsoft Word, Publisher etc. or something similar and then send the file to a printer for outputting, then it's quite possible the printer doesn't have the font on his system, and then goes back to the client to have the font supplied separately. This is all well and good if the font is a 'royalty-free' variety, but where the client has purchased a 'licensed' font, then he/she may be breaking the law by supplying this font to someone else.

There are legal ways around this hurdle, such as producing the artwork in Adobe In-Design, Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand whereby all font usage is selected, and then converted into 'outlines'. This effectively removes the text editing capability as it turns all text into 'graphics'. The file is then legal to send to someone else.

If the client does not own the above programs, or a professional bitmap editor such as Adobe Photoshop then it's possible to 'set' the text in something like Paint Shop Pro, providing the workspace has been set at 300dpi. This would not be ideal when working in spot colours. Say, for instance you needed a card produced using just 2 spot colours, then it wouldn't be a good idea to put both colours in your PSP file, as the printer would need to be able to colour-separate the image, which becomes quite difficult with a bitmap format, especially when the colours overlap.

It's important, if you are considering design your own business card artwork, to check with your printer about any font issues that may occur, before you spend a lot of time working on your project, only to be told it cannot be used.

True Type vs. Postcript
The fonts that ship with your operating system on a PC (C:WINDOWS/Fonts/) are generally True Type fonts, as created by Microsoft for its operating systems. For professional output most printers use Postscript Type 1 fonts, which are supported by many of the older imagesetters still in use, which means that many printers still cannot use True Type fonts, especially if their network is created around Macs. There are ways around this problem, depending on what software you, or your print shop have installed. 'Embedding' fonts in a pdf file created on a PC and given to a Mac user doesn't always work, unless the fonts you have used are installed on the destination computer.

Many 'savvy' print professionals will have font conversion programs installed which can convert a True Type font to a Poscript Type 1 font. However, if you've designed a Newsletter, or a booklet with lots of adverts etc. then it's possible you will have used a whole bunch of fonts, so handing this file to a Mac-based printer will not be greeted with a smiley face! If you're in a similar scenario it will be well worth your while to check the font situation with your printer of choice. This may save a lot of work (money!) on someone's part.

Font naming
It's worth noting that fonts that may look identical on PC's and Macs may have been named in totally different ways. For instance: the Mac font Dutch801 is actually Times Roman on the PC. Swiss721 on the Mac is better known as Helvetica on the PC.

As the Mac platform is still used more than the PC in the graphic design/print industry many of the fonts that ship with new PC's are not well known in Mac circles.

PDF format
PDF's can also cause problems working with fonts. Even though a font may be reported as 'embedded' in a pdf, it's still possible when the file is loaded on a Mac that it will 'ask' for the missing fonts. This is a constant problem, unless the printer can output film directly from a PC file.

Choosing the right font for your project

With the wide availability of word processing and page layout programs, plus the multitude of fonts shipped with these programs, it's never been easier to produce your own artwork.

However, a common mistake made by many 'newbies' is to use too many typefaces in one publication. Leaflets and flyers are often seen with four or five totally different typefaces which can potentially ruin the message you are trying to get across.

It's very important to sit back and think about what it is you are trying to achieve when working on any design. I would recommend sticking to two, or a maximum of three typefaces when you start your next project. What image are you trying to achieve? A classic, traditional feel, or a modern, funky style? The correct choice of font will help you achieve the right look for your business.

At the other end of the scale, many people give no thought at all to choice of font, and just use the usual 'bread and butter' fonts such as Times, or Helvetica for everything they do.

A common mistake many people make is to design their logo using Times Roman for instance, (nothing wrong so far), but then proceed to use the same typeface for all other details, address, tel. no's etc. A much nicer effect would be to use a complimentary typeface for the other details. For instance, if you've used Times Roman for creating your logo try using a sans-serif font as a contrast for all other details. Myriad, Futura, Gill Sans, Helvetica, Avant Garde are just some of the possible choices. If you're designing a business card try Times for the logo, Myriad for all other details and maybe make the cardholder's name in Myriad Bold. This would give you a nicely contrasting card and more importantly, your logo would now stand out, as opposed to blending in with the rest of the card.

Experiment with different typeface combinations until you get the right look.

Ask your local printer for samples of business cards, leaflets, brochures, in fact anything that will help to inspire you. You will quickly learn what works and what doesn't.

Can I use the <B> & <I> buttons in my page layout program?

If you are just working on a project that doesn't require printing by a commercial print shop then yes, using the <B>(bold) and <I>(italic) buttons do not cause any problems. However, if your artwork is being supplied to a printer, then it's best not to use these buttons. Let's say you've designed a party invitation for instance and have used Ariel for all the main text and the script Vivaldi for the main title. You decide the Vivaldi looks a little thin, or weak so decide to give it slightly more emphasis by 'boldening' with the <B> button. You then pass the file onto your printer, as print-ready artwork. The printer then 'sends' the file to the imagesetter to produce the film, or straight to plate (CTP) which is more likely these days. The imagesetter will have many standard fonts loaded as a matter of course, Times, Ariel, Helvetica etc. However, it's unlikely that it will have Vivaldi loaded so will attempt to load the font from your file. It then notices you've used the <B> button so will then look to find the 'Bold' version of Vivaldi. Now Vivaldi is usually only supplied in one 'weight', the normal weight you see before applying the <B> button. If the imagesetter cannot find a bold version of Vivaldi it will just default to the normal weight. So even though your title using Vivaldi looks correct onscreen, and prints to your inkjet correctly, sending it to an imagesetter will not give you the look you desire. It's exactly the same scenario with the <I> button. Unless there is an italic version of the font you have chosen on the system, the font will just revert to the standard 'upright' font.

If you simply must have a particular font bold for any reason, and you're using a font that isn't part of a 'family' such as Vivaldi, then speak to your printer beforehand as there are workarounds to this problem, (see sidebar on left for a couple of workarounds). It would also be beneficial to supply hard copy to your printer which would show exactly what should be bold, or italic.

One final point: When submitting your artwork for printing, don't be afraid to ask your printer if he thinks the job looks 'right'. Your printer is seeing many different designs everyday, and can quickly spot a poor-looking design. Any printer worth his salt will give free advice on your design before it reaches the point where it's too late to change.