Re: [f2a] Changing Font resources

[Dov Isaacs <isaacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Charlie,

Although I could readily understand your frustration with a "problematic
font," doing a global change from one face to another within a PDF file
is not the answer. You can do global font changes with Enfocus PitStop
(a wonderful third party Acrobat plugin, not inexpensive, but worth every
penny it costs!). However, the side effects could be disasterous in terms
of the visual quality of your resultant document.

You are much better off going back to your original FrameMaker document
and making the changes there.

You have made the faulty assumption that similarly named fonts from
different font vendors are the same. They aren't at all. They can have
subtle style differences, different character sets, and major differences
in metrics including individual character advance widths and pair kerning
data.

Thus, you should not assume that Bitstream's Futura Heavy matches a
Futura Heavy from any other vendor.

Furthermore, even within a family of a single vendor, Futura Heavy is
exceptionally different than Futura Book. "Book" is a character weight
that is normally between "light" and "medium" and is best used for
runs of text. "Heavy" is normally bolder than "bold" and is best used
for large headlines and signs. Characters set in "book" weight would 
take much less space than in "heavy" weight. 

The ramifications of a global font change within Acrobat could include:

(1) Missing characters.

(2) Uneven right margins for fully justified text.

(3) Text lines extending into the right margin (i.e., right margin
appears too small).

(4) Text lines too short (i.e., right margin appears too big).

(5) Overlapping characters.

(6) Excessive whitespace between some characters.

In your particular example, I could almost guarantee symptoms (2), (4),
and (6) will occur if you make your proposed change within Acrobat.

        - Dov


At 11/30/2001 06:02 AM, Dowdell Charles wrote:
>Is there a way to globally change font resources in a PDF document?
> 
>I have some really troublesome fonts in some older PDF files that is
>preventing futher development of the file. I have several PDF files that I
>must rid of the problematic font. 
> 
>It would be great if I could change my "FuturaBT Heavy" to something like
>"Futura Book" in the PDF file without having to go back to the FrameMaker
>resources. 
>
>Charlie Dowdell 
>The Raymond Corporation 
>Manager, Technical Publications
>(607-656-2638) 


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