Tutorial: Converting Fonts to Outlines in Your Print PDF Files
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Working with a commercial printer to produce your custom planner?
Make sure you’re doing this to ensure perfectly printed files.
When sending files to a commercial printer, they often request that you convert fonts to outlines first. This is so they can open your files without needing to load the proper fonts onto their system. It not only simplifies their workflow, but streamlines the file transfer process for everyone involved.
There are various ways to create outlines directly in your InDesign files, but I don’t recommend messing with your native files for this. Inevitably you’ll have to make changes to that file, and if you accidentally choose “save” rather than “save as,” your latest editable version could be lost forever. #designersworstnightmare
Instead, I recommend converting fonts to outlines in your PDF files. This is a much safer option, not to mention super simple and fast.
Below, I’m sharing exactly how to convert your fonts to outlines in your PDF file so you can preserve your fonts in your custom printed planner.
After creating a PDF of your file, follow these three simple steps to convert your fonts to outlines.
01. Open Preflight for your file in Acrobat Pro.
Open your PDF file in Acrobat Pro. Then open the Print Production panel and click on Preflight.
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02. Choose the correct fixup option.
In the Search field at the top right of the Preflight dialog box, search for “outlines.” This selects the “Convert fonts to outlines” fixup.
03. Run the fixup and rename your file.
To run the fixup, at the bottom of the dialog box, click “Analyze and Fix,” and save the file under a new name.
Note: I typically add "-outlines.pdf" to the end of my file name to make it clear that I have converted my fonts to outlines in the file.
That's it! Your files now included fonts converted to outlines and are ready to send to your commercial printer.
Want to double check that your fonts are converted correctly to outlines?
Here’s what you need to do:
In Acrobat Pro choose File > Properties > Fonts. There should be no fonts listed since they are all outlined (and no longer recognized as native fonts).
Alternatively, you can open the file in Adobe Illustrator. Select page range "All," and uncheck the option that says "Import PDF pages as links for optimal performance." Now you can use the selection tool to verify that the fonts are outlined.
See how simple that was? Save this post for the next time you need to send your custom design files to your commercial printer and convert fonts to outlines.
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Have you been feeling inspired and ready to kick off the design process for your own custom planner?
I created a guide featuring 5 things your day planner MUST include . . . and it’s available now at the link below.