FontDoctor X and FontXChange (Mac OS)
mara06 (2548 pencils) | Tue, 2008-04-01 19:14I've been using these two apps to get more control over my fonts. (Both are available from http://www.morrisonsoftdesign.com .) Pretty nice, but I've run into a possible problem and thought I'd just ask about it here.
FontXChange translates virtually any font into the Open Type format -- very handy these days, but not a Quark-friendly choice. I took advantage of that, then had the software arrange my fonts for me, alphabetized in folders by family name. I hesitate to replace my entire fonts folder with all this OTF stuff and anyway, aren't all those family folders inconsistent with how OS X handles fonts? Don't they all have to be loose in the User/Library/Fonts folder?
Before I go further, and possibly screw up, I thought I ask what you all thought about this.
Please don't ask me to use Linotype's Font Explorer. The last time I did that, I had catastrophic trouble with my whole system. I forget the nature of the trouble, but I do remember that it was bad.
BTW, I also used Font Finagler, a freeware app. recommended by Natobasso for font cache cleaning. Also very nice.
Mara
Mara
Commenting on this Forum topic is closed.
I have installed it on over 18 machines and not ONE has had a problem! Interesting.
I've used an older version of FontDoctor and it really works. BUT exactly what do you need? If you've got older 'wonky' fonts then these apps will help you. If you need to ORGANISE your fonts and have auto activation FE is the ONLY thing I recommend.
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
I'm willing to entertain the idea that whatever happened after I installed FE was probably unrelated to FE. I should probably give it another try.
So do you think I should dump out all the newly created OT fonts from their family folders, add them to the user fonts folder loose, and organize the whole collection with FE? I could use the folder organization for backups, I guess, if I absolutely must. It seems nice and tidy.
Mara
1. I ran Font Doctor on my existing fonts. They were suitcases and .dfonts and orphan postscript files all in folders labelled A-Z. Font Doctor moved all the 'corrupt' and orphan fonts to one folder and then put each font family into folders with their names in a NEW folder (made a copy)
2. I then went through each 'corrupt' font and made sure none were still good and verified that they were bad.
3. I then created new A-Z font folders and moved each family in alphabetical order to each folder with a letter . A for A's B for B's and so on.
I Put everything into a Folder called "New Fonts Folder" and I put this Folder in the root part of my HD. I then added the fonts to FE and checked "Don't Manage my fonts" (That's so that FE doesn't act like iTunes and make a copy or MOVE your fonts to strange place.) That way you have your fonts folder separate. Now you COULD put it into your user folder in the root of the user folder that would even be better.
I don't LET FE manage my fonts for me, just because the FIRST time I used it, it did that and I couldn't find my fonts after it finished. . . :) live and learn!
Works for me. When I add a new font I put it in manually into my "New Fonts Folder" and then add it to FE manually. A little longer but at least I know what fonts I have.
This applies to ALL the fonts i used to have. truetype, Postscript, OT. etc
Hope this helps.
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
Thanks for the props, Mara!
I still recommend FE...never ever had trouble with it.
I also recommend NOT putting any of your user fonts in library fonts. You're making your computer load ALL YOUR FONTS ALL THE TIME when you do that. :)
Just Add to Library in FE (Use it to clean your library/fonts folder for you automatically) and then you should be good to go. Where you get into trouble is when you've used a type 1 or true type font that you've now changed to OpenType. I haven't ever had the need to convert fonts in this way. All my pdf/x1-a files for export work flawlessly...
Follow ireid's advice; works for me.
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
I read that comment and was baffled, as well. You're not alone in that one, Mara.
I, too, use FontExplorer and NEVER have had problems with it (knock on wood). I love it and I am using it on Leopard v10.5.2 and it still works beautifully. Hmmm...weird, that you always had issues with it. I remember you talking about this on another thread a while back, so I was shocked as I have never seen anybody mention they've had problems with FE.
However, Nat. Would love to know exactly what you mean by not putting the user fonts in library fonts. Kind of confused.
Do you mean that they should NOT be on your hard drive at all but ONLY in FE's program??? That doesn't make sense either.
Please elaborate. Thanks!
suzanne maestri-walters :: graphic designer :: www.onegirlcreative.com
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"I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint." ~ Frida Kahlo
www.onegirlcreative.com
Nat, could you use different words to say what you said in yout third paragraph? I'm reading it that you don't put any of your fonts in your User/Library/Fonts folder. Presumably you have them only in the Hard Drive/Library/Fonts folder -- which seems backwards to me if you want to avoid the trouble you mentioned.
Mara
The trouble with OS X from time immemorial! lol is that fonts have always been a problem for the OS. Not just Fonts . . . LOTS AND LOTS OF FONTS. You see Adobe and Apple really dropped the ball on this one when the former dropped any plans to make ATM (Adobe Type Manager) an OS X app. We were ACTUALLY told to use Suitcase! Apple developed their OWN 'FontBook" app but it did not take into account the TONS of fonts that designers use everyday.
OSX has at least 3 font folders! One in the Library in the root of the drive, one in the System/Library and then one in the User/Library folder. If you place a ton of fonts into ANY of these folders what used to happen (and still does) is that the OS tries to activate ALL of them by default.
Apple gave us FontBook so that we DIDN'T do that. We'd put the fonts into FontBook and it would then (like iTunes) put the fonts where they needed to go and you could activate or de-activate as needed. HOWEVER unlike ATM you were bound to have CONFLICTS because it would activate a font that might have already been loaded into memory (i.e helvetica the main culprit) and you'd have headaches! Added to that there was no AUTO-activation so u'd have to manually activate a font (which in FontBook meant REMOVING the font from the User/Library/Fonts folder and putting it somewhere else, not a smart thing to do) (although I think this is fixed in Leopard not sure) Then lets not even START if its a Corrupt font!
I hope this all makes sense. . .
So No. Don't put ANY fonts into your Font folders in the system library or user Library folders.
If a font gives me trouble in FE. I resort to putting into FontBook and seeing if it activates if it does I leave it. . . but that's very rare and not the smartest thing to do. If its Helvetica I have disabled it in FontBook and used the copy I have in FE instead.
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
Of course I know about the three main font "resting places" on OS X. I have never consciously placed any in the Hard Drive/Library/Fonts folder, but it typically mirrors everything in my one and only User/Library/Fonts folder (I'm a solo act, no need to make my fonts available to other users). And naturally, I have only Apple's System fonts in that folder.
I think that must be why I had issues with FE. SO what do I do, stash all my fonts in the User Documents folder or something, and use FE to pick and choose which fonts I want to use for a design session? FE doesn't go into any of this in its otherwise pretty easy-to-understand "destructions."
I'm working late tonight, so I'd better not try anything rash. I get into trouble when I'm tired and start messing around with the OS. I'll keep paying rapt attention to anything you all have to say on this subject, though.
Mara
Don;t try to do stuff when you're tired. :) Do this stuff on a lazy Sunday Afternoon. :)
But trust me. Let FE do all your activation for you. Its dead simple.
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
I'll clarify. Only have your 5 or 6 required system fonts in library/fonts. FE can help you clean out your system fonts so only the required ones remain there. Move th rest OUT OF THIS FOLDER. Use Tools/Clean System Fonts Folder in FE to do this.
Your system fonts folder. Keep ALL OTHER FONTS in a folder as ireid suggested, first level of your hard drive directory (double click your hard drive icon; put font folder right in there).
If you have all your fonts in library/fonts and somewhere else, you are uneccessarily duplicating them.
Mara, on the Linotype site there's more on OpenType fonts. interesting article!
http://www.linotype.com/1697/opentypeinfo.html
And more help here regarding FE. A good FAQ:
http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorerX/FAQ?category=10
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
But it's in a separate folder in my user folder—suzanne/library/my fonts. NOT in the designated fonts folder already there from my system.
I don't have them anywhere else.
I have been using FE for almost 3 years now and now with Leopard, I haven't had any problems. And I have over 3,000+ fonts (as we all probably do).
If I haven't had any issues, should I start messing with this stuff now?
suzanne maestri-walters :: graphic designer :: www.onegirlcreative.com
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"I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint." ~ Frida Kahlo
www.onegirlcreative.com
I wouldn't worry about it. You know what they say: If it ain't broke... :)
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
Thanks again, buddy. I've never had anything but those 5 or 6 System fonts in System/Fonts. I've always, to my knowledge, had my User/Library/Fonts folder pretty much duplicated in the hard drive's Library/Fonts folder as well. I never consciously did this; apparently it was something Font Book did; I know better than to do that. What's new to me here is the idea of clearing out my User fonts folder and relying exclusively on Font Explorer to open fonts that I might need. For years, I've scrolled through my active fonts for inspiration. It'll be tricky to switch now, but I've seen the light!
AND -- I've finished my up-all-night project that I thought would have me up until dawn, so off I go to my handy studio Aerobed. Thanks for the help, everyone.
Mara
What I also do is switch off WYSIWYG menus in my Adobe Apps. It really gives everything a speed boost especially if you have like a thousand fonts in that menu!
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
Normally FontExplorer doesn't duplicate fonts, it just moves them. Not sure how that happened to ya. Might have been the OpenType font conversion you did?
Hope you got some sleep!
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
It was Font BOOK that I believe does that. Has been doing it all along, since YEARS before I converted a copy of my fonts folder to Open Type for future use if needed. My Mac guru was here today to tweak something that was making my network not behave properly, and he confirmed that Font Book (not font Explorer) does do the duplicating thing for you automatically, whether you want it or not. Was this your experience before ditching it in favor of Font Explorer? Did you ever disable Font Book, or actually remove it from your drive? Is that necessary? It seems to invoke itself every now and then, such as when double-clicking a font to see what its keyboard layout looks like.
My guru also mentioned something I should point out in a separate thread. Gonna do that right now before I forget. I have a little time while the client I stayed up late for last night gets back to me with his reaction. I think I might post the job to Critiques, since it's legitimately a work in progress and I could make changes if ya'll think I should.
Mara
I've never used FontBook. :) But what I always recommend is to keep it on the computer, just deactivate any font it's trying to manage. Such a horrible program, FB, and this is one more fact to prove it. He he.
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
As far as the inspiration part, you can always just scroll through your fonts in FE to get that. Change the sample text to whatever you need and you can easily visualize what a font will look like.
I personally have my fonts in a folder on my root drive, a "base" set of fonts active, and I just activate other fonts as I need them. Makes for a clean running system.
By the way, I also use FE on 6 macs and have had no issues whatsoever. Give it another try.
Thanks a good idea, Michael. Thanks for mentioning it! I've downloaded Font Explorer again and run it through some beginning paces. So far, so good.
Mara
You can go ahead and call me Matt. We are friends now.
Thanks, Fred. :-)
Mara
Some fonts go into fontbook no problem and wont go into FE! Annoying!
Does anybody know why fonts don't have a file extension? And if they do, what is it?
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
Could be a font suitcase? Or a system font dfont not showing its dot extension?
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
Agree about organising fonts and only having the bare necessary active. Although i seem to have forty or so, Adobe and other apps I know put them in there, what about these, does anyone have any advice on if it's ok to put them in another folder and activate them only when necessary? FE does have some good FAQ, but just wondered if there were any pitfalls to donig it via FE as fonts can be a hazard to deal with? Thanks in advance.
The first few versions of FE, were known to crash and not work so well as far as I remember, I remember deleting the beta as it crashed my Mac many times, but since it has been OK. I haven't installed the latest version as it says it's fixed lots of Leopard issues but mentions nothing about Tiger compatibility, which I use mainly. Anyone know if the new version still works with the old cat?
Don't mess with the Adobe fonts. Adobe apps manage those themselves.
I am on Tiger and FE works great for me.
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
Thanks natobasso, so just to confirm you are using version 1.2.3 then not 1.2.2 that I am using?
I'll check when I get home but I do have FE set to update and always update asap when i get notifications so I assume I'm on 1.2.3
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
Just updated so don't worry, all seems ok (so far). Thanks again.
I just found this site which gives some good font advice if anyone is interested.
http://www.headley.co.uk/pre-media/page4/page4.html
Hey sidesey, that looks like a site worth spending some time with. I've bookmarked it. Thanks!
Mara
But best to when you are awake ;-)
Worth spreading around.
Maybe you should post it to the weblinks section. :)
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
Consider it done as it has been.