We realized we missed last week’s tip, so we decided to give you a tip that is doubly important! One of the biggest hangups from file transfer to imagesetting is ensuring we have the correct fonts in the final file.
When preparing your file for output, make sure you have included the fonts (both printer and screen fonts—Mac users!) necessary to produce the job. Having your printer substitute their fonts for your fonts seems like a quick fix, but can really make a mess of things. Even though many fonts have the same name, different manufactures and different versions of fonts often have different kerning lengths. This can cause your copy to reflow (causing different line endings, etc.) when substituted. And don’t forget to include the fonts used in EPS files! Those are the ones most commonly overlooked.
Another common error is to use the style bar to create bold and italic effects. If you use your style bar, these fonts may not output correctly when outputting to an imagesetter. Instead, use the bold or italic member of that particular font family.
Remembering to include fonts is just another easy way to make your job have a quicker turnaround!
