Adobe has announced that they will end support for creating content with Type 1 fonts by January 2023. Here’s how you can prepare to make the shift to more widely supported formats.
It’s always intimidating when a company ends support for something, be it an old piece of software or a legacy format. And, it doesn’t get much more “legacy” than Postscript Type 1 fonts.
However, there are steps you can take to make the transition as painless as possible.
We’ll help walk you through the process of understanding what Type 1 fonts are, how to find them on your system, and what you can do to prepare yourself for when the fonts go unsupported.
Common Questions You May Have
What is a Type 1 Font, and how do I know if I have any?
Type 1 fonts are a legacy format created by Adobe in 1984 when desktop publishing was still in its nascent years. Adobe stopped developing Type 1 fonts in 1999 and began introducing its own OpenType fonts — a format developed by Adobe and Microsoft — in 2000. Many developers started converting old Type 1 fonts to more widely supported formats shortly after. By 2005, it became exceedingly difficult to find Type 1 fonts.
To check whether you still have any Type 1 fonts:
- On your keyboard, press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight search
- Type FontBook
- In the search bar in the top right corner of the window that appears, click the magnifying glass
- Click Kind
- In the search field, type Type 1. If any fonts appear, you can select them to confirm that they are Type 1 fonts. You may need to click >> Preview Mode... Show Font Info
When will support for Type 1 Fonts end for Adobe?
Support for all Type 1 fonts in Adobe products will stop by January 2023. Users will no longer have the ability to author content using Type 1 fonts after that time.
Additionally, Adobe products will not recognize the presence of Type 1 fonts, even if you have Type 1 fonts installed in your desktop operating system:
- Type 1 fonts will not appear in the Fonts menu
- Previously installed Type 1 fonts will no longer work
- Opening legacy files with existing Type 1 fonts will appear as “Missing fonts” in the document
What will happen to files with embedded Type 1 fonts?
Type 1 data embedded in file types such as EPS and PDF will be unaffected by this change, as long as they are placed for display or printing as graphic elements. If those files are opened for editing in applications such as Illustrator or Photoshop, they will trigger a “Missing fonts” error.
Will Type 1 fonts continue to work in older versions of Adobe cloud applications?
Yes, Type 1 fonts will continue to work in previous versions of Creative Cloud apps apart from Photoshop v23 and beyond, which ended support in 2021. Any release from January 2023 and beyond will not support Type 1 fonts.
Operating systems are also currently moving towards ending support for Type 1 fonts. Previous versions of Creative Cloud apps will not be able to support Type 1 fonts once support is ended for the operating system.
When should I upgrade to TrueType or OpenType formats?
We highly suggest that anyone who has existing Type 1 fonts find alternatives as soon as possible. As stated, Adobe Photoshop stopped supporting Type 1 fonts in 2021, and all other Adobe programs will end support in January 2023. Switching now ensures that you will not run into problems by the time Adobe officially sunsets Type 1 support.
As always, Metzgers can help you find substitute fonts to replace any legacy Type 1 fonts.
Where can I obtain OpenType versions of Adobe-owned fonts?
Many fonts published by Adobe Type in the past (such as Adobe Originals) are available from the Adobe Fonts service for free with your Creative Cloud subscription. Perpetual licenses for these and other OpenType format fonts published by Adobe are available for purchase from Adobe’s partner Fontspring.
How can I upgrade my third-party Type 1 fonts?
Users who purchased Type 1 fonts not owned by Adobe should contact the font foundry that published the font(s) to learn whether an upgrade path to the OpenType format is available.
Can I convert my Type 1 fonts to a supported format?
Converting Type 1 fonts to the OpenType format is possible but will produce a sub-optimal result. Additionally, converting your files may be prohibited by the font foundry’s End User License Agreement. Please consult the license agreement or contact the foundry directly for more information.
How will Acrobat handle PDF’s that use Type 1 fonts?
No changes are being made to Acrobat. Acrobat will continue handling PDFs in the same manner it has been for more than 20 years:
PDFs with embedded fonts will display as intended.
For files with non-embedded fonts there are two scenarios–
- The missing font is one of the fonts that ships with Acrobat or is the default in the operating system’s fonts. This font gets used in place of the non-embedded font.
- The missing font is substituted for the next closest match according to Acrobat’s font substitution table and the available fonts on the system.
When PDFs are viewed in a web browser, a viewer other than Adobe’s may be used. In such cases, Adobe cannot control what will happen. This is the current expectation and does not change based on Adobe’s Type 1 end of support.