[designbc]

I'm a switcher and don't know about fonts managing in Macs.
I'm working for a publication and I have problems with duplicated fonts when opening and activating fonts sent by customers. I use Suitcase to manage my fonts in OS X. For example: I have Helvetica and Helvetica Neue suitcases in the font database, and the customer sends an art that uses Helvetica 65 (which I don't have). When I open the suitcase the customer sent, it contains Helvetica 65 and other versions of Helvetica that I already have, then I have a problem with duplicated fonts and Suitcase doesn't activate them.
My question: How can I isolate the fonts I need from the suitcase the customer sends instead of loading the whole package? I have a folder with the gray icon and some red icons with an A.
Sorry guys, but just came from windows and no suitcases there, just the good ATM and the fonts all separate, not in groups.

[buddhabelly]

As a general rule of thumb, we always activate all fonts that customer sends us, even if they are duplicate. It's just easier and less confusing, especially when several people work on the job. I would just deactivate my version of Helvetica, and activate theirs temporarily. That's the point of using Suitcase really.

That said, I believe that the red icons are for the printer (outline) part of a PS font that the printer (imagesetter etc.) uses to draw the font on output. These are vector.

The A paper like icons are the screen (bitmap) fonts that the computer uses to display the font on the monitor. Thes are rasterized and look jagged if you print w/ only these.

[zubro]

I m starting a DTP job in a Co. who has huge problems with fontz...

To ease my (and your) job I contacted all the "artists" that I work with and ased them to send me their files in .pdf with the fonts outlined!

Love .pdf files man! LOVE THEM!

Adobe wakbah! (adobe is Great) ;o)

[TiBookGuy]

designdb,

I share your pain. Here is what we do (and it works well.) You have to reduce your Mac system fonts to there absolute bare minimum. This means nother except "city" fonts in the OS 9 fonts folder (Geneva, Chicago etc.) Also, I have OS X running with nother but Lucida Grande! Then keep one Suitcase set of "your" normal fonts. When working on customer job, turn "your" set off before activating the customer fonts.

Michael

[MikeM33]

I believe Helvetica 65 is just part of the whole Helvetica Neueu family. I've seen both numberred and worded designations for that particular family.

I'll echo the same rule of thumb mentioned already; Always use the fonts the customer sends even when/if you have the same exact fonts. If anything good comes out of it it's that you used the fonts they supplied and nobody can b_tch about it.

PDF is good also, provided you don't need to make changes to thier file(s). If they're absolutely sure the layout is final then PDF is great, otherwise it's best to have the original components.

Definitely a good idea to also trim out as many non-essential system fonts from your working machine(s). While it's not supposed to happen, there could be extremely subtle differences between the "Helvetica" your system uses and the "Helvetica" the customer used. Better to just avoid that possible calamity.

MikeM