Guide · artwork & materials
Why did my font change when I sent the file?
Because the font was never in the file. Your computer had it, the printer's did not, and something else was substituted in its place.
What actually happens
A design file usually references a font by name rather than containing it. Open that file on a machine without the font and the software silently substitutes something it does have. Line widths change, the layout reflows, and a carefully set headline becomes Arial in the wrong size.
Two ways to prevent it, and they suit different situations.
What we print for this
Proofed before they run
Embedding
The font is packaged inside the PDF. Text stays as text — selectable, searchable, and still correctable later. Most PDF export presets embed by default, and PDF/X-1a requires it.
Prefer this for anything with a lot of copy, or anything likely to need a small text change later.
Outlining
Every character is converted into vector shapes. There is no font any more, only artwork, so nothing can possibly be substituted.
Use this for logos, for cut vinyl and signage, and whenever a licence prevents embedding.
Outlining is one-way. Keep the editable original. Once type is outlined nobody can fix a typo — not you, not us. Save an editable copy before you outline, every single time. This catches people out constantly, and it turns a thirty-second correction into a rebuild.
Things that go wrong even when you did it right
- Licence restrictions. Some commercial fonts forbid embedding. Your export will either fail or silently drop the font — outline instead.
- Very small outlined text. Below about 6pt, outlined type can thicken slightly and fill in. Keep small text live and embedded.
- Hairline strokes. A stroke set to zero width renders as one device pixel — visible on screen, effectively invisible in print. Set a real width, at least 0.25pt.
- Fonts inside linked files. An EPS logo placed in your layout carries its own type. Outline the logo, not just the document.
- Cut vinyl always needs outlines. A cutter follows paths; it has no concept of a font.
Checking before you send
Open your exported PDF and try to select the text. If it selects, the type is live — check the fonts are listed as embedded in the document properties. If it does not select, it is outlined and safe.
Either is fine. What is not fine is live text with no embedded font, which looks perfect on your machine and wrong on ours. The proof will show it, which is the point of sending one — but it is faster to catch it here.
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