What you Need to Know About Postscript Type 1 Fonts, Open Fonts, and the Changes Coming
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From documents to websites, branding materials, and beyond, fonts are all around us, quietly shaping brands. Until today, the only people who cared about what type and file format those fonts were, were type nerds like us.
Unfortunately, design giant Adobe announced that their software will no longer support Postscript Type 1 fonts. The change will be effective starting in January 2023, giving businesses the time to update their existing marketing materials using these fonts in this older format.
If your company has regularly used a font in this file format, a change will have to take place, and you have options. For more information about how this change affects your brand, contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a Type 1 Postscript Font?
Simply put, Type 1 postscript is a file format. Like images, fonts have many different file formats. When we talk about images, we are usually talking about a PNG or JPEG file—just to name a few. In the world of fonts, there are Open Type Fonts, True Type Fonts, and rarely Type 1 Postscript Fonts.
Type 1 Postscript fonts were originally introduced in 1984 and have declined in use over the last decade. A major factor in this decline is the fact that they’re not very versatile and were mainly used in print. As marketing and branding shifted to digital mediums, many of these fonts made it difficult for teams to work collaboratively and consistently.
What are Open Type Fonts?
In 1996, OpenType fonts debuted. Unlike Type 1 Postscript fonts, these new fonts were more robust and versatile across multiple operating systems. Since these new fonts were introduced, both categories of fonts have remained in use and supported by most platforms.
What’s Changing?
Due to the inconsistencies across design platforms and their ability to support both font categories, Adobe announced that as of January 2023, Postscript Type 1 fonts will no longer be compatible or accessible within their programs.
How do I Know if These Changes Affect me or not?
Chances are, you probably won’t know if this affects you unless you talk with your marketing team to determine if they use Adobe Software and if Postscript Type 1 fonts are being used. If you work with us, you’ll receive a notification.
What Does This Mean for my Current Marketing & Branding Materials?
If your marketing team confirms that you use Adobe and you do have these fonts in your materials, then after January 2023, they will not be able to edit the text in the document until the font is replaced.
What Should I do if my Marketing & Branding Materials use this Font Type?
Ultimately, the font needs to be replaced. There are a few options:
If your company already has an enterprise license for the OpenType version of your font(s), then the OpenType font files need to be provided to your marketing team so that your documents can be updated.
If your company does not have an enterprise license, then your marketing team will need to research where an OpenType license for your font(s) can be obtained and what the cost associated with it will be.
If an OpenType file is not available for your brand font(s), then your marketing team will need to look at a new font and the impact that this may have on your brand.
How much will this cost my company?
This depends on what fonts need to be replaced. It’s best to contact our team to get an accurate quote for your company’s unique situation if you think this may affect you.