Pitstop Server - Embed Fonts

[kaiserwilhelm]

So, I own Pitstop Server Version 9 - Update 3
I am receiving EVIL pdfs from Quark from a sister company.
Of course, the fonts are not embedded. I need them to be for GMC Inspire Native Import.

So, I made a quick little EAL and setup a hot folder.
Pitstop Server runs on my 10.6.8 Mac Server that is nothing more than a file server.

Pitstop Server allows me to tell it where fonts reside for it to them find and embed.
Here is the issue - I have exported ALL of my fonts out of Universal Typeserver. I have 3,000 plus.
I really do not want to take EACH font out of the folder that was created and make one LARGE folder with 3,000 fonts in it.
However, if I have the 3,000 separate folders (Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, Times, etc) in ONE LARGE folder (Collected Fonts) and point Pitstop Server to that folder,
it does not work.
Any idea? Is there a way to tell Pitstop Server to look into sub folders?

 

[mazengh]

do a search on your mac that will list all the fonts in the folder(and sub folders) then copy all to one folder.

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

So, just in case somebody comes back to this via search. Let me tell you....this is AWESOME! I do not care how you get your font library into a folder. It took me hours. Once done? I can take some piece of crap PDF with subset fonts, drop it onto a hot folder for Pitstop Server, and in about 11 seconds have a PDF that has almost all, if not all fonts fully embedded.

 

[pnamajck]

hey, kaiser_w . . . member abc might drop by in the next day or two . . . he's been a bit strapped there at the office the last day or two.

seems he's got connections with the development team there at enfocus . . . might even interpret your earlier comment as a suggestion, kaiser_w . . . which would benefit not only the consumer (you, me, etc) . . . but also those at the corp level (enfocus, adobe, apple, ms, etc).

appended . . .
with hindsight exposed, kaiser_w . . . if i had pitstop_server . . . woulda' checked work-arounds myself. you still have a couple possibilities . . . albeit, again, work-arounds.

you could use the action-list in pitstop_pro . . . they offer a script which embeds base-14 fonts . . . provided you have the fonts in suitcase or system-fonts-folder. i believe suitcase allows for navigating to sub-folders.

while at it, kaiser_w . . . since the propagators of these "evil quark-based pdf files" are an affiliate of your company . . . you could always request / urge / sanction / mandate for them to "embed fonts" when exporting to pdf. i, and my other team-members, insist the same unto our subsidiaries.

if they are "designers", they may have no clue on the procedures / directives for embedding fonts. take a few snap-shots of the interface-configuration for "embedding fonts" . . . along with couple hints (remember-bleeds, nominal-offsets, image-dpi=>300dpi, etc.) . . . then attach that print-out to the top proof, kaiser_w . . . surely they gotta' notice that.

godspeed

 

[abc]

Did you try it with subfolders?

Did you try it with subfolders?

kaiserwilhelm did you try seeing if sub folders were supported in the font handling of PitStop Server?

I asked around at the office and the conclusion was 'it should do' so if not please let me know, it's a nice feature to add if not.

I'll give it a try at home myself at the weekend with the new version but would be interested in your feedback

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

ABC - I tried it with subfolder. It did not work as far as I could see.
I put my thousands of fonts into one folder and this sucker works like a BEAUTY!
I will be posting another thread in a minute, but I will run it past you right here.
I would like to put a KEYLINE SPOT color .187 inches from all four sides of a PDF via Pitstop Server.
I found Add Object - rectangle. I can get it to be .187 from the top left...but, it does not KNOW the size of the document. It wants a FIXED size.
I would have to have 30 different actions - one for 8.5 x 11, etc.
Thoughts?

PNAMJCK - TRUST me, I am pushing back to our sister companies. The issue (that threw me for a MAJOR loop) is that EBIL Quark does not embed without subset!
I have some SUWEET scripts made for them in INDD. They look at the size of the piece, determine plate gap, and then put a KEYLINE on a layer, overprint, and lock it down.
This allows me to get a PDF, do a 2 second view, and then PowerSwitch and Pitstop Server it to remove the KEYLINE, etc.
That is all fine and dandy....if you use a real program like INDD, not EBIL QUARK!

 

[pnamajck]

kaiser_w . . .

for a couple moments, let's you and i totally forget about using others' files . . . we are here to simply test "sub-folders / folder-hierarchy" . . . within pitstop_server software.

choose a unique font as your test-subject . . . i'd suggest "papyrus" . . . but is up to you. have a copy of that font on your hard-drive (local). make sure a copy of that font is not currently residing anywhere on your server (global).

now, create a new sub-folder in the server's main (parent) font-folder . . . entitle that sub-folder as "font_extras". copy the local-papyrus to the folder "font_extras" . . . it is now global-papyrus.

kaiser . . . open indesign (on your local hard-drive) . . . and create yourself a simple document . . . type one short sentence . . . such as "hello world" (without punctuation or styles) . . . using the unique font you chose. export to pdf . . . do not embed that font . . . run that pdf through pitstop_server

if successful, try doing same . . . using "bold" and "italic" variants . . . emulating same process as above.

if successful, try doing same . . . using quark this time.

we are, effectively, ruling out the vast majority of pdf issues . . . with you creating the edge yourself, kaiser. once we have ascertained sub-folders are possible . . . one can then backwards track to the source(s).

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

I had already done something similar to your test. I just replicated it.
With a sub folder, the font was NOT found and the font did NOT embed
I pulled the font (Roadkill) back into my folder of 11,000 fonts...and it embedded perfectly.

To me, this means that sub folders do not work on Pitstop Server 9

 

[abc]

No problem, a feature request has already been generated, if you can PM me with your personal contact details and company name I will attach them to the request

 

[mattbeals]

ABC, it's a long standing feature request.

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

Thanks, Matt. Yes, it was downright TEDIOUS!
I still do not understand why a bullet (option 8) of a font AUTOMATICALLY makes it subset out of INDD.
Even if I run it through this eal on the server, THAT particular font does not get embedded.
VERY frustrating.

 

[mattbeals]

InDesign always subsets fonts. People have said that setting the embedding threshold to 1% will cause InDesign to fully embed the font. I don't bother with it myself though.

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

I have to have it. We use GMC Inspire (Formerly Print Net T). We use that laser and bring it in through Native Import (Inspire).
If the font is embedded, it is absolutely magic.
I have tried the 1 percent. Not true. 0 percent is the key.
However, if a font uses a bullet then it subset. However, JUST today I discovered that that is not true. It has to do with PS vs Open Type. Here I thought that Open Type was the savior of the world. However, when I substituted every open type with the PS version (semi dangerous, I know), I got absolutely NO subset. Went into Inspire like butter.
We have a digital web press, so "feeding" proper laser through Inspire is very valuable to us.