May 2016 - Page 2 of 2 - The PowerPoint Blog

Using Adobe Typekit Fonts

Adobe Typekit is a combination between an online tool that previews fonts and an installer that adds them to a computer. Adobe TypeKit is included with Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions.

Adobe TypeKit -1

Can Presentation Apps Use Adobe Typekit Fonts?

Yes, if we are talking about desktop PowerPoint and Keynote. Once the Adobe Typekit font is selected and synced to the computer, the font is available in other applications. At TLC, we use PowerPoint for Windows and Mac and Apple Keynote – we can confirm Typekit fonts are available for all of them. Note: PowerPoint may need to be restarted for the font to become available in the font menu.

Adobe Typekit	Windows	Mac
PowerPoint	YES	YES
Keynote	N/A	YES

HOW TO FIND AND INSTALL ADOBE TYPEKIT FONTS

Adobe Typekit is a hybrid app that is web-based, and can also be viewed through the Adobe Creative Cloud app and most Adobe applications (PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.). For our example, we are looking at Typekit through a web browser, which has the most options. Select the font to use in your presentation by going through the font library, select by clicking +USE FONTS (there are a lot of ways to view and search for fonts, and there are thousands of fonts).

This is where things get a bit confusing. There are two options for using the font: (1) Web Sync, which will make the font available for web use (ie. a website), or (2) Creative Cloud Sync, which will make the font available for use in Desktop apps on a computer. We are installing fonts to a computer for use in PowerPoint.

adobe typekit

After selecting fonts and use, click SYNC SELECTED FONTS and they will be installed on the computer.

adobe typekit sync

The Creative Cloud Desktop application will open and prompt you to add fonts from Typekit. Below that is a list of all Adobe Typekit fonts currently available.

adobe typekit -1

PowerPoint and Adobe Typekit

All Adobe Typekit fonts can be used by PowerPoint on both Windows and Mac, but there are some considerations:

PowerPoint needs to be started AFTER fonts are installed, or the new fonts will note show up in the font list.
Typekit fonts are considered “custom fonts” and will need to be installed on any computer that is going to show the presentation.
Only a computer that has Adobe Creative Cloud installed and has an active user account logged in to an Adobe CC account is going to be able to sync and install Typekit fonts.
PowerPoint will not warn you that fonts are missing, nor will it tell you where the fonts are from (So an end user needs to look at the font list for missing fonts and know they are Typekit fonts that they can install. TIP: Add a hidden slide or off-slide note about custom fonts and where to find them to help other users).
Typekit fonts installed on a computer are not actual files that can be accessed and copied to other computers.

Keynote and Adobe Typekit

All Adobe Typekit fonts can be used by Keynote, but there are some considerations: Keynote dynamically recognizes newly installed fonts, so there’s no need to restart it after fonts are installed (great!).

Adobe Typekit fonts are considered “custom fonts” and will need to be installed on any computer that is going to show the presentation.
Only a computer that has Adobe Creative Cloud installed and has an active user account logged in to an Adobe CC account is going to be able to sync and install Adobe Typekit fonts.
Adobe Typekit fonts installed on a computer are not actual files that can be accessed and copied to other computers.

-Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-08-10T08:17:25-07:00May 4th, 2016|Resource/Misc, Software/Add-Ins, Tutorial|

New Podcast Released today! Episode 5

Troy, Nolan and Sandy talk about fonts and presentation design in the latest Presentation Podcast “Oh, Font.” Episode 5 at The Presentation Podcast! TPP_Logo_forPPTBlog

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-08-10T08:17:46-07:00May 3rd, 2016|Resource/Misc|

Fonts You Can and Can’t Use in PowerPoint

With the millions of designs available, fonts have the ability to make text display anywhere from serious to fun.

Fonts_1

Fonts are separate files that must be installed on each device the custom font is needed. There are Microsoft Fonts, Adobe Creative Cloud Typekit, Google Web Fonts, custom fonts from Font Foundries and websites everywhere – but what is a presentation to use? When selecting fonts, you are selecting physical files.

For example, in PowerPoint, all fonts shown in the font drop down menu are actually individual files installed on that computer (TIP: If there is not an “O” or “TT” icon next to a font, it is not installed on that computer and is not going to display as designed). So first, let’s overview the common types of fonts that can installed.

font-type-3

OpenType

font_types-1

In the history of digital fonts, OpenType is the newest format, with applications adopting its use around the 2,000’s. The extension for OpenType fonts is .OTF and in PowerPoint’s drop down font list, OTF fonts are identified by a large “O” icon. One advantage of OpenType fonts over others is the font file format provides more typographic design options which means more symbols/glyphs/language support/display options. The greater display options (OpenType does not have one display method, but the ability to use legacy display standards and new display standards) mean it is the font file format of choice for newer devices and OS’s – think mobile everything.

Fun Fact: OpenType is a registered trademark of Microsoft, and was developed because Microsoft was unable to license Mac’s “GX Typography” system. Microsoft and Adobe partnered to develop OpenType. Get the full history of OpenType development at this wiki page.

TrueType

font_types-2

TrueType is still the most common font file type. The extension for TrueType is .TTF and in the PowerPoint font drop down, TrueType fonts are identified with a “TT” icon. True Type is older (than OpenType), a bit less robust when it comes to designing and displaying fonts, but it is the dominant font format used – partially because it is less expensive to license.

Fun Fact: Apple was the first to use TrueType in its 1991 OS with 4 fonts (Times Roman, Helvetica, Courier, Pi), which is originally licensed to Microsoft for free. Full history of TrueType development at this Wiki page.

PostScript

The last font file format for this discussion is our oldest digital font format, which is the most complex. PostScript fonts are actually 2 files. One is for the onscreen display and the other is used for printing where it literally outlines every letter and symbol sent to the printer. The extension is .PS, and PowerPoint does not support PostScript fonts – so we do not see them in the font drop down menu, even if they are installed on the computer. What makes PostScript fonts important for today’s presentations is PostScript fonts were the first font technology to use mathematical computation to dynamically redraw fonts with vector Bezier curve to allow fonts to be any size. PostScript fonts were also the first to contain multiple character sets (ie. multiple languages).

Fun Fact 1: I remember working with PostScript fonts as the only solution for high quality graphic design and typographic work – and spending huge amounts to buy a custom font for projects.

Fun Fact 2: Printers used to be “PostScript-Ready,” meaning the printer actually had PostScript processing built into it.

Fun Fact 3: Adobe developed Type 1 and Type 3 fonts, which are PostScript file types, back in 1984! There was an earlier Type 0 before those, and development with Type 3-4-5-up to 42 (which was introduced in 2010). Full history of PostScript development at this Wiki page.