I have 3 fonts in my Photoshop font list (Mac OSX 10.3.4) that look like this: ??? ???????? ??. I assume these are fonts with a problem, but how can i find them among 700+ fonts so I can remove them? Thanks!
I’m using Font Book, and I can manage them fine from there. How can I search for them when I don’t know their name? There are no fonts called ??????? and that’s what I see in Photoshop: ?????. QUESTION MARKS. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
That is really weird. I wouldn’t feel comfortable running a computer that came up with fonts called question marks. I would do a low level reformat of the hard drive and re-install everything fresh. Make all your needed backups first. Someone else may come along and offer an easier fix, but I am different, with a problem like you named here, I’ll reformat a drive at the drop of a hat. I use Macs in a high production environment, so I can’t gamble and always use Adobe fonts only, keeping things well organized in the fonts department.
Tell us more about what kind of Mac you are using, it’s history, peripherals, etc…
Thanks to both of you for the reply; I am using a Pwoerbook G4 17" 1.5Ghz.
The thing is, I’m more of an illustrator than a graphic designer, so I’m not up to par on keeping fonts organized and the such. Can you guys recommend a good (but inexpensive) font manager? And how does that differ from Apple’s Font BooK? Thanks!
FontAgent Pro would ferret-out bad fonts as well as providing the font management that you need. There is a 30-day free trial version available on their site.
Used FontAgent Pro, and it did remove the ????? Fonts. Thank you. I posted the following info in a different part, but I seem to have been luckier with you knowledgable folks here…
The report said it found 8 corrupted fonts. However, in the "Problem Fonts" folder it generated, the folder called "Corrupted Fonts" had 152 fonts in it. Why is this, when it said only 8 were corrupted?
I exported the fonts that it said were OK, and reinstalled them with Font Book. But (just as before), Photoshop won’t show me any fonts past the font called "SYMBOL TT." So all my fonts from S to Z are unavailable. Any ideas?
Yes, Big Toon. You have too many fonts activated. Do a forum search on Photoshop font limit. It has been discussed here many, many times. Activate only the ones you need for the specific job at hand.
Ramón G Castañeda is right. I should have noticed that you might possibly have been trying to activate all 700 fonts at one time. If you need that many fonts open at one time, all I can say is your project is going to look like a circus.
I never open more than 40 fonts at one time maximum, and most often 20 to 30.
AH. I see…Yes. I had them all active. No, usually my projects don’t look like a circus, sInce I stick to only 1 or 2 fonts per illustration. The reason I kept them all open is because I like to scroll while IN photoshop to see how a particualr font will look in my illustration. Using Font Book or FontAgent Pro only shows me the font, but it doesnt show it to me in the context of my drawing. So I guess I’ll have to start conforming…thanks guys.
So one more Q…can I stick to using Font Book to turning these fonts on and off, or do i HAVE to invest in a font manager?
Ok…Im taking the advice of the pros here and trashing those fonts. I will say that many are downloaded off the net. So…if they ARE problematic (although I have to say that until now they have always printed and displayed great, and I’ve had many for a couple of years), can you reccomend a place where I can find good quality fonts that also LOOK good (whimsical, fun, grunge, etc.)?
Anything else and you will be gambling. PS: If I were ‘gambling’ with wierd off-brand fonts, I would keep them in a separate folder, keep them assigned as a font set or sets in small groups, and activate them when needed, keep them closed when not using them.
PS, Suitcase is the finest font management program I have ever used, I had to say that now that Ann has registered an attack.
There is nothing wrong with downloading cheap fonts from the net. They have their uses. They are more of a one time thing or for a particular look you need. Adobe does not make fonts that would appeal to those who want to use something for Punk or Grunge posters.
keep those fonts separate. if FAP will not open them use Font Book. I have used both in conjunction with each other.
What I do is use FAP to choose several fonts that I might use in a project after selecting the appropriate fonts you can use them in the app with your design.
"But I do notice that a lot of the people who report font problems in Illustrator and in InDesign pack Suitcases."
Suitcase is a solid piece of software which has proven itself under fire over several years using all versions and updates of OSX in my studio. I will suggest that font problems can be the result of many other sources, most originating in personal organization and operating procedure of the systems and of the fonts themselves. As of this writing, Suitcase continues in perfect support of fonts on my systems.
Using and managing fonts is an art unto itself, one in which a font management program plays a role, but does not become the end-all solution to all problems in itself.
Use the one you like indeed. I rate both Font Agent Pro and Suitcase as cleared for professional duty!
Suitcase is a solid piece of software which I has proven itself under fire over several years using all versions and updates of OSX.
I beg to differ.
During its first few years, Suitcase was a ground breaking and very useful utility, However, and it’s a big however, I can tell you that Suitcase did not behave very nicely in my Mac OS 9.2.2. nor in Classic under 10.0 through 10.2.1.
I was one of the earliest supporters of Suitcase some two decades ago when it was essentially a one-man operation and Steve Brecher asked me to be a beta tester. I had supported Suitcase throughout the years, until ATM Deluxe came on the scene.
In spite of that, I have to say that the current offering by Extensis was a monumental disappointment. I got Suitcase 10 when I first tried OS X for a while, during Cheetah, Puma and the second release of Jaguar., and Suitcase 10 was supposed to work in OS X, Classic and 9.2.2. Well…
Every single time that my computer froze under 9.2.2, regardless of what program I was in, when I attempted to do a force quit of the crashed program (even the Finder), I would get a message asking me whether I "really wanted to force quit the Suitcase Engine". I would click on OK, and everything came back to life. Of course, I would restart the computer anyway.
Since I had deleted all traces of OS X from my machine after that, I went back to ATM Deluxe on 9.2.2, and everything was steady as rock (knock on wood).
When I finally switched to Panther, I didn’t even feel motivated to give Suitcase another try.
This is such a good forum. Of course we each have our two cents, which makes a lot of cents when they are pooled together. The winners are the one’s who come here with a question; I have been one of those individuals, many times. This is a good arrangement. I’m not against anyone’s opinion, I am only against misinformation which may lead a newbie astray.
Recommending a font management utility is one of those areas that come attached with strings: You must update your systems and software religiously, You must operate your system in a conventional manner prescribed by the guidelines laid down by the manufacturer and tempered with the discovered requirements that show up in actual day to day use of the products. Browse the forums daily!
I have no big preference between Font Agent Pro and Suitcase, others may have a favorite, you can only use one. The most important thing is that you have a clear conscience about your recommendations and can back them up with proof. As Ann says, "Choose your poison."
These forums have become a source of education for all the tricks that are not in the books or in the help screens. For that, the forums get a big blue ribbon, and everyone here gets thanks and appreciation,
Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!
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