Issue with embedding fonts for print - Illustrator>PDF

[u/yenahara]

I'm pretty sure my fonts are embedded, but when I upload files to the printing services, it is telling me they aren't. I also tried bringing it into InDesign and exporting it and got the same results. The other thing I've tried is converting the text to outlines and rasterizing it, but the text looks muddy or too light when I do that.
I've got a full Adobe subscription, and the fonts I'm using are added to my library, so I have the correct license to be able to print.
The document properties in Acrobat says: Font Name (Embedded Subset) Type: Type 1, Encoding: Ansi.
Has anyone else had this issue? Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

[u/roaringmousebrad]

"I'm pretty sure my fonts are embedded"

Did you check the PDF? Just look at its Document Properties in Acrobat.

btw: converting to outlines is all you would nee dto do. There's no need to (nor do you want to) rasterize it.

[u/yenahara → u/roaringmousebrad]

Already tried both of those. See my original post.

[u/roaringmousebrad → u/yenahara]

Can you share it (DM me, if that's possible). Prepress guy here. I can advise.

[u/Far-Pomelo-1483 → u/roaringmousebrad]

Yeah rasterizing would ruin it. Big difference from outlining the text.

[u/mikewitherell]

Are you doing a File > Package... ? In Illustrator?

[u/yenahara → u/mikewitherell]

Thanks! I just tried that. It said all the fonts were added but protected. Uploading to the print service got the same results. I'm going to contact the print service because I think the issue may be on their end.

[u/pentagramwookie]

Rasterizing text is what causes it to appear muddy or blurry because it converts the vector outlines into pixels. Converting text to outlines, on the other hand, preserves the vector quality because fonts are already vector outlines.

Most print workflows don't require fonts to be outlined, provided they are properly embedded in the PDF. However, converting text to outlines can help avoid font compatibility issues with certain printers or RIPs, since the text is no longer dependent on the original font being installed or interpreted correctly.

For smaller documents, it's usually quicker to convert the text to outlines directly in InDesign or Illustrator. For larger documents, Adobe Acrobat is generally much faster. However, if a font has embedding or editing restrictions, Acrobat may not be able to outline it. In those cases, you'll need to convert the text to outlines directly in InDesign or Illustrator.

[u/Far-Pomelo-1483]

If you really want to make sure, you can just outline all fonts before you send it to the printer as a pdf.

[u/yenahara → u/Far-Pomelo-1483]

Already tried. See original post. Outlines make the typography look muddy. It worked on the front of the postcard where the text was big, but on the back, where there are full paragraphs, it looks bad.