Expert: Amy - 8/5/2005

Question
Hi Amy

I'm using AI 9 on windows. I had a graphics designer set up a logo for me and I see that all of the text had been converted into individual paths. I've found out how to do this in Illustrator, but can you tell me why we'd do this?

Thanks in advance,
- Russell

Answer
Hi Russell,

It's important to convert text to outlines so that the logo can be viewed on... and printed from... any machine regardless of whether or not the correct fonts are installed on that machine.

If those fonts hadn't been converted to outlines, the designer would have had to supply you with the font files to be installed on your machine, or any machine that this logo will wind up on.  Without them, the logo would not have displayed properly - Illustrator or Acrobat will substitute fonts when the original ones aren't available on the machine.  

Graphic designers also 'convert to outlines' because giving licensed commercial fonts to anyone (except a print shop or service bureau for purposes of printing your job) is illegal. In the USA, anyway. Not all fonts are commercial, though.  There are many freeware or shareware fonts available for download on the internet.

That's all there it to that!

-Amy