Expert: Amy - 4/10/2007

Question
Hi Amy!

I have two questions:

I was wondering if text loses quality and sharpness when you convert it to outlines In Illustrator?

I've recreated several graphs in Illustrator,saved them as eps files and then placed them in an InDesign layout. (I'm pretty sure that I embedded the fonts when I saved each eps file I made in Illustator)

When I send my final InDesign layout to the printer, do I need to make sure to send the fonts that I used when I made each graph in Illustrator or if they are embedded, is that all a printer would need?

Thank you for your time and expertise!

Jen :)  

Answer
Hi Jen,

Well, oulined text will gain a little weight during the printing process. Sometimes this isn't a bad thing. Depends on your design/product. It's very very little weight.

Embedded fonts should be everything you need to do. I make a habit of creating outlines when my designs aren't ultra-dependent on a tiny delicate font. That way, I know there won't be any errors. I send a lot of stuff to a lot of different newspapers and printers and it's just easier for me (and them).

Even better would be to create a PDF for the printer with embedded fonts.

Hope this helps!
Amy