FYI, the below is a current thread on the Electronic Records (ERECS-L) list
re font requirements for conversion in the PDF/A standard.


Regards,

Rick


In a message dated 11/27/2006 4:20:41 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
vjones@... writes:


Tom:
I forwarded your questions to the ISO Standards WG working on the standard.
See their responses below.
Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
vjones@...

____________________________________

From: PDF-Working Group [mailto:PDF-WG@...] On Behalf Of
Macduff Hughes
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:07 PM
To: PDF-WG@...
Subject: Re: Questions about Old Standard PostScript printer fonts and
PDF/A-1a
On question 1:
Yes, to correctly convert PostScript files that reference those fonts to
PDF/A, you must have those fonts on the machine that is doing the PostScript to
PDF conversion. The material in the PDF Reference stating that certain fonts
do not need to be embedded is overriden by the PDF/A specification, which
requires that all fonts be embedded. Note 2 to 6.3.4 states: "There is no
exemption from the requirements of 6.3.4 for the 14 standard Type 1 fonts."
On question 2:
"Preview and Print Embedding" is sufficient; Editable Embedding is not
required.
On question 3:
The sort of thing described there can be done with a custom PostScript
prologue that remaps font names, providing the substitute font has identical
metrics to the original. I don't know offhand of any easily available tools to
do
this.
Macduff Hughes
Adobe Systems, Inc.

____________________________________

From: PDF-Working Group [mailto:PDF-WG@...] On Behalf Of
Dwight Kelly
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:56 PM
To: PDF-WG@...
Subject: Re: FW: Questions about Old Standard PostScript printer fonts and
PDF/A-1a
1. Do I need to purchase and install all the old standard PostScript printer
fonts (Times, Helvetica, Helvetica Narrow, New Century Schoolbook, Palatino,
Bookman, Avant Garde, Zapf Chancery Medium Italic, and Zapf Dingbats) on the
machine used to convert any PostScript files that include reference to those
fonts so they get embedded and result in readable PDFs that print and
display properly? I understand that Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol, and
Dingbats
never need to be embedded since they are supposed to be part of the reader
(p. 16, PDF Reference,
_http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/pdf/PDFReference16.pdf_
(http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/pdf/PDFReference16.pdf) ) but
programs like Distiller still apparently need Symbol to create
the PDF (or it will substitute Courier).
Yes, you will need to purchase and install copies of the "Base 14" fonts.
PDF/A requires all fonts be embedded.

2. Does the embedding requirement for PDF/A-1a work with the Adobe fonts
that are "Licensed for Preview and Print Embedding" (which looks like most of
the old fonts above -
_http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/legal/embeddingeula.html_
(http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/legal/embeddingeula.html) ), or does
the PDF/A-1a standard require use of the less-restrictive licensing for the
fonts listed as "Licensed for Editable Embedding" (the Adobe Originals fonts)?
"Licensed for Preview and Print Embedding" should be fine for PDF/A creation
and use. Subsetting fonts will reduce file size and also prevent extraction
of the embedded fonts. Can also help prevent text editing.

3. Are there any open source font configurations that allow converting PS or
MS Office documents which include proprietary fonts to similar-looking fonts
that can be embedded to make readable and printable PDF/A-1a documents? (so
that a fairly long list of "bad, proprietary" fonts could be intelligently
mapped to similar open source fonts and then embedded in the PDF) If so, how
could this mapping be done with programs like Adobe Distiller or LiveCycle PDF
Generator?
I don't know of a program that can substitute fonts after the PDF has been
created.


--
Dwight Kelly


____________________________________

From: PDF-Working Group [mailto:PDF-WG@...] On Behalf Of
Jones, Virginia
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 1:17 PM
To: PDF-WG@...
Subject: FW: Questions about Old Standard PostScript printer fonts and
PDF/A-1a
Can anyone help this person with their questions?

Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
vjones@...


____________________________________

From: Management & Preservation of Electronic Records
[mailto:ERECS-L@...] On Behalf Of Mangano, Thomas J (GE,
Research)
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 1:30 PM
To: ERECS-L@...
Subject: Questions about Old Standard PostScript printer fonts and PDF/A-1a
All,
A colleague who is establishing our procedures for long-term perservation of
documents following the PDF/A-1a standard asked the following questions
about fonts that I am unable to answer. Can anyone provide any help with these
questions?
1. Do I need to purchase and install all the old standard PostScript printer
fonts (Times, Helvetica, Helvetica Narrow, New Century Schoolbook, Palatino,
Bookman, Avant Garde, Zapf Chancery Medium Italic, and Zapf Dingbats) on the
machine used to convert any PostScript files that include reference to those
fonts so they get embedded and result in readable PDFs that print and
display properly? I understand that Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol, and
Dingbats
never need to be embedded since they are supposed to be part of the reader
(p. 16, PDF Reference,
_http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/pdf/PDFReference16.pdf_
(http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/pdf/PDFReference16.pdf) ) but
programs like Distiller still apparently need Symbol to create
the PDF (or it will substitute Courier).
2. Does the embedding requirement for PDF/A-1a work with the Adobe fonts
that are "Licensed for Preview and Print Embedding" (which looks like most of
the old fonts above -
_http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/legal/embeddingeula.html_
(http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/legal/embeddingeula.html) ), or does
the PDF/A-1a standard require use of the less-restrictive licensing for the
fonts listed as "Licensed for Editable Embedding" (the Adobe Originals fonts)?
3. Are there any open source font configurations that allow converting PS or
MS Office documents which include proprietary fonts to similar-looking fonts
that can be embedded to make readable and printable PDF/A-1a documents? (so
that a fairly long list of "bad, proprietary" fonts could be intelligently
mapped to similar open source fonts and then embedded in the PDF) If so, how
could this mapping be done with programs like Adobe Distiller or LiveCycle PDF
Generator?
Tom Mangano
GE Global Research
Niskayuna, NY USA






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