FONTS - OUTLINED TEXT

The captions within graphics use Helvetica Family fonts. Because these are found on most Postscript printers and image setters these words are not outlined and are therefore editable. Headlines sometimes use alternative fonts that are not generally available. These may be outlined to prevent unsuitable fonts being substituted (see below). These words can only be edited if the outlined letters are replaced with editable text. More information about graphics is available separatelyLegacy versions of graphics found in the archive may use fonts for headlines such as Franklin Gothic Stnd Condensed (2008-2016) or Helvetica Black (pre 2008), also known as Helvetica Std 2.
  • These fonts were used because they were much stronger visually than the more generally available Helvetica family fonts. The disadvantage was that if a graphic was opened and the intended font not present, an alternative fonts could be substituted. If this wasn't spotted the graphic could end up being printed and look horrible. To avoid this danger, headlines after May 2008 were outlined, i.e. their appearance was fixed by outlining.
  • There is little danger of this happening now with Adobe CC because text is highlighted in pink if a font is missing. FontFix can then be used to substitute an alternative.
  • The disadvantage of outlining text is that it becomes uneditable. An editable version of the text is therefore saved in the Translation Layer before the headline was outlined. This “spare” text is not normally visible because it is below the Background Layer. Views are preset within each graphic so that users can go between the Publish View (where the spare editable text can not be seen) to the Translation View (showing just the spare editable text). This enables the uneditable text to be replaced by the editable text.

For a short period from April 2016 when responsive screen graphics were first introduced, graphics created in Adobe Illustrator CS4 used Georgia (for the headline) and Arial(for the captions).