Adobe Indesign Create Outlines

[adferns]

Is it just me or is this command completely random? It seems to behave differently if you just select the text object and click create outlines than if you highlight all the text and click it. Also the option remains available sometimes when you have already created outlines but throws up a 'select object that can be turned to outlines' message if you actually try and use it.

And then after all that the damn PDF has still got fonts in at the end despite me outlining everything I can and un-checking all the send font boxes in the PDF options. I also tried using the 'handy' technique of creating a transparency flattener preset that converts all fonts to outlines on output, which sounds nice but does absolutely nothing.

Im continually finding Adobe Indesign to be the most frustrating, badly coded and inconsistent piece of software I have ever used.

[PrintDriver]

Look for text starts. Those little points where you may have clicked with the text tool but didn't type anything. Those don't convert to outline when you select all.

I wish Adobe had a Select>Stray Points like Illy does.

[capezio]

I am fairly new to InDesign and many documents are imported Quark ones. Occasionally when I have a text box with kerned large text as in a heading and highlight it to create outlines all the Kerning goes to pot and the letters bunch up and overlap. Other bizarre things have happened too on newly created ID docs when creating outlines. I am not experienced enough with this software to begin to know why.

[frailer]

Bit off topic, but not completely. Print Driver...is the "stray point" thing related to the "missing-printer-font-but-it doesn't-matter-because-it-was-only-a-space/stray-point" Syndrome. Can't relate how many times this has turned out to be a font unrelated to the job, so can be ignored...just annoys me that I don't WHY it happens.

[PersonasBinar]

The transparency flattener will only affect objects interacting with transparent elements. Otherwise text will stay text.

[doubting_thomas]

If you highlight the text with the text tool and create Outlines I believe that
the text box itself reatins font info. I guess you could edit and have the attributes
saved in the text box should the need arise down the road. You could also Outline
only a portion of the text with this method, and keep the rest of the text live.
In any event the selected text is still outlined. I never want either of those options, personally.

I think want you may want to try is to use the black selection arrow
to select the text box, then create outlines. This will remove the text box completely
and leave you with compound paths of the type.

I won't try to defend either of these methods/features. They only are, IMHO.

[D-Frag]

Look for text starts. Those little points where you may have clicked with the text tool but didn't type anything. Those don't convert to outline when you select all.

I wish Adobe had a Select>Stray Points like Illy does.

my biggest pet peave in working pre-press, i cant tell you how many times designers would do that. its like they click the type tool, then get 80-D, go get a cup of coffee...pet the cat, milk the thistles, and come back and make a new line to type on.... grrrrrrr

[urstwile]

To be fair, D-Frag, I'm used to working with Quark, so it's taken me a bit of time to get used to InDesign's method of doing it (I am getting used to it, however, since I love InDesign). However, you're right, I'm just sayin'. I never send a file that's missing fonts however, so I'm not feeling too guilty.

I've seen InDesign files, similarly to Quark, where someone selected everything in a text box but a word space, changed the font, but that one wordspace was still in the other fonts. I tend to pick through my font usage dialog in both programs to make sure. I don't want any fonts that I didn't intend to use being sent along with a document unnecessarily, so I usually hunt 'em down and shoot 'em like the stray fonts that they are. :D

[capezio]

To be fair, D-Frag, I'm used to working with Quark, so it's taken me a bit of time to get used to InDesign's method of doing it (I am getting used to it, however, since I love InDesign). However, you're right, I'm just sayin'. I never send a file that's missing fonts however, so I'm not feeling too guilty.

I've seen InDesign files, similarly to Quark, where someone selected everything in a text box but a word space, changed the font, but that one wordspace was still in the other fonts. I tend to pick through my font usage dialog in both programs to make sure. I don't want any fonts that I didn't intend to use being sent along with a document unnecessarily, so I usually hunt 'em down and shoot 'em like the stray fonts that they are. :D

I so agree clicking out of the text box to move on gets me after using quark.

I am the same with fonts couldn't understand at first why every time I collected fonts there was Times Roman when I knew I hadn't used it. And if you change a font but don't do it through replace font and miss a space the old font remains.

[adferns]

Hey thanks for the help guys. If you want a good explanantion of the way indesign handles text boxes and the create outlines function check here : http://www.prepressforums.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=58206#58206

[D-Frag]

to be fair Urst, I should have clarified, I was talking about designers that do that in Illustrator, not indesign or quark.

[urstwile]

I've become a big fan of Command-Shift-A, then typing V to deselect and immediately switch tools in both InDesign and Illy because of that very click with the type tool inadvertently thing, especially in Illy.

Of course, I also use the select stray points feature a lot when I'm finishing up with a file. It will usually find all those little inadvertently placed text points.