There are rumors buzzing around that you can avoid the problem (PostScript Pickle, Fontageddon, Helvetica On Earth, whatever you want to call it) by just converting the file type of your existing fonts. Sorry, it’s not the shortcut you think it is.

Converting fonts is a gray area and could be a violation of the fonts’ End User License Agreements (EULAs). They also may not behave the same way once you convert them, leading to a whole new host of problems. So you could be right back where you started, plus a call from a type foundry’s lawyer.

Here is an outline of what happens to your files and documents when support for PostScript ends:

• Adobe applications will no longer recognize PostScript Fonts.
• That means you can’t create content using Type 1 fonts after January 2023.
• More importantly, existing Adobe files utilizing Type 1 fonts created before January 2023 will NOT be editable without replacing the font.
  
  When you try, you’ll receive the dreaded “missing font” error, annoying “link” or “re-link” alert, agitating warning triangles, or even blue banners of doom—depending on what program you’re using. Ugh.
• Sure, embedded Type 1 data can be placed for display or printing…but editing will set off alarms that require immediate attention (i.e. interrupt your workflow big time).
• PDFs with embedded Type 1 fonts will display as expected. Non-embedded fonts will be replaced in two ways: (a.) by a font that ships with Acrobat or is your operating system’s default; or (b.) by Acrobat’s font substitution table and the available fonts on your system.
  
  However, when a viewer other than Acrobat is used in a web browser, “Adobe can’t control what will happen.”

The likelihood your font collection includes Type 1 fonts is very high. We recently reviewed our customer font database of over 7 million fonts and discovered that 25% are PostScript Type 1. Did you know the average creative’s font library contains roughly 4500 fonts? Trust us, you’ve got more PostScript Type 1 fonts than you think you do.