User Guide

in a non-pictorial font, it probably means the character
mapping table got thrashed. To fix this, go back to the
Fontographer database and make a note of the attributes (i.
e., family name, full name, ascent, descent, etc.) and open
a new font and give it those same attributes. Then copy
your characters into the new database, save, and
regenerate the .ttf. Uninstall the old font, install the new
one, and you’re ready to go. Check the MacroFacts
faxback for a TechNotes on this.
I’ve imported some characters into Fontographer from
FreeHand (or Illustrator) by using Option-copy and the
fonts seem to print OK, but I can’t “Convert to paths” in
Illustrator 3.x. Why?
Some further rules of Type 1 fonts state that no
overlapping paths are allowed in a Type 1 character. If
your imported characters were drawn in such a way as to
overlap some of the paths, you will need to redraw those
portions of the character that overlap. Another reason for
this problem can be that a path in a character was
accidently left open (unclosed). Make sure that all outlines
for a Type 1 character are closed paths that don’t overlap
one another. Another possibility is that somewhere in the
font is a character where one point is exactly on top of
another point. This will also cause problems for ATM and
Illustrator.
I’ve been working on a font in Fontographer and
suddenly, when I try to open my font, Fontographer
tells me it can’t open the file and gives me Error # -54.
What’s going on here and what can I do about it?
You may be using FontPorter from Adobe (it came free
with ATM 2.0) and have dragged your bitmap file (the
one with the .bmap extension on it) into the System Folder
rather than installing it with Font/DA Mover. FontPorter
still has a hold of the bitmap font and Fontographer is trying
to get at it but can’t, because FontPorter already has first
dibs. Error #-54 is a “permissions” error telling you that
Fontographer doesn’t have permission to open the file
because FontPorter already has it opened. To fix this
problem, drag the .bmap file out of the System Folder and
back into the folder where you were working on your font,
then restart your computer. This problem could also
potentially occur if you are using Suitcase or Master
Fontographer User's Manual
B: Answers to commonly asked questions Page #6