TechNote (Archived)

Unavailable Fonts Message When Opening a Document in FrameMaker 5.x for Windows

Issue

When you open an Adobe FrameMaker 5.x for Windows document, FrameMaker returns an "unavailable fonts" message, even though all of the fonts used in the document are available.

Detail

A font used in the document has a SemiBold weight applied to it.

Solution

Edit the definition of font weights in the Maker.ini file:

1. Exit from FrameMaker, and then make a backup copy of the Maker.ini file, which is located in the FrameMaker installation directory. (You can revert to the backup later should problems occur.)

2. Open the original Maker.ini file in a text editor that can save in text-only format (e.g., NotePad or WordPad).

3. Find the following line:

Weights=Thin 100, ExtraLight 200, SemiLight 250, Light 300, Book 300, Regular 400, SemiBold 600, DemiBold 600, Bold 700, ExtraBold 800, Heavy 900

4. Modify the line so that it reads:

Weights=Thin 100, ExtraLight 200, SemiLight 250, Light 300, Book 300, Regular 400, Black 400, Bold 700, SemiBold 700, DemiBold 600, ExtraBlack 800, ExtraBold 800, Heavy 900

5. Save the Maker.ini file in text-only format, and then close it.

6. Restart FrameMaker.

Additional Information

The definition of the SemiBold font weight is incorrectly listed as 600 instead of 700 in the Maker.ini file of FrameMaker 5.x for Windows. This prevents FrameMaker from recognizing the SemiBold weight, and FrameMaker returns a message that fonts are unavailable. Editing the definition of font weights in the Maker.ini file allows FrameMaker to recognize and display the SemiBold weight.