TechNote

Fonts are listed as CID or Identity-H when you print a PDF file created in InDesign (2.x, CS, CS2, CS3)

Issue

A preflight application (such as Enfocus PitStop) reports that the fonts in a PDF file are CID or Identity-H.

Details

You created the PDF file in Adobe InDesign.

Fonts are listed in the document properties of the PDF file as CID fonts.

Solution

Do one of the following solutions:

Solution 1: Upgrade to the latst version of InDesign.

Upgrade to the latest version of InDesign and then create the PDF file. You can purchase upgrades from Adobe Authorized Resellers and from Adobe directly:

To locate an Authorized Reseller, visit the Adobe website at http://partners.adobe.com/resellerfinder/na/findreseller.jsp .
To purchase an upgrade from Adobe, visit the Adobe Store at http://store.adobe.com/store/products/master.jhtml?id=catInDesign .

Solution 2: Save the original file as a PostScript file, and then convert it to PDF.

In InDesign, save the document as a PostScript file, and then use Adobe Acrobat Distiller to convert it to PDF.

To save an InDesign document as a PostScript file:

Open the document in InDesign, and choose File > Print.
Choose PostScript File from the Printer menu.
Choose Device Independent from the PPD menu.
Select the desired options in the Print dialog box, and click Save.
Enter a name in the File Name box, and click Save.

To convert a PostScript file to PDF:

Start Acrobat Distiller, and choose the desired Adobe PDF settings from the Default Settings pop-up menu (Distiller 6.0-8.0) or the Job Options pop-up menu (Distiller 5.x).
Choose File > Open, and navigate to the PostScript file.
Click Open.

Additional Information

InDesign CS encodes the glyphs in OpenType (OT), Type 1, and TrueType (TT) fonts as CID fonts, or double-byte characters, when you export documents to PDF.

InDesign CS2 encodes the glyphs in OpenType, Type 1, and TrueType fonts when you export PDF files.

Both InDesign CS and CS2 encode Japanese OpenType fonts as CID fonts. InDesign CS3 has a known issue that bullet characters, for instance bullets and hypens in a list, are listed as CID fonts in the PDF. Solution 2, Creating a PostScript file first, solves the issue. 327684: Troubleshooting problems printing PDF files created in InDesign (2.0.x)