Why does Flexi do this to some fonts?

[Texas_Signmaker]

Why does this happen on some fonts? Is there a way to fix it?

 

[Bobby H]

Flexi must not respect any overlapping shapes in fonts. It's a non-zero winding thing, something I first learned how to deal with using Adobe Illustrator. That involved side effects of converting live line strokes to editable outlines. There would always be overlaps in the corners. The same principal applies to overlaps in lettering.

Normally you'll only find overlapping shapes in Variable Fonts. But a growing number of static fonts have them too, which makes it a good idea to always check the outline view of artwork from time to time. Anything that is going to be cut/routed will get messed up if the lettering has overlapping shapes.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

It's a static font I installed.

 

[Bobby H]

Which typeface is it?

 

[chester215]

I think Manrope is one of the offenders.
When we have to use it, we highlight the text and go to Effects/Weld and weld them.
I think you need to unweld them to edit it but it removes the white spaces in the overlap.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

DM Sans. I just typed it up in AI and it looked normal. Imported that AI file and Flexi still messes it up

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I think Manrope is one of the offenders.
When we have to use it, we highlight the text and go to Effects/Weld and weld them.
I think you need to unweld them to edit it but it removes the white spaces in the overlap.

Thank you! That worked and I like how you can un weld and still edit it.

 

[Bobby H]

DM Sans. I just typed it up in AI and it looked normal. Imported that AI file and Flexi still messes it up

Adobe Illustrator won't give live type objects wireframe previews. In Outline View the type objects are still black. You have to convert a copy of the text object to outlines. I checked one of the static styles of DM Sans. Sure enough, it has overlaps present.

In Adobe Illustrator you can use the Unite Pathfinder to remove the overlaps in the letters. That does involve converting the lettering to outlines though. In more recent versions of CorelDRAW the Weld tool will do the same thing with overlaps (I'm hitting the W key on the keyboard a lot lately). I'm not sure how you deal with it in Flexi. We have licenses of it at my workplace, but I don't use it on my machine.

 

[unclebun]

Poorly drawn fonts. In Corel they display properly and print OK but if you have to cut them, you end up cutting the overlapping shapes.

 

[Bobby H]

I can't even get DM Sans to load in my copy of CorelDRAW. None of the static or variable fonts will show up in the font menu. CorelDRAW generally doesn't like fonts from the Google Fonts web site. Some of them get rendered as Arial for some odd reason.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

That's where I got it from.. Google

 

[Bobby H]

I just checked the version of DM Sans hosted at Adobe Fonts. They're all static font files. Yet the letters do indeed have overlaps. Another funny thing: the fonts will work in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, but they refuse to load in CorelDRAW. Something is definitely wrong with the font files.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

It's happened on more than one font. Usually the ones I get from Adobe.

 

[xavis]

miste tipo de fuentes las cargo en corel draw, las convierto a curavas y realizo un outline de .05mm , desagrupo y problema resuelto.

 

[Bobby H]

It's happened on more than one font. Usually the ones I get from Adobe.

That's odd. I see overlapping letters in static fonts more often from fonts downloaded from Google Fonts. I've even encountered a couple of type families that had only static fonts (no variable versions included) yet still had glyphs with overlapping parts.

I think this is a side-effect of modern font design. The designers will create a certain number of design masters of a glyph. The overlaps make it easier to generate in-between styles and instances.

Hopefully the makers of DM Sans will do a maintenance update on the type family. Sometimes when I've had a buggy font from Google I'd wait a few weeks or even months and then go back and download another copy. Sometimes the new download would work properly.

 

[Ronny Axelsson]

I have also seen a normal static font showing that kind of overlaps lately, I think it was a font named Inter.

Adobe Illustrator won't give live type objects wireframe previews. In Outline View the type objects are still black.

FWIW, there was a discussion about this a couple of months ago, and even though it could cause some serious
issues not being able to view these overlaps, the hardcore Illustrator users refused to see it as a problem.

 

[Ron at Forest Litho]

Try changing the font to CURVES. Then there is no font stuff for the program to deal with.
Save it separately as "Curves version", so it case there is an inevitable type change you can go back to the original and make the changes and then change it to curves again.

 

[Bobby H]

I have also seen a normal static font showing that kind of overlaps lately, I think it was a font named Inter.

Inter has a variable version. The companion static font files are derived from the variable version.

WIW, there was a discussion about this a couple of months ago, and even though it could cause some serious
issues not being able to view these overlaps, the hardcore Illustrator users refused to see it as a problem.

I missed that discussion. I've used Illustrator for more than 30 years and I definitely see it as a potentially big problem for Illustrator to not show a wireframe of live text objects. Anyone who doesn't see it as a problem is someone who must not be cutting vinyl or routing letters out of various materials. A plotter knife or routing table bit is going to cut wherever a path is present. I might have to make a feature request at the Illustrator User Voice forum.

Try changing the font to CURVES. Then there is no font stuff for the program to deal with. Save it separately as "Curves version", so it case there is an inevitable type change you can go back to the original and make the changes and then change it to curves again.

We're not talking about font substitution issues. Overlaps in letters will exist regardless if the letters are converted to raw outlines or not. Adobe Illustrator has the odd quirk of not showing a wireframe view of live text objects, be it point text or area text. The letters are filled solid black in outline view.

When Illustrator's ReType feature was first introduced it would replace raw lettering with live text in the identified font. They dialed back the feature so it would just identify fonts rather than replace/overlay the objects with new type.

 

[eahicks]

Bahnschrift... looks nice for print... don't try to plot it though.