Creating Outlines to Preserve Typefaces in Adobe Illustrator

If you've ever designed something in Adobe Illustrator that incorporates typography (such as a poster, flyer, logo, etc.) you may have encountered a frustrating problem where your type seems to change its appearance on its own when you have tried to pull up your illustrator file on another computer. Usually, this is a result of your typeface NOT being installed on the other computer you are trying to work on. In response, Adobe Illustrator will automatically convert your type to another typeface.

 For example, if you designed a poster using a font that you downloaded from the internet on computer 1 (ex. Aleo) and now tried to bring up that Illustrator file on computer 2, all the type that you originally set in Aleo may be automatically converted to Times New Roman because Aleo does not exist on computer 2.

Luckily, there is a way to address this problem that is especially helpful if your project is near done (ie you are not planning on adding any more type) and you are just looking to make some minor changes (like adding color or modifying the layout). Instead of re-downloading the font onto the other computer, you can convert your type to "Outlines" before saving your illustrator file and opening it on the other computer. Just click on your text box, move your cursor to the top of the window, select "Type" and then select "Create Outlines." This can also be achieved through the keyboard shortcut: Shift + Cntrl + O.

By changing your type to outlines, you are essentially converting the letters into shapes. This means that your type is not dependent on the fonts installed on a computer and should open universally the same on any computer. However, it is important to note that BECAUSE your type is actually a shape, you cannot continue to type in the text box and add to its content.