Microsoft kicks Adobe Postscript Type 1 support out of Windows
Windows will no longer support Adobe Postscript Type 1 fonts in the future. Microsoft has now announced this.
(Image: Shutterstock.com/calimedia)
Upcoming Windows releases will no longer include support for Adobe Postscript Type 1 fonts. Microsoft is now announcing the end of Type 1 font support.
The discontinuation has now appeared on Microsoft's "Deprecated Features" list. Microsoft explains that Adobe had already announced the end of support for this in January 2023, naming Photoshop 23.0, Illustrator 27.3, InDesign 18.2 and Digital Video and Audio 23.2 as versions that can no longer handle these fonts. Adobe argues that most browsers and mobile operating systems do not support Type 1 fonts, and that most operating systems rely on the "more robust technical capabilities" of OpenType fonts.
Microsoft does not specify a date
"Therefore, they are ending support for the Type 1 format," Adobe orated there – and Microsoft is now effectively confirming this. However, Microsoft's announcement does not specify when Type 1 font support will actually be discontinued. The company also does not specify the operating system versions affected.
Microsoft is primarily addressing developers and explains that all dependencies on this font type should be removed by choosing a supported font format. The currently installed fonts can be displayed in the Windows "Settings" under "Personalization" - "Fonts". Application developers and content owners should test their apps and data files with remote Adobe Type 1 fonts.
Anyone still using Type 1 fonts should look for a suitable replacement in good time. Adobe describes the effects of no longer supporting Type 1 fonts in their apps as Type 1 fonts not appearing in the font menu, there being no way to use previously installed Type 1 fonts, and existing Type 1 fonts appearing as "Missing font" in the document. This should look similar for other Windows apps in the near future.
(dmk)