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New FontSafe plugin now available

FontSafe icon

FontSafe is a plugin for Adobe Illustrator that can store a document’s font files embedded inside of the document itself. When the Illustrator document is opened again at some other time or place, the needed fonts can be extracted, so they will always be available. Most users will first think of this as a prepress utility to package the fonts prior to delivering the document to a printer for output, but it can be equally useful for preparing a file for archiving. When reopened for repurposing years later, fonts may no longer be installed on the computer the document was created on, and specialty fonts may no longer be available anywhere!

Unlike Adobe Illustrator’s native Package function, it even works with most Asian fonts!

Fonts can be embedded automatically every time you save your document, or manually added as needed.

FontSafe panelFonts are extracted as a zip archive in the same directory as your Illustrator document. You can optionally require a password to extract the font archive.

This is an update to FontSafe from Worker72a, now available for Windows and Apple M-series processors. Evaluate the full version with 500 free trial uses, or use it in extract-only mode for free. Licenses start at $20 and is on sale for half price through May 2023.

Download it here for Mac or Windows, Illustrator CC 2019 through 2023. For more information, see the FontSafe documentation.

Tag72a adds user scripts for document events

Tag72a settings

It seems that everyone running Tag72a needs something unique in their document information reporting. The settings panel has grown considerably trying to address as many user requests as possible, but along with flexibility comes the appearance of complexity!

One more preference has now been added, however, that should serve the purpose of countless additional items: the option to automatically run user scripts along with its own updates.

Why would you want to run a custom script? Well, for example:

  • Reformat a date to any of the many alternatives to the two formats in Tag72a.
  • Parse a filename to derive additional information such as version, language, region.
  • Re-order the spot color list so that certain colors are always shown first.

Simply check the “Run user scripts” option and Tag72a will look for and run any found scripts by these names.

  • Tag72a_doc_opened
  • Tag72a_doc_changed
  • Tag72a_doc_print
  • Tag72a_doc_save
  • Tag72a_doc_save_copy_as
  • Tag72a_update
  • Tag72a_every_event

You only need to use the script (or scripts) that are relevant to you. Some things to keep in mind are:

  • Doc Changed event happens every time a user switches from one document to another, including when a new document is opened or sometimes when a document is closed. You may not want to use both Doc Opened and Doc Changed events if one or the other does what you want. If both Doc Opened and Doc Changed run, it is not a bug, because Adobe Illustrator signals to the plugin that both events took place.
  • Doc Print and Doc Save happen just before the actual save or print takes place.
  • Doc Save Copy As happens just after you have saved a copy as, which enables the data to be updated from the saved version back to the currently-open version.
  • Update happens only when you click the Update button in the panel.
  • Every Event happens right after any of the other scripts runs, and works for all events regardless of what other scripts are there. You may want to put some scripting in Every Event and other scripting in specific events, depending on your needs.
  • All scripts run after Tag72a makes its own updates.
  • Your scripts may need to check the contents of the document to determine whether the script needs to run, because another event may have just run the script. Then again, it may not hurt anything if your script happens to run twice.

You can use either AppleScript or JavaScript. The plugin will run whichever version of the script Adobe Illustrator added to its Scripts menu.

If you write a custom script for one or more of these events, please share your idea with other users!

Worker72a Locked or Hidden detector now available

Locked or HiddenThe Locked or Hidden Detector (LorH) is now available in the Worker72a collection. This plugin for Adobe Illustrator scans your documents for art objects that are locked or hidden. You can run it with a menu selection or set it to automatically scan every document you open.

This update now runs under Windows and on Apple’s new M1-series processors. You can download it and evaluate it with 500 free trial uses.

Worker72a Text Overflow Alert now available

wopdThe second Worker72a plugin is now available here. When Text Overflow Alert is installed, it automatically scans all  documents when opened for text frames or text paths with overflowed text, and selects it for you to inspect and edit as needed. You can read more about it on its product page or follow upcoming Worker 72a plugins on the Worker72a download page.

The plugin is on sale through August 2022, with prices as low as $3.00 for an individual license.

Look for more Worker72a plugins in the near future.

Worker72a plugins now part of Graffix

Worker 72a

Worker72a is now part of the Graffix family of Adobe Illustrator plugins

Doug Habben has been writing Adobe Illustrator plugins for a couple of decades, and in 2006 began offering them to the public under the banner of Worker72a. Doug and I have been in touch for many years, trading tips as fellow part-time plugin developers. After several years of retirement from his day job, Doug decided to retire from his own business, as well, and contacted me about handling and maintaining his plugins going forward. We obviously reached an agreement and for the first time, Worker72a plugins will be available for Windows, and also run natively on the new Apple M1 processors.

wopdThe first of Doug’s plugins to migrate over is White Overprint Detector. When installed, it automatically scans all opened documents for text or path art with white overprinting strokes or fills, and selects it for you to inspect and edit as needed. You can read more about it on its product page or follow upcoming Worker 72a plugins on the Worker72a download page.

The plugin is on sale through August 2022, with prices as low as $3.00 for an individual license.

Best wishes to Doug in his “other” retirement!