In Adobe InDesign, glitches appear in both static files and the variable version—across instances as well as master designs.
I’ve tried TrueType rendering, quadratic curves, Em 2000, increasing the axis range—nothing fully fixed it. Even the intermediate trick (shown in the image, created in the same location as the glitch in InDesign) ends up displaying like this after export.
I know InDesign isn’t ideal for testing, but I still need it to render correctly there. I’ve also tried adding inflections based on other posts here, but in this shape it doesn’t make any difference.
I’m trying to test the behavior from a user/buyer perspective, and they won’t be using the Adobe fonts folder, I assume?**
Unfortunetly, this method stopped working at some point, even though the path is correct. I think it happened when I got a new mac, updated the system, or after an Adobe update, not sure. The system font folder then started behaving like the Adobe one used to—it updates automatically even when the app is open, so it is the latest version of the font.
I went through the instructions and realized I had linked the wrong folder—it wasn’t the root one. Thanks for that.
However, it didn’t fix the glitch, which I expected, because a colleague encountered the same issue on a different computer as a regular user, not as a developer with multiple versions.
When converting the text to outlines in InDesign, you can see that three points are created in that spot instead of one.
Please, do you have any idea what might be causing this?
Or would you mind taking a look at the file please?
Use the plugin “Shoe Angled Handles”. You’ll probably find that you’re using large handles (their vectors intersect on at least one of the handle lines). That creates implied inflections, which provoke extra points during TrueType conversion.
If you want, you can send me the file in a private message and I’ll take a look.
Sebastian: Thanks — I always use Show Angled Handles, but I’ve never seen it cause a glitch, even though I’ve ignored some warnings before. Thanks a lot for the explanation, that’s exactly what I needed. The glitch has almost disappeared, but there’s still a spot where a straight segment remains broken. I’ll test it more thoroughly, and if I can’t resolve it, I’ll send the file in a private message.
Georg: Thanks a lot. I use Grid Spacing: 1, Subdivision: 1, Em size: 2000, and it looks like I’m on the right track now. Is there anything in the font info that could affect this type of glitch?
Is the screenshot from an interpolation? Then you are running into what is kalled a kink.
A kink happens when all of the following are true:
The relative length of the handles changes between masters
The constellation consists of three or more points in a line
The angle of this line changes between masters
Eliminate one of these conditions and you won’t have a kink anymore. You can use the “Show Kinks” plugin that highlights affected nodes (in compatible masters).
There’s also a specialized Show Kinks plugin and in the mekkablue scripts, there’s a Kink Finder script for finding such situations in all of your glyphs.
