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PostScript Type 1 fonts do not display in Universal Type Client 7 for Mac

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Jay
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Issue

When I activate Postscript Type 1 fonts, they do not appear in application menus. I see strange characters and blank lines when I switch between Type 1 fonts and fonts in other formats.

Environment

This issue happens in all supported versions of Universal Type Client on Mac OS 10.11 and later.

Solution

Stop the Type Core in Universal Type Client and place a configuration file to change the location of the client datastore to the user’s home folder.

To stop the Type Core:

  1. Open Universal Type Client.
  2. Choose Universal Type Client > Preferences.
  3. Click on the Type Core tab, then click Stop Type Core. Universal Type Client will close.

You can download a client configuration file from: https://cs.extensis.com/font/uts/com.extensis.UniversalTypeClient.conf

Copy the configuration file to /Library/Preferences/.

NOTE: If you already use a client configuration file, you can add the following line to the configuration file:

vault.location=home

Moving the client datastore

To move the client datastore, go to the /Library/Extensis/UTC/ folder. The client datastore folders in the UTC folder use the user ID of the Mac OS account. If there is more than one folder, you can find the client datastore that matches your user ID.

  1. Open the Terminal application
  2. Enter the following command and press Return:
    open /Library/Extensis/UTC/`id -u`

Move the UniversalType.typecache to the Desktop.

Open your user Library folder; if there is no Extensis folder, create one. Open the Extensis folder and create a UTC folder. Move the UniversalType.typecache from the Desktop into the UTC folder.

NOTE: In Mac OS X 10.7 and later the user’s Library folder is not visible in the Finder. To reach the Library folder, hold down the Option key and choose Go > Library.

The Library menu option in the Go menu is highlighted

Selecting “Library” takes you to the user’s Library folder.

Once you have moved the client datastore into the user’s Library folder, open Universal Type Client. Your fonts and sets should appear as before.

Cause

Changes in macOS to improve security and stability cause display issues with Postscript Type 1 fonts. This can happen regardless of whether the fonts are in an operating system font folder, or provided through a font manager such as Universal Type Client.

NOTE: This workaround moves the client datastore to the user’s home folder, which avoids the problem in most cases. Older and damaged Type 1 fonts may still have problems with activation and display in applications.

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