Font and Glyph Troubleshooting
Overview
This entry is intended to address the following issues with fonts:
The font is missing in Silhouette Studio (from the Fonts folder of the Library and/or the Text Style font list) The font has a blank thumbnail image in the Library OR the font appears in the Library but not in the Text Style font list Can't access Glyphs
Please click on the corresponding section below for the issue in question.
Click here for general information on fonts and glyphs or for steps on how to install fonts.
1. Font Missing in Silhouette Studio
Font is from the Silhouette Design Store
Click here for steps to ensure all of your purchased content from the Silhouette Design Store is downloaded to your Silhouette Studio Library.
If continued concerns are encountered:
Close Silhouette Studio Install the latest version of Silhouette Studio Restart Silhouette Studio Go to the Library tab Make sure you are signed into your Silhouette account where the font or other content was purchased Click on the Sync button in the lower left-hand corner Click on the Fonts folder Attempt to locate your font
* Also see notes below if you cannot locate your installed font.
Font is from Another Source
If the font was purchased or downloaded from a 3rd party source (not from the Silhouette Design Store), please note that only fonts from the Design Store will be found in your Library. All other fonts will simply be listed in the Text Style tool, or as an option in the font style drop-down list as you are using the font tool.
You will need to ensure the font is fully installed on the computer. Silhouette Studio can only find and display True Type (.ttf) or Open Type (.otf) fonts that are installed on your computer.
To manually install a font to your computer for use with Silhouette Studio and other software programs, please do the following:
Windows/PC:
Close Silhouette Studio Locate your font file
NOTE: If downloaded from another source, it is usually found in your computer's default download location, unless you specifically saved it somewhere else Extract the font file (if zipped) or open the folder (if the font file is in a folder) Double-click on the font file A font management window will open Select the Install option in the upper-left of the window The Install button will turn grey, indicating that the font has been installed
MAC:
Close Silhouette Studio Locate your font file
NOTE: If downloaded from another source, it is usually found in your computer's default download location, unless you specifically saved it somewhere else Open the downloaded folder (if the font file is in a folder) Double-click on the font file A font management window will open Select the Install option in the lower-right of the window The font management window will close, indicating that the font has been installed
Alternately, the following may be performed on a Mac:
Close Silhouette Studio Open the Applications folder Open the Font Book app Go to the File menu Select Add Fonts Select a font or a folder containing multiple fonts Click Open to install the font(s)
* Also see notes below if you cannot locate your installed font.
* NOTE: When looking for fonts, please note that fonts names listed in your Library or under the Text Style list may differ from the name displayed than in the Design Store. For example, the initials of the artist may be at the front of the font name causing the font to be listed differently than expected (i.e. Jersey Font, by Lori Whitlock, appears in the Text Style font list as LW Jersey).
Also, please keep in mind that some fonts may be contained within a font family. This means that they will be listed as a style option once the main font name is selected within the Text Style panel. If the font is from a font family (where there are variations of the same font family name), please locate the main parent font name in the Text Style font list. Once you have selected the main font name, you can then locate alternate font options. These will be available by clicking on the drop-down arrow next to the B I U options.
2. Font Thumbnail Blank OR Font in Library but Not Available in Text Style Options
If the font is found in the Library BUT: a) the thumbnail is blank OR b) the font is not found under the Text Style options, please perform the following steps:
Open Silhouette Studio Go to the Library Go to the My Fonts section Right-click on the font name Select the Install option Close Silhouette Studio Click OK if prompted to Install Fonts Re-open Silhouette Studio
Please note that these steps will only work for fonts downloaded from the Silhouette Design Store.
If the font was purchased or downloaded from a 3rd party source (not from the Silhouette Design Store), please note that only fonts from the Design Store will be found in your Library. All other fonts will simply be listed in the Text Style tool, or as an option in the font style drop-down list as you are using the font tool.
Additional Troubleshooting - PC
If the above troubleshooting fails on a PC, then the issue may be related to your computer now allowing proper permissions to Silhouette Studio. If this is the case, please do the following:
Close Silhouette Studio Press the Windows key and R key simultaneously Type in %programfiles(x86)% Press Enter Right-click on the Silhouette America folder If a Silhouette America folder is not present, right click on Silhouette Studio folder Select the Properties option Select the Security tab Select the Advanced Button (If Present) Select the Change Permissions button and provide authorization Check the box entitled "Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object" Select Yes on the Windows Security pop-up Select Okay Open Silhouette Studio Locate your font
Additional Troubleshooting - Mac
If the font is showing in the library, please first follow these steps to force the font installation:
Open Silhouette Studio Go to the Library Go to the Fonts folder Right-click on the font name Select the Install option Close Silhouette Studio Click OK on the prompt to Install Fonts Re-open Silhouette Studio
Please note that these steps will only work for fonts downloaded from the Silhouette Design Store. If the font was purchased or downloaded from a 3rd party source (not from the Silhouette Design Store), please note that only fonts from the Design Store will be found in your Library. All other fonts will simply be listed in the Text Style tool, or as an option in the font style drop-down list as you are using the font tool.
If the above troubleshooting fails on a Mac, then the issue may be related to your computer now allowing proper permissions to Silhouette Studio. If this is the case, please do the following:
Close Silhouette Studio Open the Finder Press CMD+SHIFT+G Type in /library Press GO Right-click (CTRL+Click) on the FONTS folder Select GET INFO from the drop-down menu Scroll to the bottom of the Get Info window Select the LOCK at the bottom of the Get Info window If requested, enter the computer administrative user name and password Select the + near bottom of the Sharing & Permissions section Select your User Name Click on the SELECT button Change the permissions associated with your newly added user to READ AND WRITE Select the LOCK at the bottom of the Get Info window Re-open Silhouette Studio
3. Can't Access Glyphs in Silhouette Studio
In order to make access to special characters and glyphs easier, the Designer Edition software upgrade provides a special Glyphs feature. Click here for more information on this feature.
If you are using the Basic version of Silhouette Studio, or if the font glyphs cannot be seen in your glyphs panel*, you can access these characters using the standard operating system Character Map on your computer.
*At present, Silhouette Studio does not support all available glyph libraries utilized by font creators, however the above steps will allow access to all available glyph libraries.
To access glyphs manually using the Character Map on your computer:
PC/Windows
Press the Windows key and R key simultaneously Type in charmap and press Enter The Character Map window will appear In the Font drop-down, navigate to the desired font Check the box next to Advanced View In the Group by drop-down, navigate to Unicode Subrange The Group By window will pop up next to the Character Map window Scroll to the bottom of the Group By window and select Private Use Characters. All available glyphs should now be displayed in the Character Map. In the Font box, click the font you want to use. Click the special character that you want to insert, click Select, and then click Copy Open Silhouette Studio Go to the Edit menu and click Paste Adjust your font style as desired
Mac
Open the Finder Open the Applications option Open the Font Book application Select the View Menu Select the Repertoire option Find the font and character you wish to use Click to select the desired character Press Command + c to copy Open Silhouette Studio Go to the Edit menu and click Paste Adjust your font style as desired
Your text should show up after following these steps. If it does not, please note that there is a limitation to how much the Silhouette Studio program can accept being pasted at one time. You may need to copy and paste smaller strings of text rather than a larger section of text all at once.