FAQ: Multiple master fonts on OS X

Question

(This notice has been updated repeatedly to discuss: OS X 10.2, Adobe app bugs with 10.2 support, "cocoa" applications; Adobe phasing out MM font sales; Adobe discontinuing tech support for MM fonts. Last update: 23 Sep 2005.)
With versions 10.0 and 10.1, Mac OS X's native support for Type 1 and OpenType initially failed to include support for multiple master Type 1 fonts. This problem is fixed in OS X version 10.2 and later for applications using the "carbon" APIs, but not for applications using "cocoa" APIs. The two most common "cocoa" applications are TextEdit and Keynote.
Note that applications running in "Classic" mode are unaffected. They still need ATM for supporting Type 1 fonts, including multiple master fonts.
There is a workaround for some Adobe applications, such as InDesign 2, Illustrator 10 and Photoshop 7. You can rely on the native font imaging support in these applications, which is largely independent of the OS. Just put the fonts in the the Fonts folder in the application's folder, or the Application Support/Adobe/Fonts folder.
Additionally, the above-mentioned Adobe applications may have problems accessing all multiple master instances, when accessing the MM fonts which are installed at the system level, even in Mac OS X 10.2 and later. In some cases, this may be worked around by installing the fonts in the application's own fonts folder or the Application Support folder as described above.
PHASING OUT MULTIPLE MASTER FONTS
Adobe stopped making new MM and Type 1 fonts in 1999, and there is no equivalent to MM in the newer OpenType format. From late 2002 to mid 2003, Adobe phased out sales of multiple master fonts. As of this writing, they can only be bought from Adobe as part of Font Folio 9, which is still available for people who need compatibility with older fonts. The current version of Font Folio is Font Folio OpenType Edition, which shipped in August 2003.
At the end of 2004, Adobe stopped offering tech support for MM fonts, excepting for people with Font folio 9.

Answer 1

This inquiry is addressed to Thomas Phinney or any other font-savvy technician at Adobe. It relates to the very latest versions of the Mac OS (v.10.2.2) and Adobe Design applications (InDesign 2.0.1, Illustrator 10.0.3, Photoshop 7.0.1). It is about the use of Adobe's Multiple Master fonts. I was a big subscriber to the MM technology and have virtually all of the MM fonts Adobe issued. I have used them extensively in designs for the past four or five years. Now they have become problematic at best and Adobe has done precious little to keep MM fans informed regarding how to deal with the situation.
I have read every entry in this discussion thread and I still am unclear about where to install MM fonts and what the consequences might be. Furthermore, it took an hour of searching to find this thread. I am very disappointed in Adobe for not providing guidance on this issue in some very obvious, prominent place on their Web site.
As nearly as I can figure, the best place for MM fonts is in the Library>Application Support>Adobe>Fonts folder. Is this correct? And if it is, doesn't this mean that MM fonts will only be available to Adobe apps and therefore not be available to Xpress or Freehand or any other non-Adobe app?
And then I read that some MM instances still may not be available in Adobe apps and that "in some cases" this may be worked around by installing them in the applicaiton-specific fonts folder. Can they be installed in both locations at once? I don't think so. So do I now have to move MM fonts from folder to folder to insure performance? And what if I am working in all 3 Adobe apps at once (not at all uncommon)? What then?
Although this is the best advice I have been able to find so far and I thank you for it, it is still very "if-y." And very hard to come by. Adobe's behavior here is rather like the newspaper that makes a serious error on the front page and then prints an apology a week later on the bottom of an inside column on page 24 (or some other deep left-hand page), in 6 point type!!
The clear (although unstated) implication of this advice is that I should not expect font management programs (Suitcase, Font Reserve nor FontAgent Pro) to handle MM fonts. Is this correct? If it is, please state it clearly. This, of course means that MM fonts must always be active and will only appear in the font menus of Adobe applications (don't try to use them in Freehand or Xpress, let alone MS Word.) Does it not? And yet, most of my work is still done in Xpress, because most of my printers still aren't accepting InDesign files (most do not even have the app installed; hell, most are still running OS 9.)
Frankly, when I think of all the time and money that Adobe spent promoting the MM technology and all the money I (and many others) spent on MM fonts, I cannot help but feel betrayed by Adobe. Not for abandoning the technology (which I can accept as a matter settled in the marketplace), but for leaving high-and-dry we designers that bought into the technology and are now finding that not only does the new Mac OS have trouble with MM technology, but the Adobe design applicaitons for which it was intended also have trouble with it! What are we expected to do??? Will Adobe be issuing free postscript or OpenType versons of their MM fonts? No way! Or does Adobe expect us to convert all of our MM fonts to post script using a conversion utility (like TransType)? Yes, I rather suspect this is the route they would have us take.
Please do not reply to this inquiry (except to praise it, of course) unless you can speak for Adobe on the matter. Thank you.