So you are trying to add and install a new font on your Mac (which worked fine on your Windows machine) but it is telling you that “problems may have been found with some fonts during validation” and that “a serious error was found” and “do not use this font“.
Some of the common errors I ran into were:
‘post’ table usability
‘cmap’ table usability
‘name’ table structure
Duplicate fonts
System Validation
The solution below is for a specific set of fonts that I needed to use but it should solve the problem for just about any TTF or OTF font that you are trying to use.
The specific problem fonts that I was trying to use are required for use with the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible AHLB which is a module for e-Sword. The fonts work fine on Windows but when I used Crossover to install e-Sword on my Mac, the AHLB module would not display its fonts correctly due to errors in the font files which would not allow the Mac to install the fonts properly. The fonts I was having problems with are:
ancheb.ttf
bsthebre.ttf
olbheb.ttf
semear.ttf
semlate.ttf
semmid.ttf
semmod.ttf
QUICK INSTRUCTIONS
For those of you that do not have a very long attention span, here are the quick instructions…
– Download and install CR8 Software Solutions free font editor for Mac (or Windows) called Type Light from here:
OLD LINK: https://www.cr8software.net/typex.html
NEW LINK: https://www.cr8software.net/typelight.html
– Open your problem ttf or otf font in the editor (choose File then Open).
– Choose Font then Rename Font then click RENAME button (without making any changes).
– Save your font (choose File then Save As).
– Try installing the font on your Mac by double-clicking it.
DONE!!
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1
Download the original AHLB fonts from Jeff Benner’s website here:
www.mechanical-translation.org/modules/ahlbfonts.zip
STEP 2
Unzip the files.
STEP 3
Download and install CR8 Software Solutions free font editor for Mac (or Windows) called Type Light from here:
OLD LINK: https://www.cr8software.net/typex.html
NEW LINK: https://www.cr8software.net/typelight.html
STEP 4
Open your problem ttf or otf font in the editor (choose File then Open).
STEP 5
Choose Font then Rename Font.
Make sure all three field names are the identical and have the same name. They should all say the same thing and be the proper name of the font as you want it to appear in your font list. For example when I went to rename the OLBHEB.TTF font, the Family Name and Full Name said OLBHEB but the Sub Family said Regular. So I changed the Sub Family to OLBHEB as well so that all three were the same.
STEP 6
Select Remove All Non-English Entries then click RENAME button and click YES to confirm the changes.
STEP 7
Save your font (choose File then Save As).
STEP 8
Try installing the font on your Mac by double-clicking it.
DONE!!
OR THE EASY WAY…
You can download the “fixed for Mac”AHLB fonts here:
ahlbfonts_fixed_for_mac.zip
Also here is AHLB.dctx module for e-Sword:
AHLB.dctx.zip
Sorry, I do not have an answer for you on that. Trial and error is the only thing I can suggest.
hey man, awesome tool! but i got a new problem…
i hav a regular font and a bold font and after saving mac font book is saying, that those fonts are the same despite all the edits i made… any clue on how to fix that? i went through the hole »font« menu ( Names…, Description…)
Crikey, I have no idea how much time you saved me but I had a feeling I was going to pull an all-nighter with this one. I may now sleep. Thanks!
awesome, thanks!
Amazing. Worked just perfectly and helped me endlessly.
Thank you!
This worked like a charm! I downloaded the free version of the Type software as suggested. Simple renaming and saving of the font based on the directions did the trick. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the tip but my fonts remain grayed out when I try to open them in this program. Is that a different problem?
great! Fixed some fonts with it!
wow thanks for this works well !!
Thank you. Worked perfectly!!
Thanks! Works like a charm!
You are a life saver!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!
Didn’t work for me 🙁 The new *.ttf file is destroyed/when I open the original file in Type it isn’t displayed correctly.. But when I open the original file in Font Book everything is fine
Hi Laura
After you have saved the font from typelight, you then can close typelight and then go to wherever you saved the font and double-click on the font file itself and it should ask if you want to install it.
Ignore my comment- your advice worked!!! Just had to open all over again. THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME!!
Ahh! I am still so frustrated. I get through everything except “now double the font to install it” -Where? I am not seeing any prompt like this when I’m in typelight. It just saves the font but never prompts with with an icon to install it. I’ve tried downloading this stupid font four times now.
You are a legend. This fix finally allowed me to install the open source font I need in on my MAC for Adobe Illustrator.
LIFE SAVER
This post helped me fix broken fonts from a client! I was able to fix them with the Typelight you linked. Thank you!
Can’t thank you enough—now my client’s .ttf font works on cs4 and cs6 (I used your quick fix for cs6)
—Amazing!!!! —so simple to use
i love you deeply and passionately for this little trick. PASSIONATELY.
thanks.
Wow!! Thank You for posting this. Works great!
I installed the fixed mac font, in Font book, I can see the ancient Hebrew fonts correctly, but when I type in Pages, I’m getting regular modern Hebrew letters for the Semitic Early font instead of the ancient pictographic letters.
Thank you, very helpful
I love you. thank you so much for this!
Life saver! Thank you so much! 🙂
Well….it kinda worked, I was able to install using the CR8 Software but some of the letters within the fonts were missing, my guess this is why you get the errors in the first place
Excellent fix – thank you!
This is really great info to know. Thank you for taking the time to write it up. I am sure that there are many others who have not taken the time to say thank you whose job you have secured for at least one more day, haha.
Thank you!
Thanks loads! I can’t believe there’s a solution to this–I’ve always just haven’t installed the fonts 🙁
You’re a lifesaver!!
In five minutes you’ve solved a problem I’ve been having for years. Thank you!
Hi !
Thanks a lot ! The only solution I find and it works !
I have a lot of fonts that have pb. Do you know a way to do it all in once ? With an another software maybe ?
Thanks !
@kendra – Did you try downloading the fonts I already fixed above ( http://www.iwebss.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ahlbfonts_fixed_for_mac.zip )?
When you download and unzip, and then click on the semear.ttf font, does it open up and display in the Font Book app?
Also, once you install the font, it shows up in font list as “Semitic Early” and not as “Semear”.
Hope that helps.
Hey, I just got the new mac book pro 2015 and I cannot get the semear.ttf to show up to save my life! I have tried everything you said several times and it still just shows up like regular letters “ABCD”. I even called iApp since I am working with keynote and they couldn’t help me. I tried converting the font even to an .otf and still nothing. I am at a loss what to do. Any suggestions?
This worked perfectly! Forever grateful, thank you.
Thanks for the tip! App worked as described.
This saved my life. Such a simple fix!
Thank you so much – worked perfectly!
That worked just as intended, thank you!!
This saved me a lot of frustration, thank you!
Thank you!
@james – You do not need to save it again as you already did the Save As.
Great! Just one thing. After hitting ‘Save As’ the program is still open. When I close it, I’m asked if I want to Save it. Do I save as well?
You R Great, Man 🙂
Awesome. You saved me!
Woo hoo, the simple instructions work perfectly! Thank you!
Thank you!!! I used the “quick instructions,” and they worked perfectly! I had gotten so frustrated going through various webpages trying to follow instructions people suggested with nothing fixing my problem. This was all I needed!
Thanks so much for posting this. It was extremely helpful. You’re awesome!
Excellent, I’ve been searching for this fix for a long time now.
Top job
Thanks
Excellent, I’ve been search for this fix for a long time now.
Top job
Dude you are a legend. It actually works for 3 fonts I downloaded!
Thank you so much for posting this. I came across it after googling the error.
You’re a hero man. Guys like you helping out the common folk are heroes.
Take care and hope you succeed in your ventures.
Worked perfectly for RealMadridFont2014 on OSX 10.9.2.
Many thanks
Great tip! Worked perfectly! Thank you!
@sasha – Sorry it does not work for you. I unfortunately cannot offer any more hints than what I posted.
Hello. I tried your detailed instructions for a ‘name’ table structure error message, and still cannot get the font (Agent Orange.TTF) to show up in Word. Any more tips?
Excellent Tip, thank you for posting it.
You made my day !