ILLUST CS UPDATING LEGACY TEXT

[David_Gerrard@adobeforums.com]

MAC G4 - OS 10.3. Illustrator CS
Hi, does anyone know how to fix this problem?
If I open a file in Illustrator CS which had previously been created in Illustrator 10 I get a warning that the file was created in an earlier version of Illustrator and I need to update Legacy Text. (The two options are update or ignore) If I select ignore the file will open and the text in the job is not editable, if I choose update the file will open and the text will flow incorrectly. It is not a font issue, it is an Illustrator CS issue with older version files. Does anyone know how to overcome this? and what is legacy text?

Thanks in advance.
Regards
David

[Gary_Newman@adobeforums.com]

First thing you should do, David, is turn to the Illustrator forum list of topics, to the third item donw, "llustrator CS: Let's talk about the new text engine." There's a good explanation for what you're experiencing there.

Illustrator CS uses a more advanced text engine. When it encounters text, it uses this engine to apply custom kerning, leading and so on. Text that was set in earlier versions of AI (legacy text) is automatically converted to the new format.

When you open a legacy file in CS, you're given the option of converting or not. To not convert, click OK in the open dialog, and the text will retain its original formating, but won't be editable. If you need to edit it, it will have to happen in the new format. You can use the Legacy portion of the type menu to convert all the type in the document, or just selected blocks.

If the newly edited type must match the appearance of the old format, you can have Illustrator place a grayed-out copy of the old text in back of the new text. then you can use the kerning and spaing tools to adjust it to look like the old type, then delete the copies (also under the Type - Legacy menu).

Hope this helps.

[Doug_Katz@adobeforums.com]

Gary, I know if I click WITH THE TYPE TOOL on a Legacy type block, I'll get a
dialog with the option to place that gray copy behind. But is there another
way to do this?

Thanks.

[Gary_Newman@adobeforums.com]

I think that's the only way, Doug. Thanks for mentioning it when I inadvertantly left out that important tip. You'd think that one of the commands under Type - Legacy would be to Convert With Copy.