# Helvetica font in FileMaker Pro **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions\ **Tags:** web-fonts\ **Created:** [April 8, 2021, 1:39pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004 "2021-04-08T13:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![calculu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@calculu](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/calculu)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 1:39pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/1 "2021-04-08T13:39:16Z")
Please can someone tell me what I am missing? I have Helvetica installed on my Windows, but it deosn't show up in the Font Menu in FileMaker Pro. ---
**Author:** ![jormond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/35a633/32.png) [@jormond](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/jormond)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/2 "2021-04-08T15:06:16Z")
What version of FileMaker? ---
**Author:** ![calculu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@calculu](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/calculu)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/3 "2021-04-08T15:18:47Z")
15 Advanced ---
**Author:** ![MonkeybreadSoftware](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/monkeybreadsoftware/32/361_2.png) [@MonkeybreadSoftware](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/MonkeybreadSoftware)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/4 "2021-04-08T15:26:24Z")
You restarted FileMaker? ---
**Author:** ![mipiano](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/mipiano/32/1074_2.png) [@mipiano](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/mipiano)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/5 "2021-04-08T15:45:10Z")
How was the font installed? For example, if you have Adobe Creative Cloud or Adobe Creative Suite installed and the font is in the InDesign font folder, then it will only be available in InDesign. I think some other programs handle it the same way. The font must be in the general font folder of the system to be available to all programs. ---
**Author:** ![cheesus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/cheesus/32/182_2.png) [@cheesus](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/cheesus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 8:30am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/6 "2021-04-09T08:30:56Z")
My experience is, that TTF Fonts work, OTF Fonts don't. That might have changed in the past but it could be the reason for your problem. ---
**Author:** ![mipiano](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/mipiano/32/1074_2.png) [@mipiano](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/mipiano)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 9:47am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/7 "2021-04-09T09:47:29Z")
@cheesus OTF should not be a problem per se. There are 2 types of OTF fonts: TrueType based and PostScript flavoured. Some older PostScript flavoured OTF fonts don’t work properly but at least should be displayed in the font list of available fonts. What definitely causes problems are in the newer OS versions old Type1 fonts. I would really like to know where the Helvetica font is installed. Is it in the general font folder? If yes – does it work proberly in other applications? If it’s not there – in which application the font works? Then you have to find the place where the font is installed and move it to the general font folder. Otherwise the font could also be corrupted (or broken – what is the better phrase?). ---
**Author:** ![calculu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@calculu](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/calculu)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/8 "2021-04-09T13:29:52Z")
So far I have learned from #cheesus and #mipiano, that there could possibly be four types of fonts (correct me if I'm wrong): TTF Fonts - TrueType OTF Font - 'old' Type1 fonts, which are incompatible with current OS OTF Font - 'current' Type1 fonts. OTF Font - PostScript flavoured. According to the IT Support guy where I work: "Sometimes a font is packaged for the use of a specific application. The likelihood is that it is not compatible with FileMaker. We can try to install the Helvetica Font for FilMaker Pro 15, but you need to source the download." ---
**Author:** ![mipiano](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/mipiano/32/1074_2.png) [@mipiano](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/mipiano)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 1:35pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/9 "2021-04-09T13:35:05Z")
Almost right! There are no Type1 OpenType fonts. Type1 was the old PostScript font format. The Type1 fonts consisted of 2 files. The new OTF fonts consist of only one file. ---
**Author:** ![harvest](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/harvest/32/231_2.png) [@harvest](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/harvest)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 1:35pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/10 "2021-04-09T13:35:10Z")
> [@calculu](#): > > TTF Fonts - TrueType > OTF Font - 'old' Type1 fonts, which are incompatible with current OS > OTF Font - 'current' Type1 fonts. > > OTF Font - PostScript flavoured. OTF 'old' Type1 and OTF 'current' Type1 are both PostScript based There ist a catagory of OTF Fonts based on TTF or TrueType fonts, those should work ---
**Author:** ![mipiano](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/mipiano/32/1074_2.png) [@mipiano](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/mipiano)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/11 "2021-04-09T13:42:21Z")
@calculu In which application on your PC you can use the Helvetica font? Perhaps we can find out which way to go. ---
**Author:** ![mipiano](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/mipiano/32/1074_2.png) [@mipiano](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/mipiano)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/12 "2021-04-09T13:47:58Z")
@calculu Next question: How important is it to you to actually use Helvetica? On Windows PCs, Arial is one of the default fonts. On the Mac, Helvetica. These two fonts don't look identical, but they are VERY close. Only typographically savvy people can tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![calculu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@calculu](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/calculu)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/13 "2021-04-09T14:01:12Z")
The Helvetica Font is only available on OutLook. ---
**Author:** ![calculu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@calculu](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/calculu)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/14 "2021-04-09T14:02:15Z")
If Arial is quite similar to Helvetica, this means that my problem of finding the Helvetica for use on FileMaker Pro 15 for Windows is nearly solved. What I now need to know is this: Which font is best suited for adapting an existing Layout for Online use (i.e. web browsers) ---
**Author:** ![mipiano](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/mipiano/32/1074_2.png) [@mipiano](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/mipiano)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/helvetica-font-in-filemaker-pro/2004/15 "2021-04-09T14:05:54Z")
Then use Arial! Every Windows PC has it. On Mac automatically Helvetica is used! When designing the layouts, please make sure that the text frames do not end too close to the text, e.g. in the case of field labels, so that everything can be seen cleanly on all platforms.