Section 06 | Symbols & Special Characters

Symbols and special characters are useful in many text applications. These symbols and characters are typically those not found in the English language. They are very useful for writing in different languages, creating math equations, using different currency symbols and more. However, these symbols and special characters may not be accessible if not created properly.

For example, an alpha (α) in a formula could be coded in various ways:

• The Unicode character U+03B1.
• A simple “a” in a Greek font (α).
• A vector graphic unassociated with the corresponding character belonging to ASCII or Unicode.

This could lead to different results when hypothetically searching for “alpha” in a given document. In the first case, it would be found easily. In the second case, a search would stop at every single “a” instead. In the third case, the search wouldn’t produce a single match, as the character in question would be a graphic.

In this section, GlobalVision describes how to create symbols and special characters to easily access them.

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6.1 Create symbols and special characters in Microsoft Word

RISK
The PDF file integrity may become compromised.
ISSUES
The incorrect Unicode representation of a symbol may be used if symbols are not inserted using the symbol dialog box.
EXAMPLE

SOLUTION
Do:
✓ Use the symbol function to create symbols and special characters.
✓ Standardize on the method used to create symbols and special characters.

Don’t:
✗ Use the keyboard to create symbols in Microsoft Word.
✗ Copy and paste symbols from PDF documents.
✗ Use graphics/ images as symbols.

TIPS
The following steps detail how to identify Unicode characters in Microsoft Word on a PC:

• Select the desired character.
• Press ALT+X when text is highlighted to display the corresponding Unicode value.

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6.2 Create symbols and special characters in design programs

RISK
The PDF file integrity may become compromised.

ISSUE
Graphic artists sometimes use the wrong symbols for apostrophes, quotation marks, and unit values. As a result, the artwork PDF may contain incorrect Unicode values.

EXAMPLE

SOLUTION
Do:
Create an asset inventory.
✓ Use the symbol function to create symbols and special characters.
✓ Standardize on the method used to create symbols and special characters.

Don’t:
✗ Use the keyboard to create symbols in design applications.
✗ Copy and paste symbols from PDF documents.
✗ Use graphics/ images as symbols.

TIPS
The following steps detail how to identify Unicode characters in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign:

• Select the desired character.
• Go to the Type menu and select Glyphs to display the corresponding Unicode value.

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6.3 Standardize on symbols and characters

RISK
Inconsistencies may appear in different documents.

ISSUES
Special characters such as bullets, trademarks, quotation marks, and apostrophes have many variations. Each variation is represented by a different “code” (see Section 4 Unicode Standard).

EXAMPLE

SOLUTION
Do:
✓ Standardize on a list of symbols and special characters.
✓ Use the symbol function or symbol palette to create symbols and special characters.
✓ Standardize on the method used to create symbols and special characters.

Don’t:
✗ Use the keyboard to create symbols in Microsoft Word.
✗Copy and paste symbols from PDF documents.
✗ Use graphics/ images as symbols.

TIPS
The followings tools may be used to help standardize on symbols and characters:

• Symbol Palette in Microsoft Word.
• Glyph Palette in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.

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6.4 Manage hyphens in artwork files

RISKS
Inconsistencies may appear in different documents and from artwork file to artwork file.

ISSUE
Hyphens may be created in multiple ways. Each variation is represented by a different “code” (see Section 4 Unicode Standard).

EXAMPLE

SOLUTION
Do:
✓ Use the same hyphenation set-up for both the Master and Sample files.
✓ Use soft hyphens in the same word location, in both the Master and Sample files.
✓ Use the same auto-hyphenation mode (ON or OFF) in both the Master and Sample files.

Don’t:
✗ Turn on the Hyphenation feature in just the Master or just the Sample files.
✗ Use soft hyphens in only the Master or only the Sample files.
✗ Use a minus sign to hyphenate.

TIPS
The following steps detail how to create a soft hyphen:
Adobe Indesign:

• Go to Type and select Insert Special Character.
• Select Discretionary Hyphen from Hyphens and Dashes.

Microsoft Word:

• Click where you would like to insert a soft hyphen.
• In the Symbol dialog box, select the Special Characters tab and insert the Optional Break.

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6.5 Manage ligatures in artwork files

RISKS
Unwanted ligatures may be detected on the final approved materials by the proofreading software.

ISSUE
The proofreading software may detect invalid ligatures.

EXAMPLE

SOLUTION
Do:
✓ Turn Ligatures OFF for standard fonts.
✓ Use extended OpenType fonts if ligatures are required.
✓ Use the same setting in both the Master and Sample file (Ligatures ON or OFF).

Don’t:
✗ Use Ligatures in the document if not required.
✗ Set Ligatures to ON for standard fonts.

TIPS
The following steps describe how to turn Ligatures ON or OFF:
Adobe Illustrator:

• Go to Window and select Type.
• Select OpenType and turn Ligatures ON or OFF.

Adobe Indesign:

• Turn Ligatures OFF or ON in the drop-down menu of the Character panel.

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