Troubleshooting
Five problems come up more than the rest, and each has a known cause and a direct fix. If yours is not here, Messages and warnings explains what every single message means.
A font will not upload, or will not show
Start with the file type: use a full desktop font ending in .ttf or .otf. Web font files (.woff, .woff2) usually miss letters, and "That is not a .ttf or .otf font file" means the file is something else.
If it says the file is too large, choose a smaller one; the message names the maximum.
"This font has no Unicode Arabic letters" means the font uses a private, non-Unicode encoding. Older fonts like that cannot be read, so try a Unicode Arabic font instead.
"We found Arabic letters, but could not read any letter shapes out of it" means the font stores its drawings in a way the app cannot open yet. Try a different file of the same font.
If the font uploaded but words look broken, open it and flip the Joining style between Flat (Naskh) and Cascading (Ruqʿah / Nastaliq). The app makes a best guess, and flipping it fixes a wrong guess.
If you saw the warning that the font draws whole words rather than single letters, it still works when you type, but editing one letter at a time is limited.
The export says the file is too large
"Too large for your browser to make as a picture" means the image you asked for is bigger than the browser can build in memory. Nothing is wrong with your design.
The quickest fix: open More options… and drop Resolution by one step. Output size shows you the new result before you download.
Or switch Format to SVG or PDF. Both are vector, have no size limit, and print at any size without going soft.
You can also put less into the file: choose Frame: Content instead of Artboard when there is a lot of empty page around the work, and leave Margin and Bleed at zero unless a print shop asked for them.
A picture is refused when you add it
This picture is too big: the file is over what your plan allows. Press Make it smaller for me and the app shrinks it, or Choose another picture.
"This picture has more detail than the app can put in a file": its pixel dimensions are huge. Accept the offer to shrink it.
"This kind of picture file can't be used as it is": the format is not supported directly, and the app offers to convert it for you.
"Even at its smallest this picture is …": shrinking will not save it. Reduce the picture on your device first, or start from a lighter one.
"That file couldn't be read as a picture": the file is damaged, or it is not an image at all.
Saving does not go through
"Couldn't save your changes, they're still on screen" means your work is not lost. Do not close the tab.
- Check your connection, then press Save in the top bar, or ⌘/Ctrl + S.
- If you see "This project exceeds your plan's size limit", the project is heavy: take out a large picture or a traced outline, then save.
- If you see Autosave paused, you are not allowed to save this project: press Save as copy and it becomes a project of your own.
- If saving keeps failing, get your work into a file right away (Export, or Download project in the Projects dialog) before trying anything else.
The trace comes out too detailed, or refuses to run
"This picture is too detailed to trace" means the picture is full of gradients and noise. Try the Photo preset, then raise Despeckle and Simplify and watch the live preview.
If the outline comes out with jagged edges, use Zigzag cleanup and Smoothing in the Edit Font Shape and Outline panel after tracing.
"This layer is locked, so it cannot be traced": unlock it in the Layers panel and try again.
"Tracing comes with a paid plan": the feature is not included on the free plan. If you are on a paid plan and see the monthly limit message instead, this month's counter is spent.
For the best result, start from a high-contrast picture with a clean background: black on white traces far better than a colourful photo.
If the problem stays
Refresh the page first. Most passing glitches go away with that.
Then try another browser or a private window, which tells you whether an extension in your browser is the cause.
If it still happens, write to us from your account email at [email protected] and tell us what you were doing and the exact message you saw.