Nothing is more annoying than a book in which the text looks different from what you intended: another typeface, shifted lines, strange characters. Embedding fonts prevents that: you package the fonts inside the PDF file, so that everyone — the printing press included — sees exactly what you designed.
Why embedding fonts matters
If a font is not embedded, the printer uses a substitute typeface. Lines can then shift, text can become longer or shorter and your layout falls apart. Embedded fonts travel along inside the file, so that everything stays exactly as you made it.
How to embed fonts
- Export to PDF/X and fonts are embedded automatically.
- Check in the PDF properties whether all fonts are listed as “embedded”.
- If necessary, convert text to outlines when embedding will not work.
- Do not use exotic fonts without the right licence.
Checking
In many PDF programs you can see under “Document properties → Fonts” whether everything is embedded. Not sure? Send your file in and we will check the fonts before printing.
In that overview, also look at the type. If a font is followed by “Type 1” or “TrueType” with the addition embedded subset, you are fine. If you see a name without that addition, or a system font like Helvetica that you never chose yourself, your program has quietly substituted something. That is the moment to go back to your source file, not to press on.
Common problems with fonts
- A licence that blocks embedding. Some purchased or free fonts do not allow embedding. Your PDF is then created without that font and the text shifts. In that case choose an alternative font with a more generous licence.
- Fake bold and fake italic. If you set a regular font to bold with a button in the layout, that bold variant does not really exist and the printer calculates it itself. Always use the real bold or italic from the font family.
- Subsetting that goes too far. A subset contains only the characters used. That is fine, but if you want a correction made later, the letters you had not yet used are missing.
- Fonts in a placed logo. An EPS or PDF logo that you place brings its own fonts with it. Ask your designer for a version with the lettering converted to outlines.
Another common mistake: text laid out in a word processor and exported directly as PDF does not always carry all fonts across correctly. So preferably work in professional layout software and export to PDF/X; your fonts are then neatly embedded and you run no risk at the printing stage.
If embedding does not work: converting to outlines
If embedding fails, there is a way out: convert the text to letter outlines. The letters then become shapes instead of text, and no font is needed any more to display them correctly. Only do this on the cover or on separate title pages, never on your whole book block. Converted text is no longer searchable or selectable, and can no longer be corrected without going back to your source file.
So always keep your original document. Supply the PDF with embedded fonts if you can, and use outlines as an emergency solution for that one font that refuses. Not sure whether your file is right? Feel free to send it in: our file check looks at it free of charge before anything is printed.
Checking that embedding fonts worked
After exporting, open your PDF and check the document properties: most readers list the fonts used and state whether each one is embedded or subset. Either is fine for print; what you do not want to see is a font listed without that note. If a typeface refuses to embed, it usually carries a licence that forbids it, and the fix is to convert that text to outlines before exporting. Adobe covers the export settings in its guide to PDF export, and supplying as PDF/X, the standard maintained by the PDF Association, makes embedding fonts mandatory rather than optional.
Frequently asked questions about embedding fonts in a PDF
What happens if I do not embed fonts?
The device that opens the PDF may choose a substitute font, which makes your text shift or look different from what you intended.
Is converting to outlines the same thing?
Almost. With outlines, text is stored as a shape instead of as a font. The result is identical, but the text is then no longer editable or searchable.
Does PDF/X embed fonts automatically?
Yes. That is why we recommend PDF/X for print: it enforces the embedding of fonts.