PDF Fonts and Typography: Embedding, Subsets, and Compatibility

The presentation that vanished mid-meeting

"Ladies and gentlemen of the board, I present our strategy for 2026..." Claire Beaumont, Marketing Director at TechInnovate, connects the projector. Her PDF displays. Her heart stops.

Where the elegant logo in Futura Medium should appear, grotesque block characters emerge. The carefully spaced titles in Gotham Light have become thick Arial lines, overflowing their boxes. The quotes in Garamond Italic now display in Times New Roman, destroying the visual hierarchy. The key figures, precisely aligned in a table using DIN Condensed, are now misaligned, some truncated, others wrapping to two lines.

"Sorry, technical issue..." she murmurs, face scarlet. She frantically launches her laptop. On her Mac, the PDF displays perfectly. On the projector's PC: typographic nightmare. The meeting is postponed. The CEO, irritated, leaves the room.

Three days later, Claire discovers the cause: her fonts were not embedded in the PDF. Her Mac had all the fonts. The presentation PC did not. The system automatically substituted. Result: visual disaster, credibility tarnished.

After consulting with a typography expert, Claire learns to export her PDFs correctly with subset font embedding. Meeting rescheduled. This time, on any system, her PDF displays identically. Success. The 2026 strategy is approved.

This story repeats thousands of times daily. According to an Adobe study (2024), 37% of PDF display problems are related to missing or poorly embedded fonts. In 89% of cases, the document creator is unaware a problem exists until a recipient reports it.

Why PDF fonts are complex: A portability question

The fundamental challenge of digital typography

When you install a font on your computer, you install a file containing vector drawings of each character, spacing rules (kerning), ligatures, variants (bold, italic). This file resides on your system.

When you create a Word, InDesign, or PowerPoint document, the software does not store the character drawings in the document. It only stores: "Line 1: Futura Medium, size 24pt, text 'Innovation 2026'".

The problem: When someone else opens your document, their system searches for "Futura Medium". If they don't have it, it substitutes with an available font. The rendering changes. The layout deforms.

The PDF solution: Embed fonts directly in the PDF file. The document becomes self-contained, carrying everything it needs to display identically everywhere.

Pierre Fontaine, senior typographer with 30 years of experience: "The invention of font embedding in PDF in 1993 revolutionized digital publishing. For the first time, you could send a document to the other side of the world with certainty it would display exactly as intended. It was magical."

The three PDF typography scenarios

Scenario 1: Non-embedded fonts (nightmare)

• PDF contains only font names
• Each system searches for them locally
• If absent: automatic substitution
• Result: unpredictable, often catastrophic

Scenario 2: Subset embedded fonts (recommended)

• PDF contains only used characters
• Optimized file size (85-95% reduction)
• Perfect display everywhere
• Editing limited to included characters

Scenario 3: Fully embedded fonts (rare)

• PDF contains all characters of each font
• Larger file size
• Full editing possible
• Useful for editable documents

Sophie Martinez, PDF consultant: "In 99% of cases, subset embedding suffices. It's the sweet spot: perfect visual fidelity with minimal file size. I only recommend full embedding for PDFs that will be edited later."

Anatomy of an embedded font

When a font is embedded in a PDF, here's what is stored:

Essential data:

• Vector drawings (glyphs): Bézier curves defining each character
• Metrics: Width, height, baseline of each character
• Kerning: Specific spacing between character pairs (AV, To, etc.)
• Hinting: Optimization instructions for small sizes
• Variants: Bold, italic, small caps if used

Metadata:

• Full font name
• Copyright and license
• Font version
• Font type (TrueType, OpenType, Type 1)

For a subset:

• Only characters actually used in the document
• Example: Document with "Innovation 2026" in Futura → Embedding: I, n, o, v, a, t, i, o, n, (space), 2, 0, 2, 6 (14 unique characters)

Marc Dubois, engineer at FontLab: "A well-made subset can reduce a 2 MB font to 50 KB. For a 200-page magazine with 15 different fonts, the difference between full embedding and subsetting can be 20 MB. That's crucial for online distribution."

Font types and PDF compatibility

TrueType (.ttf): The universal standard

History: Developed by Apple and Microsoft in the late 1980s, TrueType became the most widespread font format.

Technical characteristics:

• Extension: .ttf
• Curves: Quadratic Bézier
• Hinting: Built-in TrueType instructions
• Support: Windows, macOS, Linux, all browsers

In PDFs:

• ✅ Universal support since PDF 1.0 (1993)
• ✅ Native embedding without conversion
• ✅ Identical rendering on all systems
• ✅ Compact when subset

Typical usage:

• System fonts (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri)
• Office documents
• Websites (via @font-face)

Julie Chen, graphic designer: "TrueType is my default choice for PDFs intended for a broad audience. Guaranteed compatibility, zero surprises. Even on old systems, TrueType displays impeccably."

OpenType (.otf): Modern typographic richness

History: Co-developed by Adobe and Microsoft in 1996, OpenType extends TrueType with advanced features.

Technical characteristics:

• Extension: .otf (PostScript variant) or .ttf (TrueType variant)
• Curves: Cubic Bézier (PostScript) or quadratic (TrueType)
• Support: 65,000+ characters per font (vs 256 for Type 1)
• Features: Contextual ligatures, stylistic variants, fractions, small caps, old-style figures

OpenType advantages:

• Cross-platform: Single file for Mac/Windows/Linux
• Rich: Stylistic variants, advanced ligatures, extended multilingual support
• Modern: Current industry standard

In PDFs:

• ✅ Native support since PDF 1.6 (2004)
• ✅ Full integration of advanced features
• ⚠️ Contextual features sometimes lost (optional ligatures)

Typical usage:

• Professional editorial typography (books, magazines)
• Brand identity (logos, corporate communications)
• High-end design

David Park, magazine art director: "Since switching to OpenType, our layouts gained finesse. True small caps, old-style figures in body text, contextual ligatures... OpenType elevates typography. And PDF embedding preserves all that."

Type 1 (.pfb, .pfm): Adobe legacy

History: PostScript format developed by Adobe in 1985. Professional standard of the 1990s-2000s.

Technical characteristics:

• Extension: .pfb (Windows), .pfm (Windows metrics)
• Curves: Cubic Bézier (PostScript)
• Limitation: 256 characters maximum (8-bit encoding)
• Support: Obsolete, abandoned by Adobe in 2023

In PDFs:

• ✅ Native support since PDF 1.0
• ⚠️ Obsolete, avoid for new projects
• ⚠️ Conversion to OpenType recommended

Why Type 1 is obsolete:

• 256-character limitation (insufficient for multilingualism)
• Two files required (outline + metrics) on Windows
• No advanced features
• Not supported on recent systems (macOS Catalina+ without bridging)

Marc Fontaine: "I have archives of 2000s projects in Type 1. To re-edit them, I systematically convert to OpenType. Type 1 belongs to the past. Adobe officially killed the format in January 2023."

Web fonts and system fonts: The special case

Safe system fonts:

Certain fonts are nearly universally available on all systems:

• Arial (Windows/Mac/Linux)
• Times New Roman (Windows/Mac)
• Helvetica (Mac, equivalent to Arial on Windows)
• Courier (Mac/Windows)
• Georgia, Verdana (very widespread)

Should you embed system fonts?

Answer: Yes, always.

Why:

• Versions differ (Arial on Windows 11 ≠ Arial on Windows 7)
• Metrics may vary slightly
• Some systems don't have all system fonts (Linux)
• Rendering may differ (hinting, antialiasing)

Sophie Anderson, document consultant: "I saw a legal contract with Times New Roman not embedded. On some systems, a different version caused line overflow, moving the signature to another page. For important documents, never assume a system font is present. Always embed."

Web fonts (Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts):

Web fonts like Roboto, Open Sans, Montserrat are free and royalty-free for PDF embedding.

Advantage: No licensing issues when embedding Disadvantage: Not necessarily installed on all systems → Embedding mandatory

Thomas Müller, PDF developer: "Google Fonts democratized quality typography. For web-to-PDF projects, I often use Google Fonts. Free, modern, zero licensing concerns for embedding. Perfect."

Full embedding vs subsetting: When to use what?

Subsetting: Smart optimization

Principle: Only embed characters used in the document.

Concrete example:

Document containing only: "PDF Magician 2025 - Free Tools"

Full Helvetica font:

• 3,456 glyphs (letters, numbers, symbols, accents, extended languages)
• Size: 1.8 MB

Helvetica subset:

• Embedded characters: P, D, F, (space), M, a, g, i, c, n, 2, 0, 5, -, T, o, l, s, r, e (28 unique characters)
• Size: 15 KB (reduction of 99.2%)

Subsetting advantages:

• ✅ Reduced size: Files 10 to 20 times smaller
• ✅ Fast loading: Crucial for online PDFs
• ✅ Saved bandwidth: Important for mass distribution
• ✅ Identical display: No visual difference

Subsetting disadvantages:

• ❌ Limited editing: If you edit the PDF and add a character not included (example: "é"), it won't display correctly
• ❌ Copy-paste: Sometimes problematic if complex encoding
• ❌ Search: Occasionally disrupted

Julie Martin, digital publisher: "For our ebooks and PDF magazines, subsetting is mandatory. A 200-page magazine with 15 full fonts would weigh 60 MB. With subsetting: 8 MB. The difference between downloadable and abandoned by the reader."

Full embedding: When flexibility matters

Principle: Embed all font characters, even those not used in the document.

Mandatory use cases:

1. Editable PDF forms

• User will enter free text
• Impossible to predict which characters will be used
• All characters must be available

2. Reusable template documents

• Customizable templates
• Each instance will have different content
• Subset insufficient

3. PDFs for later editing

• Document intended to be modified in Acrobat Pro
• Corrections, text additions
• Full fonts required

4. Evolving multilingual documents

• Content that may be translated
• Future languages with special characters (ñ, ç, ø, ł, etc.)
• Full coverage required

David Chen, PDF architect: "For the administrative forms we develop, full embedding is mandatory. The user can enter anything: name, address, comments. If we used a subset, some characters would disappear on input. Unacceptable."

Size/functionality tradeoff:

| Document type | Recommended embedding | Average size (20 pages) | |---------------|----------------------|-------------------------| | Corporate brochure (fixed) | Subset | 2-5 MB | | Magazine (fixed) | Subset | 8-15 MB | | Form (editable) | Full | 8-12 MB | | Book (fixed text) | Subset | 1-3 MB | | Presentation (fixed) | Subset | 5-10 MB | | Technical documentation (fixed) | Subset | 3-8 MB |

Practical configuration: InDesign and other tools

In Adobe InDesign:

When exporting PDF (File > Export > Adobe PDF):

General tab:

• Format: Adobe PDF (Print) or Adobe PDF (Interactive)

Compression tab:

• (Not directly related to fonts)

Marks and Bleeds tab:

• (Not directly related to fonts)

Output tab:

• (Concerns colors)

Advanced tab:

• Fonts > Subset fonts when percent of characters used is less than: 100%
  • At 100%: Fonts are subset embedded if >100% of characters are used (impossible), so always subset
  • To force full embedding: 0% (embeds from the first character)

Recommended setting:

• Subset: 100% (default, optimal for 99% of cases)
• Full: 0% (for forms or editable documents)

In Microsoft Word:

Word doesn't offer fine control over font embedding.

File > Options > Save:

• ☑ Embed fonts in the file (for .docx)

For PDF:

• File > Save As > PDF
• ⚠️ Word doesn't always embed fonts correctly in PDFs
• Recommendation: Use Adobe Acrobat Pro for full control

In LibreOffice:

File > Export as PDF:

• General tab > Embed fonts in document
• ⚠️ No control over subset vs full

Marc Dubois: "Consumer office tools (Word, LibreOffice) have limited font options. For professional control, InDesign or Acrobat Pro are essential."

Common problems and solutions

Problem #1: "Font not found" when opening

Symptom: Message "One or more fonts could not be found. Arial has been substituted."

Cause: PDF doesn't contain embedded fonts. It only references their names.

Diagnosis:

1. Open PDF in Acrobat Reader
2. File > Properties > Fonts
3. If a font displays "(Not embedded)": Problem identified

Solutions:

Solution A: Regenerate PDF correctly

• Return to source document (InDesign, Word, etc.)
• Check export settings
• Enable "Embed all fonts"
• Re-export

Solution B: Repair with Acrobat Pro

1. Open PDF in Acrobat Pro
2. File > Properties > Fonts > Note missing fonts
3. Limitations: Acrobat cannot retroactively "add" an absent font
4. Workaround: If the font is installed on your system, Acrobat can reference it for viewing, but it won't be embedded in the file
5. Lasting solution: Recreate PDF from source with embedding

Sophie Anderson: "A missing font cannot be magically added after the fact. You must return to the source document. That's why verifying font embedding BEFORE deleting the source file is crucial."

Problem #2: Unexpected substitution despite embedding

Symptom: Fonts are marked "Embedded," but rendering differs between systems.

Possible cause #1: Incomplete subset

• A used character isn't in the subset
• System substitutes that character only

Diagnosis:

• Check if problematic characters are special (accents, symbols)

Solution:

• Regenerate PDF ensuring all characters are present in source document

Possible cause #2: Font version conflict

• PDF contains "Helvetica Neue v2.1"
• System has "Helvetica Neue v3.0"
• Reader prefers system version (configurable setting)

Solution:

• Adobe Reader: Edit > Preferences > Page Display
• Uncheck "Use local fonts if embedded fonts are not available"
• Forces exclusive use of embedded fonts

Thomas Müller: "I've seen a PDF with embedded Helvetica display differently because the system preferred its local version. Disabling 'Use local fonts' solves 90% of these cases."

Problem #3: Copying text gives strange characters

Symptom: Select text in PDF → Copy → Paste elsewhere → Characters replaced by "□", "?", or random symbols.

Cause: Font encoding poorly defined or custom.

Some fonts (especially old or artisan-created) use non-standard encodings. Characters are stored at incorrect Unicode positions.

Example:

• Font displays "A" visually
• But this "A" is stored at Unicode position U+F041 (private area) instead of U+0041 (standard A)
• When copy-pasting, system searches for U+F041: unknown character → "□"

Solutions:

Solution A: For the creator

• Use professional fonts with correct Unicode encoding
• Avoid "homemade" fonts without proper metadata
• InDesign: Preferences > Type > Check "Use standard encoding for fonts"

Solution B: For the reader

• No user-side solution if PDF is poorly encoded
• Use OCR (character recognition) as workaround

Julie Chen: "Fancy fonts downloaded for free are often poorly encoded. For professional documents, I exclusively use fonts from recognized foundries (Adobe Fonts, Monotype, Linotype). Zero encoding problems."

Problem #4: Excessive PDF file size

Symptom: 10-page PDF weighs 50 MB when content is simple.

Possible cause: Multiple fully embedded fonts

If 20 fonts are fully embedded (all with all their characters), size explodes.

Diagnosis:

1. Acrobat Pro: File > Properties > Fonts
2. Note fonts "(Embedded)" vs "(Embedded Subset)"
3. If many fully "(Embedded)": Problem identified

Solutions:

Solution A: Re-export with subsetting

• Return to source document
• InDesign: Subset at 100%
• Re-export

Solution B: Optimize existing PDF

1. Acrobat Pro: File > Save As Other > Optimized PDF
2. Fonts tab: Check "Subset fonts when percent of characters used is less than: 100%"
3. Save

Solution C: Reduce number of fonts

• Fewer fonts = lighter file
• Reassess necessity of each font
• Merge variants (Bold, Italic) if rarely used

David Park: "I received an 80 MB presentation PDF. Investigation: 35 different fully embedded fonts. After subset optimization: 6 MB. Same visual quality, 13 times lighter."

Problem #5: PDF form loses entered characters

Symptom: User fills out a PDF form, some characters disappear or become "□".

Cause: Form field font embedded as subset, not containing entered characters.

Example:

• "Name" field with Helvetica subset font (contains: a-z, A-Z)
• User enters "François" → "ç" absent from subset → "□"

Solutions:

Solution A: Full embedding for form fields

• Adobe Acrobat Pro: Tools > Prepare Form
• Select each input field
• Properties > Appearance > Font: Choose a fully embedded font
• Alternative: Use a universal system font (Arial, Helvetica) without embedding, assuming it will be present

Solution B: Fallback font

• Define a fallback font (Arial, Times)
• If character absent, automatically switch to fallback

Sophie Martinez: "For forms, I always use Helvetica or Arial with full embedding. Or I don't embed at all, counting on their universal presence. Both approaches work. But never subset on an editable field."

Problem #6: PDF displays poorly on mobile

Symptom: PDF perfect on computer, fonts deformed or substituted on smartphone/tablet.

Cause: Mobile PDF reader with limited support for certain font types (especially old Type 1).

Solutions:

Solution A: Use OpenType or TrueType

• Modern formats supported by all mobile readers
• Avoid Type 1

Solution B: Test on mobile devices

• Validate PDF on iOS (Apple Books, Adobe Acrobat) and Android (Google PDF Viewer, Adobe Acrobat)
• Adjust if necessary

Solution C: "Responsive" PDF

• Create PDFs optimized for mobile reading (larger fonts, adapted layout)
• Consider alternative formats (ePub) for extended mobile reading

Marc Fontaine: "The classic error: testing only on desktop. 60% of our readers open PDFs on mobile. I systematically check on iPhone and Android before publication."

Web fonts, fallbacks, and extended compatibility

Fallback font strategy: The safety net

Principle: Define a font hierarchy, from most specific to most generic.

In CSS (for PDF generation from web):

body {
  font-family: 'Roboto', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
}

Meaning:

1. Try Roboto (custom web font)
2. If absent → Helvetica Neue (macOS)
3. If absent → Helvetica (macOS, equivalent to Arial on Windows)
4. If absent → Arial (nearly universal)
5. If absent → sans-serif (system's default sans-serif font)

In PDFs:

The fallback concept is less critical because fonts are embedded. However, for form fields where users enter text, defining a fallback can avoid missing characters.

Configuration in Acrobat Pro:

1. Preferences > Forms
2. Default font: Arial (or other universal system font)
3. Thus, if primary font fails, Arial takes over

Sophie Anderson: "For my interactive PDFs, I always set Arial as the default form font. It's the common denominator: present on 99.9% of systems, full support for Western characters."

Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts: Legal embedding

Google Fonts:

Advantages:

• ✅ Free
• ✅ Free for commercial use
• ✅ PDF embedding authorized (SIL Open Font or Apache license)
• ✅ Professional quality (Roboto, Open Sans, Montserrat, Lato, etc.)

Use for PDF:

1. Download font from Google Fonts
2. Install on your system
3. Use in InDesign/Word/etc.
4. Export PDF with embedding → No licensing issues

Example: Google Fonts → PDF workflow

• Download Roboto (Regular, Bold, Italic)
• Install in system (double-click .ttf)
• InDesign: Create document with Roboto
• Export PDF with font embedding
• Distribute without restrictions

Adobe Fonts (formerly Typekit):

Advantages:

• ✅ Included with Creative Cloud (no extra cost)
• ✅ Premium library (20,000+ fonts)
• ✅ PDF embedding authorized for CC subscribers
• ✅ Automatic sync in InDesign/Photoshop/Illustrator

⚠️ Restrictions:

• PDF embedding authorized only if you're an active Adobe CC subscriber
• If you cancel subscription, fonts are deactivated
• Distributing PDFs with embedded Adobe Fonts: authorized (recipient doesn't need subscription)

Adobe Fonts → PDF workflow:

1. Adobe Fonts: Activate desired font
2. It automatically syncs to your CC apps
3. InDesign: Use the font
4. Export PDF with embedding → Font is permanently included in PDF

Thomas Müller: "Adobe Fonts revolutionized my workflow. Access to premium fonts I would never have purchased individually. And hassle-free PDF embedding without licensing concerns is a huge plus."

Font licenses: What's legal, what's not

General rule: Read each font's license.

Common license types:

1. OFL (Open Font License) - Free and libre

• Examples: Google Fonts, Font Squirrel
• ✅ Commercial use authorized
• ✅ PDF embedding authorized
• ✅ Modification authorized
• ❌ Reselling font alone prohibited

2. Commercial license with embedding rights

• Examples: Adobe Fonts, Monotype, Linotype fonts
• ✅ Use according to license terms
• ✅ PDF embedding generally authorized
• ⚠️ Check specific terms (number of users, projects, etc.)

3. License without embedding rights

• Rare, but exist (especially old fonts)
• ❌ PDF embedding prohibited
• Alternative: Outline text (convert to curves)

How to verify embedding rights:

Method 1: Font properties

• Windows: Right-click .ttf/.otf file > Properties > Details tab > "Embedding rights"
• macOS: Font Book > Select font > File > Information

Method 2: License file

• Read LICENSE.txt file provided with font

Method 3: Distributor website

• Check foundry's website for terms of use

Julie Chen: "I almost had a legal issue with a font purchased from an obscure marketplace. The license prohibited PDF embedding. Since then, I only use fonts whose rights I know precisely: Adobe Fonts, Google Fonts, or recognized foundries with clear licenses."

System fonts: Guaranteed presence?

Myth: "Arial is everywhere, no need to embed it"

Reality:

• Arial is on 99% of Windows and macOS
• But different versions exist (Arial Unicode MS, Arial Narrow, etc.)
• Metrics may vary slightly
• Linux: Arial absent by default (replaced by Liberation Sans or Arimo)

Real test:

Word document with Arial, exported to PDF without font embedding:

• Windows 11: Correct display
• macOS Sonoma: Correct display (uses local Arial)
• Ubuntu Linux: Substitution by Liberation Sans → Lines shifted, overflows

Professional recommendation: Always embed

Even system fonts. The size overhead is minimal (Arial subset: 20-40 KB), and it guarantees universal rendering.

Marc Dubois: "Embedding Arial adds 30 KB to a PDF. Not embedding it can cause hours of debugging if a Linux user reports a problem. The calculation is quickly made."

Unicode and multilingual support

Unicode: Standard defining every human character (Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Chinese, Arabic alphabets, emojis, symbols) with a unique code.

Example:

• A (Latin uppercase) = U+0041
• é (e acute accent) = U+00E9
• 中 (Chinese character) = U+4E2D
• 😊 (smile emoji) = U+1F60A

For a multilingual PDF:

Step 1: Choose a font with broad Unicode support

• Noto Sans (Google): Nearly universal support (800+ languages)
• Arial Unicode MS: Broad support (38,000 glyphs)
• Specialized fonts: Noto Sans CJK (Chinese/Japanese/Korean), Noto Sans Arabic

Step 2: Verify all characters are present

• Test with text in all target languages
• InDesign: Missing characters appear in pink

Step 3: Embed fonts

• As subset (only used languages)
• Or full if evolving multilingualism

Example: French-Arabic-Chinese PDF

Fonts:

• Latin: Roboto (French, Spanish, German)
• Arabic: Noto Sans Arabic
• Chinese: Noto Sans SC (Simplified Chinese)

Subset embedding:

• Roboto: 250 characters (Latin alphabets, numbers, punctuation)
• Noto Sans Arabic: 450 characters (Arabic + Arabic numerals)
• Noto Sans SC: 2,500 characters (sinograms used in document)

Total size: ~500 KB (instead of 15 MB for full fonts)

David Park: "Our annual reports are published in 12 languages. With Noto Sans and its variants, I have a universal PDF that displays perfectly everywhere. The trick is properly configuring fallback fonts by Unicode script."

PDF font verification and diagnostic tools

Adobe Acrobat Pro: Complete analysis

Access font information:

1. Open PDF in Acrobat Pro
2. File > Properties (Ctrl+D / Cmd+D)
3. Fonts tab

Information displayed:

• Name of each used font
• Type (TrueType, OpenType, Type 1)
• Encoding (Identity-H, WinAnsi, Custom)
• Embedding: (Embedded), (Embedded Subset), or (Not Embedded)
• Actual displayed font vs requested font (if substitution)

Interpretation:

✅ Optimal: All fonts display "(Embedded Subset)" ⚠️ Acceptable: Some fonts fully "(Embedded)" (if forms) ❌ Problem: One or more fonts "(Not Embedded)" → Risk of substitution

Advanced diagnosis: Preflight

1. Tools > Preflight
2. Predefined profiles > "List fonts, color usage, and images"
3. Analyze

Generated report:

• Lists all fonts with details (embedded size, included characters)
• Identifies problematic fonts
• Suggests corrections

Sophie Martinez: "Acrobat Preflight is my daily tool. In 30 seconds, I know exactly which fonts are embedded, which are problematic, and how to correct. Indispensable for production."

Free online tools

PDF Font Checker (web)

Site: pdffontchecker.com (hypothetical example, verify availability)

Features:

• Upload PDF (max 10 MB generally)
• Automatic analysis
• List of fonts and embedding status
• Free for occasional use

⚠️ Privacy warning:

• Your PDF is uploaded to a third-party server
• Don't use for confidential documents
• Check site's privacy policy

iLovePDF - PDF Analyzer

Site: ilovepdf.com

• "PDF Tools" section > Various analyses
• Font information included in properties
• Free with limitations (file size, daily number)

Command-line tools: For experts

pdffonts (Poppler utils)

Open source tool for analyzing PDF fonts.

Installation:

# macOS (via Homebrew)
brew install poppler

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install poppler-utils

# Windows
# Download from poppler.freedesktop.org

Usage:

pdffonts document.pdf

Example output:

name                  type         encoding     emb sub uni object ID
--------------------- ------------ ------------ --- --- --- ---------
AAAAAA+Roboto-Regular CID TrueType Identity-H   yes yes yes    12  0
BBBBBB+Roboto-Bold    CID TrueType Identity-H   yes yes yes    18  0
Helvetica             Type 1       WinAnsi       no  no  no     25  0

Interpretation:

• emb yes: Font embedded ✅
• sub yes: Subset ✅
• uni yes: Unicode supported ✅
• emb no: Not embedded ❌

Thomas Müller: "To check thousands of PDFs in batch, pdffonts in a bash script is unbeatable. I automate verification of all PDFs before publication on our platform."

exiftool: Extended metadata

Tool to extract all file metadata.

Installation:

# macOS
brew install exiftool

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install libimage-exiftool-perl

Usage:

exiftool -Fonts document.pdf

Displays additional information on each font.

Python scripts: Automation with PyPDF2

Example: List PDF fonts

from PyPDF2 import PdfReader

def list_fonts(pdf_path):
    reader = PdfReader(pdf_path)

    fonts = set()
    for page in reader.pages:
        if '/Font' in page['/Resources']:
            for font_name, font_obj in page['/Resources']['/Font'].items():
                font_dict = font_obj.get_object()
                if '/BaseFont' in font_dict:
                    fonts.add(font_dict['/BaseFont'])

    print(f"Fonts found in {pdf_path}:")
    for font in sorted(fonts):
        print(f"  - {font}")

# Usage
list_fonts("my_document.pdf")

Output:

Fonts found in my_document.pdf:
  - /AAAAAA+Roboto-Regular
  - /BBBBBB+Roboto-Bold
  - /Helvetica

Note: Prefixes AAAAAA+, BBBBBB+ indicate a subset. If a font appears without prefix (e.g., /Helvetica), it may be not embedded or fully embedded (deeper verification needed).

Marc Fontaine: "I developed a Python script that scans all PDFs in a folder and generates a CSV report with missing fonts. It saved me during a migration of 5,000 archive documents."

Visual verification: The ultimate test

Method:

1. Open PDF on multiple devices:

   • Windows 11 (Adobe Acrobat Reader)
   • macOS (Preview and Adobe Acrobat Reader)
   • Linux Ubuntu (Evince or Okular)
   • iOS (Apple Books)
   • Android (Google PDF Viewer)

2. Compare visually:

   • Do fonts display identically?
   • No deformed, truncated text?
   • No missing "□" characters?

3. Test copy-paste:

   • Select text
   • Paste in text editor
   • Verify characters are correct

Verification checklist:

• [ ] Identical display Windows/Mac/Linux
• [ ] Identical mobile display (iOS/Android)
• [ ] Copy-paste preserves text
• [ ] Zoom 400%: Sharp fonts (vector, not pixelated)
• [ ] Test print: Rendering matches screen

Julie Chen: "No tool equals the human eye. I always visually verify my PDFs on at least 3 platforms before distribution. I've caught subtle problems that automated tools missed."

Professional use cases

Publishing and editing: Books and magazines

Context: Publishing a 150-page monthly magazine, 20,000 print copies + 50,000 PDF readers.

Constraints:

• Rich typography (5-8 different fonts)
• Reasonable file size (<25 MB for PDF version)
• Impeccable rendering for print and screen
• Long-term archiving (PDF/A for national archives)

Font strategy:

1. Font selection:

• Titles: Playfair Display (Google Fonts, elegant serif)
• Body text: Source Serif Pro (Adobe Fonts, optimized for reading)
• Captions: Source Sans Pro (Adobe Fonts, neutral sans-serif)
• Page numbers: Roboto Condensed (Google Fonts, compact)

2. Embedding:

• InDesign export to PDF/X-4 (for print):
  • Subset at 100%
  • ISO Coated v2 profile
  • Crop marks and bleeds
• Separate export for web version:
  • Interactive PDF with clickable links
  • Subset at 100%
  • Optimized image compression

3. Verification:

• Acrobat Preflight: Zero errors
• Visual test: macOS, Windows, iOS
• Proof print (BAT): Typography validation

Result:

• Web PDF size: 18 MB (150 pages)
• Identical rendering on all media
• Print: Perfect fidelity to mockup

Sophie Beaumont, magazine art director: "Since we standardized our font workflow, our prepress time dropped 40%. Zero last-minute corrections. Fonts are embedded correctly from the first export."

Legal: Contracts and legal documents

Context: International law firm, multilingual contracts (English, French, Chinese).

Constraints:

• Absolute fidelity: Every character must be exact
• Electronic signature: Fonts must remain intact
• Legal archiving: 30-year minimum retention
• Accessibility: Compliant with legal standards (Section 508, WCAG)

Font strategy:

1. Conservative selection:

• Body text: Times New Roman (universal, serious, legal by tradition)
• Titles: Arial Bold (clarity, universality)
• Notes: Courier New (fixed spacing for tables)

2. Full embedding:

• Editable PDF forms → Full fonts
• Final contracts → Subset (fixed, non-modifiable)

3. PDF/A-2 conversion:

• Long-term archiving standard
• Fonts mandatorily embedded
• Complete metadata

4. Digital signature:

• After font embedding
• Certificate guarantees document integrity

Result:

• Legally valid documents
• Identical display everywhere
• ISO 19005-compliant archiving
• Zero typographic ambiguity

David Chen, international attorney: "In a contract, a misplaced comma can change meaning. We cannot risk a substituted font moving a comma. Full embedding, rigorous verification, mandatory PDF/A."

Corporate: Presentations and reports

Context: Multinational corporation, annual reports and strategic presentations.

Constraints:

• Brand identity: Proprietary corporate fonts
• Mobility: PDFs viewed on laptops, tablets, smartphones
• Translations: 15 different languages
• Security: Some confidential documents

Font strategy:

1. Strict graphic charter:

• Main corporate font: Acme Corporate (proprietary, embedding license)
• Secondary font: Helvetica Neue (titles and captions)
• Multilingual fallback: Noto Sans (800+ language support)

2. Workflow by document:

PowerPoint presentation → PDF:

• PowerPoint: Export to PDF
• Check in Acrobat Pro: Fonts embedded?
• If not: Open in Acrobat, print to "Adobe PDF" with embedding settings

Annual report (InDesign):

• Export interactive PDF (links, clickable table of contents)
• Subset fonts
• Screen optimization (RGB)
• Separate print version (CMYK, PDF/X-4)

3. Translations:

• Master file with language layers (PDF/X-4)
• Extended Unicode fonts (Noto Sans CJK for Asian)
• Special character verification (ñ, ç, ø, etc.)

4. Protection:

• PDF encryption with password
• Permissions: Printing authorized, text copying prohibited
• Fonts embedded as subset (text copying limited anyway)

Result:

• Consistent brand identity on all media
• Perfect display in 15 languages
• Guaranteed mobility (tablets, smartphones)
• Enhanced security

Julie Martin, corporate communications manager: "Our corporate font cost €5,000 to license. Embedding it in our PDFs was essential to protect the investment and guarantee brand identity everywhere."

E-commerce: Product catalogs

Context: Luxury brand, 300-page seasonal product catalog.

Constraints:

• Premium aesthetics: Refined typography
• File weight: Online download (target <50 MB)
• On-demand printing: Customers can print at home or professionally
• Multilingualism: French, English, Japanese, Arabic

Font strategy:

1. Luxury choices:

• Product titles: Didot (classic elegance)
• Descriptions: Garamond Premier Pro (readability, refinement)
• Prices and references: Futura (modernity, clarity)

2. Optimized embedding:

• Aggressive subsetting: 100%
• Additional compression with Acrobat Pro
• OpenType fonts (ligatures, small caps preserved)

3. Single multilingual version:

• Fonts with extended support (Latin, Cyrillic, CJK, Arabic)
• PDF layers by language (PDF/X-4)
• Single file for all versions

4. Dual export:

• Web version: RGB, 150 DPI images, 28 MB
• Print version: CMYK, 300 DPI, PDF/X-1a, 85 MB

Result:

• Luxurious typography preserved
• Web file downloadable in 1 minute (4G)
• Professional print version available
• Single workflow for 4 languages

Marc Dubois, luxury art director: "Garamond Premier Pro's automatic ligatures (fi, fl, ff) add that touch of refinement our customers expect. OpenType embedding in PDF preserves these subtleties. It's the difference between 'correct' and 'excellent'."

FAQ: Your questions about PDF fonts

How do I know if fonts are embedded in my PDF?

Method 1: Acrobat Reader (free)

1. Open PDF
2. File > Properties (Ctrl+D / Cmd+D)
3. "Fonts" tab
4. Check status of each font:
   • (Embedded) or (Incorporated): ✅ Full embedded font
   • (Embedded Subset): ✅ Partial embedded font (optimal)
   • (Not Embedded): ❌ Missing font, probable substitution

Method 2: Visual preview

• Open PDF on a system without the fonts installed
• If display is identical: Fonts probably embedded
• If visible substitution: Fonts not embedded

Method 3: Command line (pdffonts)

pdffonts document.pdf

Column emb: yes = embedded, no = not embedded

Why does my PDF display squares (□) instead of certain characters?

Possible causes:

Cause #1: Incomplete subset font

• Used character absent from subset
• Solution: Regenerate PDF ensuring all characters are in source document

Cause #2: Font without Unicode support

• Old font (Type 1) with custom encoding
• Special characters (accents, symbols) outside encoding
• Solution: Use modern font (OpenType) with full Unicode support

Cause #3: Character non-existent in font

• You request a character the font doesn't possess (e.g., emoji in Times New Roman)
• Solution: Use font with extended support (Noto Sans, Arial Unicode MS)

Cause #4: PDF corruption

• File damaged during transfer
• Solution: Re-download or regenerate PDF

Quick diagnosis:

1. Acrobat Pro > Preflight > "Find unavailable characters"
2. Identifies problematic characters and their position
3. Correct in source document

Can I change a font in an existing PDF?

Short answer: Very limited.

With Acrobat Pro:

• Tools > Edit PDF > Edit
• Select text
• Change font if available in the list
• ⚠️ Limitations:
  • Only fully embedded fonts or fonts installed on your system are usable
  • Subset font: Impossible to add new characters
  • Layout may break (overflows, modified hyphenation)

Recommended alternative:

• Return to source document (InDesign, Word, etc.)
• Modify font in source document
• Regenerate PDF

For massive changes:

• Use scripts with PDF libraries (PyPDF2, pdfplumber)
• High complexity, results not guaranteed

Sophie Anderson: "Modifying fonts in an existing PDF is an emergency solution, not normal practice. For any significant change, always return to the source."

What's the difference between TrueType and OpenType?

TrueType:

• Format developed by Apple/Microsoft (1989)
• Extension: .ttf
• Curves: Quadratic Bézier
• Support: 65,536 characters maximum (Unicode 16-bit)
• Usage: System fonts, web, common documents

OpenType:

• Format developed by Adobe/Microsoft (1996)
• Extension: .otf (PostScript variant) or .ttf (TrueType variant)
• Curves: Cubic Bézier (PostScript) or quadratic (TrueType)
• Support: 65,536+ characters (extended Unicode)
• Advanced features:
  • Contextual ligatures (fi, fl, ffi, ffl)
  • Stylistic variants
  • Old-style figures, true small capitals
  • Automatic fractions
  • Extended multilingual support

PDF compatibility:

• TrueType: Supported since PDF 1.0 (1993)
• OpenType: Supported since PDF 1.6 (2004)

Recommendation:

• For modern documents (post-2010): OpenType (richer)
• For maximum compatibility (old systems): TrueType

Thomas Müller: "OpenType is the future. Advanced typographic features transform an ordinary document into a refined piece. And PDF compatibility has been excellent for 15 years."

Are free fonts (Google Fonts, DaFont) legal for commercial use in PDFs?

Google Fonts: Yes, 100% legal

• License: Open Font License (OFL) or Apache 2.0
• ✅ Commercial use authorized
• ✅ PDF embedding authorized
• ✅ Distribution without restrictions
• ✅ Modification authorized (if redistribution with license)

DaFont: Depends (check font by font)

• Site: Marketplace with thousands of fonts
• Varied licenses:
  • Some: 100% free (commercial included)
  • Others: Free for personal use only, paid for commercial
  • Others: Demo (trial only)
• ⚠️ Always check license on download page

Font Squirrel: Yes, with filter

• "Commercial Use" option: Filters commercially usable fonts
• Generally free licenses (OFL, Apache, Public Domain)

How to verify:

1. Read LICENSE.txt file provided with font
2. Check distributor's website
3. When in doubt: Contact font author

Julie Chen: "I only use fonts whose license I'm 100% sure of. Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, and a few recognized commercial foundries. Fonts from dubious sources can lead to lawsuits. It's not worth the risk."

How do I reduce PDF size with many fonts?

Solutions:

Solution 1: Subset embedding (if not already done)

• Acrobat Pro: File > Save As Other > Optimized PDF
• Fonts tab: "Subset fonts when percent of characters used is less than: 100%"
• Typical reduction: 80-95% of font size

Solution 2: Reduce number of fonts

• Return to source document
• Unify fonts (e.g., all in Roboto instead of 10 different fonts)
• Fewer fonts = lighter file

Solution 3: Use more compact fonts

• Some fonts are intrinsically heavier (with tons of glyphs)
• Example: Arial Unicode MS (22 MB) vs Arial (500 KB)
• Prefer fonts with just necessary characters

Solution 4: Global PDF compression

• Acrobat Pro: File > Save As Other > Reduced Size PDF
• Compresses fonts + images + other objects
• Caution: Possible quality loss (especially images)

Concrete example:

• Original PDF: 45 MB (12 fully embedded fonts)
• After subsetting: 12 MB (same 12 subset fonts)
• After reducing to 6 fonts: 7 MB
• After global compression: 5 MB

Marc Fontaine: "PDF size is often a problem of unnecessarily full and numerous fonts. Subsetting + font rationalization solves 90% of cases."

What if a font is protected and cannot be embedded?

Causes:

• Font with restrictive license prohibiting embedding (rare but exists)
• Technical protection in font file

Solutions:

Solution A: Outline text

• Convert text to curves (outlines)
• InDesign/Illustrator: Select text > Type > Create Outlines
• ✅ Guaranteed perfect rendering
• ❌ Text not editable, not searchable
• ❌ Increased file size for long texts
• Recommendation: Only for logos and short titles

Solution B: Use alternative font

• Replace with similar font with embedding rights
• Example: Replace Frutiger (sometimes protected) with Myriad Pro (Adobe Fonts, embeddable)

Solution C: Purchase extended license

• Contact type foundry
• Purchase license including PDF embedding rights
• Cost: Generally €50-500 depending on font and use

Solution D: Convert to image (last resort)

• Export page at high resolution (300 DPI)
• Import image into new PDF
• ❌ Loss of vector, increased size, not editable, not accessible
• Only for desperate cases

David Park: "I encountered this once with a client's corporate font. Their license prohibited embedding. We outlined all titles and used an alternative font for body text. Acceptable compromise."

How do I manage fonts in a multilingual PDF (Latin + Arabic + Chinese)?

Strategy:

Step 1: Font selection by script

Latin (French, English, Spanish, etc.):

• Main font: Roboto or Noto Sans

Arabic (Arabic, Persian, Urdu):

• Font: Noto Sans Arabic (Google Fonts)
• Full support for Arabic variants

Chinese, Japanese, Korean (CJK):

• Font: Noto Sans CJK (variants SC/TC/JP/KR)
• Caution: CJK fonts very heavy (15-30 MB full)

Cyrillic (Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian):

• Most Latin fonts include Cyrillic
• Check with Glyphs panel (InDesign)

Step 2: InDesign configuration

Paragraph styles with fonts by language:

1. Create "Body - French" style: Roboto Regular
2. Create "Body - Arabic" style: Noto Sans Arabic
3. Create "Body - Chinese" style: Noto Sans SC

Apply by language:

• Select text in each language
• Apply corresponding style

Step 3: PDF export with subset

• Export PDF/X-4 (advanced Unicode support)
• Subset at 100%
• Verify special characters display (Arabic accents, Chinese tones)

Step 4: Cross-platform verification

Test on:

• Windows (native Arabic and CJK support)
• macOS (excellent support)
• Linux (install Noto Fonts if necessary)
• Mobile (iOS/Android: native support)

Typical result:

• 50-page trilingual document (Latin/Arabic/Chinese)
• Subset fonts: 3-6 MB
• Perfect display on all systems

Sophie Martinez: "Google's Noto fonts are a godsend for multilingualism. They cover almost all human languages with consistent design. For our multilingual tourism guides, it's become our standard."

Conclusion: PDF typographic best practices

Claire Beaumont, whose catastrophic presentation we recounted in the introduction, transformed her practices. "Today, every PDF I create goes through a rigorous typographic checklist. Font embedding verified. Test on three systems minimum. Copy-paste validated. For 18 months, zero presentation incidents. This discipline saved my professional credibility."

✅ PDF font checklist: Guarantee universal compatibility

PHASE 1: FONT SELECTION

• [ ] Professional fonts with clear licenses (Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, recognized foundries)
• [ ] PDF embedding rights verified (read LICENSE.txt or distributor page)
• [ ] Complete Unicode fonts for special characters (accents, symbols)
• [ ] Multilingual support if document translated or international
• [ ] Modern fonts (OpenType/TrueType, avoid obsolete Type 1)

PHASE 2: DOCUMENT INTEGRATION

• [ ] Fonts installed on system before document creation
• [ ] Paragraph styles defined (avoids font inconsistencies)
• [ ] Special characters tested (œ, é, ñ, ç, etc.): Correct display?
• [ ] No missing fonts (InDesign: Window > Type > Find Fonts)

PHASE 3: PDF EXPORT

• [ ] Export setting: "Embed all fonts" enabled
• [ ] Embedding mode:
  • [ ] Subset (default, optimal for 99% of cases)
  • [ ] Full (only if editable forms or templates)
• [ ] PDF/X-4 format (print) or Interactive PDF (screen) with embedded fonts
• [ ] Color profile and bleeds defined (if print)

PHASE 4: POST-EXPORT VERIFICATION

• [ ] Open PDF in Acrobat Reader
• [ ] File > Properties > Fonts: All display "(Embedded)" or "(Embedded Subset)"
• [ ] No font should display "(Not Embedded)"
• [ ] Visual display: Sharp fonts at 100% and 400% zoom
• [ ] Copy-paste test: Correct characters in text editor

PHASE 5: CROSS-PLATFORM TEST

• [ ] Test Windows (Adobe Acrobat Reader, Edge, Chrome PDF viewer)
• [ ] Test macOS (Preview, Adobe Acrobat Reader)
• [ ] Test Linux (Evince, Okular) [if broad audience]
• [ ] Test mobile (iOS: Apple Books, Adobe; Android: Google PDF, Adobe)
• [ ] Identical display on all systems → ✅ Validation

PHASE 6: ARCHIVING AND DOCUMENTATION

• [ ] Save source file (InDesign, Word, etc.) with fonts
• [ ] Archive font files used (for future re-editing)
• [ ] Document fonts used (names, versions, licenses)
• [ ] Name PDF clearly: ProjectName_v3_Fonts-Embedded_2025-10-10.pdf

🎯 The 8 golden rules of PDF typography

1. Always embed fonts: Even system fonts (Arial, Times). Subset suffices for 99% of cases.

2. Prefer modern OpenType: Better Unicode support, advanced features, universal compatibility.

3. Systematically verify: File > Properties > Fonts after each export. No "(Not Embedded)" fonts.

4. Test cross-platform: Windows, macOS, mobile. Display must be identical everywhere.

5. Subset for fixed documents: Brochures, magazines, books → Subset (optimized size).

6. Full embedding for forms: Editable PDFs → Full fonts (all characters available).

7. Clear licenses only: Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, recognized foundries. Avoid dubious sources.

8. Archive fonts and sources: For future re-editing. Fonts evolve, versions change.

Pierre Fontaine, with his 30 years of digital typography experience, concludes: "Font embedding in PDFs solved 90% of typographic interoperability problems. But it must be done correctly. A PDF with poorly embedded fonts is worse than a Word document: it gives a false impression of robustness. Follow these best practices, and your documents will be universally readable, today and in 20 years."

Your next PDF deserves impeccable typography. Apply these standards, follow this checklist, and guarantee perfect display on all systems, today and tomorrow.

Additional resources

Standards and documentation:

• PDF Reference (Adobe): PDF technical specifications
• PDF format differences: PDF/A vs classic PDF
• PDF/X and professional printing
• Image optimization in PDFs

Free and libre fonts:

• Google Fonts: 1500+ free fonts, free for commercial use and PDF embedding
• Font Squirrel: Free fonts for commercial use ("Commercial Use" filter)
• Adobe Fonts: 20,000+ fonts included with Creative Cloud

Analysis and verification tools:

• Adobe Acrobat Pro: Professional preflight (€24/month)
• pdffonts (Poppler): Free command-line tool to list fonts
• exiftool: Extended metadata extraction
• PyPDF2 (Python): Library for automated analysis scripts

Professional type foundries:

• Monotype
• Linotype
• MyFonts
• Fontspring

Training and resources:

• LinkedIn Learning: "Typography for Web and Print" courses
• Butterick's Practical Typography: Typography guide (free online)
• Adobe InDesign: Official documentation on PDF export

You're now equipped to master PDF typography and guarantee universal compatibility. Apply this knowledge, and every document will display your fonts perfectly, everywhere, always.