OmniDocHow to deal with the font change when converting PDF to Word
After converting PDF to Word, the fonts become substitute words or boxes appear. This is most likely because the original fonts are missing, the font subset is missing, or the file is a scanned copy. This article explains how to determine the cause, reinstall fonts, uniformly replace and re-convert in order.
Key points of this article
- PDF records glyph positions and does not necessarily save editable font information. It will often be replaced with alternative fonts during conversion.
- Before conversion, check the original font name in the PDF reader. If it is missing, reinstall it and convert again.
- After conversion, use Find and Replace to uniformly correct the fonts, and set Chinese fonts and Western fonts respectively.
- Scans where text cannot be selected must be OCRed first, then converted and the recognition results verified.
After converting PDF to Word, common troubles are that the font of the title has been changed, the Song font of the text has been changed to bold font or some kind of default font that cannot be seen, and the page layout is also messed up. Many people subconsciously change the conversion tool and try again, but the result is often the same.
This situation is most likely not due to a malfunction of the converter, but rather that the font information in the PDF was not completely brought over during conversion. PDF records "where the glyphs are drawn" and does not necessarily store "which font should be used to edit here", so Word can only find an approximate font instead. It is not the same problem as the problem of missing fonts and not embedding when converting Word to PDF, and the troubleshooting direction is also different.
After reading this article, you will be able to determine which type of cause the font change belongs to, and complete the troubleshooting and repair in order, and get a Word file with basically correct fonts that can continue to be edited.
The font has changed after converting PDF to Word, what should I do? One sentence conclusion
First understand the reason before taking action: most of the files where text can be selected can be solved by adding fonts or uniform replacement; scanned documents where text cannot be selected need to be OCRed first and then converted.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| Only some characters have changed, the original text is in common Chinese fonts | Use find and replace to uniformly change to the correct font in Word | Font names are usually replaced with default fonts during conversion |
| The entire article has been changed to the same font, and other content is normal. | Check whether the original text font is installed on the machine. If it is missing, reinstall it and convert it again. | The system cannot find the original font and can only use alternative fonts |
| Text can be selected, but some words become boxes or garbled characters | Confirm whether there are missing characters in the font subset, fill in the characters or use the complete font | The PDF only embeds the characters used, and characters may be missing when editing. |
| Unable to select text, the page looks like a picture | Do OCR first, then export to Word | The text in the scanned document is an image and there is no font information during conversion. |
| Confusing mathematical formulas or special symbols | Check formulas and symbols individually and re-enter if necessary | Symbol font mappings tend to be inconsistent when converting |
First determine what kind of problem it is
| symptoms | Common causes | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| The entire font is unified into the default font | The original font is not installed on this machine, so Word uses alternative words to replace it. | Check the original font name in the document properties or font information of the PDF reader, and then see if there is one in the local font list. |
| Only the title or individual paragraphs have changed | The font is mixed in the paragraph, and only part of it is replaced during the conversion. | Select the paragraph in Word and see if the font box is consistent with the surrounding area |
| Some words appear as boxes or garbled characters | Missing words in font subset, or symbol font mapping failed | Zoom in and compare the same position in the original PDF and Word to see if it only appears on specific characters |
| The Chinese is displayed as a western font. | Chinese font information was lost and fell back to Western font. | Select the Chinese paragraph and check whether the Chinese font is set to Song, boldface and other Chinese fonts. |
| Unable to select text | Scanned piece or picture PDF | Try to drag and select a paragraph of text in PDF. If it is not selected, the page is an image. |
# item-by-item troubleshooting and repair
- confirm the file type first . Drag and select a paragraph of text in PDF. If you can select it, continue with the following steps; if not, skip to step 7 to process the scanner.
- View the original font name . Make a note of the main fonts in the document properties or font information of the PDF reader, such as Song, Song, or some kind of boldface.
- patch missing fonts . If the original font is not native, obtain and install it from the regular authorized source of the font, then close and reopen Word, and convert it again.
- uniformly replace the wrong font . Use the find and replace function in Word, specify fonts in formatting, replace alternative fonts with correct fonts one by one, and check text in text, headings, footnotes, and tables.
- modify Chinese font settings . Select a paragraph of Chinese and set the Chinese font and the western font respectively to prevent the Chinese from being displayed in the western font.
- deal with missing words and boxes . Zoom in and compare the original PDF and Word files to find out the location of missing words. If it can be copied and pasted directly from the original text, the rare words or special symbols can be filled by inserting symbols; the notes that cannot be filled need to be checked manually.
- OCR** the scanned piece first. Use the desktop client's PDF editor for OCR recognition, and then export to Word. The font of the recognition result is usually the default font, which needs to be adjusted uniformly according to step 4 and check to identify the wrong words.
- recheck typesetting . Font changes change line width and paging, check title style, table column width, picture location and page number, and fine-tune paragraph by paragraph if necessary.
# how to avoid the next occurrence
-write down the original font in the PDF reader before conversion, and install the missing font before starting the conversion. -try to use the same set of fonts as much as possible in the same batch of documents to avoid mixed use of unpopular fonts and reduce omissions in replacement. -for content that needs to be edited for a long time, Word or other editable source files are preferred. PDF is only used as a delivery version. -after the conversion, don't just look at the first page and spot-check the title, table, formula and catalogue paragraph by paragraph. Both OCR and machine conversion can make mistakes, and important numbers, names and proper nouns should be checked with the original text one by one.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. Can I change the font directly in PDF before conversion?
Fonts in PDF are usually fixed after embedding, and the effect of changing fonts is limited. If you only want to modify the text content, you can use the desktop client's PDF editor to change the paragraph text directly; when you need to adjust the font structure, it is safer to deal with it uniformly in Word after conversion.
2. With the font installed, why is it still wrong after conversion?
In most cases, the file has been generated with an alternative font at the time of conversion, and the previously installed font is not used. After installing the font, you need to convert it again, or do a unified replacement in Word.
3. Why is only part of Chinese turned into a box?
The common reason is the lack of words in rare words, special symbols or font subsets. Compare the original text one by one and make it up by inserting symbols or copying from the original text.
4. Is the font problem of converting PDF to Word the same as converting Word to PDF?
Different. The conversion from PDF to Word is mainly due to the fact that the original font information is not fully brought and needs to be filled and replaced; it is more common for Word to PDF that the font is not embedded, causing others to change words automatically when they open it. The investigation directions of the two are different.
5. Do you want to check it page by page after conversion?
Yes. Font changes will change line width and paging. It is recommended to at least check titles, tables, formulas and catalogs, and check numbers and proper nouns that are inconsistent with the original text.
# Summary
PDF to Word font has changed the core of the processing method, is to first determine whether the original font is missing, whether the document is scanned, and then according to the sequence of fonts, unified replacement and check typesetting. As long as the reason is right, most font problems can be solved in one or two corrections. When you need to convert or edit PDF, you can use the desktop client: download.omnidoc.top.
