OmniDocWhat to do if the font changes when converting PPT to PDF?
The fonts change after exporting PPT to PDF. The common reason is that the exporting computer lacks fonts or the fonts are not embedded. This article explains how to determine the type of font problem, how to install and embed fonts before exporting, and how to remedy a PDF that has become distorted.
Key points of this article
- Font changes are mostly caused by missing fonts from the exported computer, or fonts not embedded in the PDF. Find out the reason first before taking action.
- List all fonts in the source file before exporting, install missing fonts, and unify template fonts.
- Check Embed Fonts in the export settings, and check the font list in the PDF document properties after exporting.
- Fonts with copyright restrictions may be prohibited from embedding. In such cases, you should use embeddable fonts instead.
- Open the test on a computer that does not have the font to confirm the actual effect seen by the other party.
After exporting the presentation to PDF, many people found that the Chinese text was changed to a different font, the English font was different, and some text was even changed to a new line and squeezed out of the text box. When encountering this kind of situation where the fonts are changed when converting ppt to pdf, most of the time it is not that the export software is faulty, but that the fonts are not brought in correctly during the export process.
This article is for those who need to hand over their PPT to others, or archive it as a PDF. After reading, you will be able to determine which category the font changes belong to, know what to check before exporting, and how to remedy the changed files.
The font has changed when converting PPT to PDF. Do you want to redo it? One sentence conclusion: In most cases, there is no need to redo it. Installing all fonts before exporting, checking the embedding settings, and exporting again can usually solve the problem.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| Only a few Chinese characters have been changed to the default font | Install the missing fonts on the exported computer and re-export. | The original font cannot be found during export, and the system can only use alternative fonts to replace it. |
| The fonts are different throughout the document | Check the fonts specified in the template or theme and change them to available fonts. | The font specified by the template does not exist on this machine |
| This unit looked normal, but it changed after I sent it to someone else. | Confirm that fonts are embedded in the PDF when exporting | There are no embedded fonts and can only be replaced again on the other party's computer. |
| Use of copyrighted fonts | First check whether embedding is allowed under the licensing terms. If not, change the font. | Some fonts are prohibited from embedding and will be skipped when exporting. |
| Text wraps and line spacing changes | Reformat using available fonts before exporting | Alternative fonts have different font widths, resulting in different line breaks and spacing |
First determine what kind of problem it is
| symptoms | Common causes | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese characters will be unified into Song font or Hei font | The original font is not installed on the exported computer | Write down the font name in the demo software and search for it in the system font list |
| English or numbers have different glyphs | The alternative font is different, or only some weights are installed. | Compare the display of the same page on a computer with the font installed |
| Only changes on other people's computers | Fonts not embedded in PDF | Use a PDF reader to view the font list in the document properties to see if the original font name is listed |
| Line breaks change and text squeezes out of the text box | Alternative font widths are different | Compare the layout before and after exporting page by page to find the overflowing pages |
| Text cannot be selected | The page is in image form and the font has been fixed. | Try to select the text on the page. If you cannot select it, it means the content is a picture. |
Check and repair item by item
- List all fonts used in the source file. Use the font replacement or font management function that comes with the demo software to view it and write down the name of each font.
- Install the missing fonts on the exported computer, restart the demo software, and confirm that the page displays normally before exporting.
- Unify template fonts. Try to use the same set of available fonts for titles, text, and notes to avoid mixing multiple similar fonts on one page.
- Check the export settings. Look for options related to font embedding and optimization in "Save as PDF" or the export dialog box, and check to embed fonts before exporting.
- Open the exported file with a PDF reader and view the font list in the document properties. The original font name should exist. If there are six letters and a plus sign in front of the name, it means that only the characters used are embedded, which is normal.
- Open the file on a computer that does not have the font and check that the layout and font style remain unchanged. This is a test that is close to the other person’s actual experience.
- If there are problems with only a few pages, it is easier to modify only those pages in the source file and then export it than to redo the entire file.
- If the PDF has been generated and you only need to modify a few text, you can use the PDF editor of the OmniDoc desktop client (download.omnidoc.top) to directly modify the paragraph text. After modification, you still need to check the font display. For large-area font replacement, it is recommended to return to the source file to repair it and re-export it.
How to avoid it happening again next time
- Decide on the font when you start working on it. Templates use common, embeddable fonts and save the font list with the source file.
- Open the test on another computer before delivery, do not just confirm on your own computer.
- Check fonts and pictures before exporting, and check the homepage, table pages and pages containing formulas after exporting.
- For files that need to be saved for a long time, if the export tool supports it, you can choose an archive format such as PDF/A.
- When the file needs to be modified by others, deliver the source file together with the PDF, not just the PDF.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Will the PDF become larger after embedding fonts?
It will be slightly larger, especially for Chinese fonts, because the file must contain glyph data. If there are requirements on the file size, you can embed only the characters used in the text, but there may be missing characters when the other party later modifies the text.
2. Will free fonts also have embedding problems?
It's possible. Whether embedding is allowed depends on the licensing terms of the font, and free fonts may also have restrictions. You can look for "embedding" related terms in the font's authorization description before use.
3. The PDF looks normal on my computer, but it changes when others open it. Why?
Usually your computer has this font installed, but it is not embedded when exporting. If the other party's computer does not have this font, the system can only use alternative fonts to display it.
4. If there is only PDF and no original PPT, can the font still be changed?
The font itself cannot be directly replaced. If the text in the PDF can be edited, you can modify the paragraph text and then check the display effect. If it is a scanned document, you need to use the OCR function of the PDF editor to recognize the text first, and the recognition results must be checked paragraph by paragraph.
📝 Summary
The fonts have changed after converting PPT to PDF. Most of the time it is because the exported computer lacks fonts or the fonts are not embedded. Most problems can be avoided by installing all fonts, unifying template fonts, and checking the embedding option before exporting, and then testing on another computer.
