How to Embed Fonts in a PDF to Print

When creating a PDF in Adobe Acrobat, take measures to preserve the formatting and appearance of your document. Capture the document's font information with Acrobat Distiller. This effort will prevent unexpected or undesired font substitutions. Test the file before you share it to discover if your PDF file will display accurately on someone else's computer. After following a few simple steps, you can rest assured that your document will print from any computer. It's especially useful to embed fonts in PDF files designed with commercial printing or sharing in mind.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Acrobat 8+
• Adobe Distiller (part of the Acrobat package)

Instructions

Embedding Fonts With Adobe Distiller

1. Open the file containing the fonts you would like to embed in Adobe Acrobat.

2. Launch Acrobat Distiller by selecting "Advanced," "Print Production," "Acrobat Distiller."

3. Navigate to the "Settings" menu.

4. Select "Job Options."

5. Click on the "Fonts" tab.

6. Choose the "Embed All Fonts" option.

7. Click "OK."

Verify Successful Font Embedding in Adobe Acrobat

1. Return to Adobe Acrobat.

2. Navigate to "File," "Document Info."

3. Click "Fonts." A window will appear.

4. Review the embedded fonts by selecting "List All Fonts." A table of fonts will appear.

5. Check the "Used Font" column.

6. Verify that each font is labeled as an "Embedded Subset."

7. Click "OK." The window will close.

Test Print the Embedded Fonts

1. Navigate to "Edit" under Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat 8 (Mac).

2. Select "Categories."

3. Choose "Page Display."

4. Turn off the "Use Local Fonts" option. Make sure that "Use Local Fonts" is inactive before proceeding.

5. Click "OK."

6. Inspect the fonts in the PDF document to see if you find any fonts that are not embedded.

7. Print the document.

8. Review the printed version. If your document's fonts appear to be properly embedded, you have mastered how to embed fonts in a PDF file for printing.

Tips & Warnings

• When verifying the embedded fonts in Acrobat, be sure that they display as TrueType, OpenType or Type 1 fonts.

• PDF/X Compliance requires font embedding.

• It's normal for common fonts such as Arial, Courier, Helvetica and Times to appear in the Acrobat Distiller font table without the words "Embedded Subset" next to them.

• A font can only be embedded if it is free of license restrictions. If you do not own full rights to the font you wish to embed into a PDF document, purchase the rights to do so or employ a different font.

References

• Adobe Help: Acrobat Distiller Overview
• Adobe Help: Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional User Guide
• Adobe Help: Font Embedding and Substitution

Resources

• Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro: Download