A font can be embedded only if it contains
a setting by the font vendor that permits it to be embedded. Embedding
prevents font substitution when readers view or print the file,
and ensures that readers see the text in its original font. Embedding
increases file size only slightly, unless the document uses CID
fonts. a font format commonly used for Asian languages. You can
embed or substitute fonts in Acrobat or when you export an InDesign
document to PDF.
You can embed the entire font, or just a subset of the characters
used in the file. Subsetting ensures that your fonts and font metrics
are used at print time by creating a custom font name. That way,
for example, your version of Adobe Garamond®,
not your service provider’s version, can always be used by the service
provider for viewing and printing. Type 1 and TrueType fonts can
be embedded if they are included in the PostScript file, or are
available in one of the font locations that Distiller monitors and
are not restricted from embedding.
When a font cannot be embedded because of the font vendor’s settings,
and someone who opens or prints a PDF does not have access to the
original font, a Multiple Master typeface is temporarily substituted:
AdobeSerifMM for a missing serif font, and AdobeSansMM for a missing
sans serif font.
The Multiple Master typeface can stretch or condense to fit,
to ensure that line and page breaks in the original document are
maintained. The substitution cannot always match the shape of the
original characters, however, especially if the characters are unconventional
ones, such as script typefaces.
Note: For Asian text, Acrobat uses fonts from the installed Asian
language kit or from similar fonts on the user’s system. Fonts from
some languages or with unknown encodings cannot be substituted;
in these cases, the text appears as bullets in the file.
If characters are unconventional (left), the substitution
font will not match (right).
If you have difficulty copying and pasting text
from a PDF, first check if the problem font is embedded (File >
Properties > Font tab). For an embedded font, try changing the
point where the font is embedded, rather than sending it inside
the PostScript file. Distill the PDF without embedding that font.
Then open the PDF in Acrobat and embed the font using the Preflight
fixup. For more information, see the forum post at
www.acrobatusers.com/forums/aucbb/viewtopic.php?pid=52774#p52774.
