Skip to main content
Nathan38699677xnj2
Participant
Oct 23, 2026 4:44 PM UTC
Question

Bug Report: Acrobat Pro PDF Optimizer shifts text in PDFs generated by modern browsers

Product: Adobe Acrobat Pro 2026
Version: 2026.002.22031
Operating systems: macOS and Windows
Affected browsers tested: Firefox 158.0.1 and Chrome 156.0.8078.47
Working browser version tested: Firefox 157.0.1

 

Summary

Adobe Acrobat Pro shifts text horizontally when optimizing PDFs generated by newer versions of web browsers. The problem is reproducible on both macOS and Windows, but follows the source PDF rather than the operating system or Acrobat installation.

Testing with a controlled HTML page has confirmed that the problem affects at least the Roboto and Open Sans fonts. Arial has not exhibited the problem in my testing so far.

Additionally, Acrobat's optimizer produces virtually no reduction in file size for affected PDFs, whereas the same optimization workflow normally reduces file sizes substantially.

 

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open the following test page in Firefox 158.0.1 or Chrome 156.0.8078.47:

    https://htmldrop.com/93xAYVxujYsf

  2. Print the page to PDF using the browser's print dialog.

  3. Open the resulting PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro 2026, version 2026.002.22031.

  4. Run PDF Optimizer using a custom preset, the Standard preset, or the Mobile preset.

  5. Compare the optimized PDF with the original.

 

Actual behavior

  • Text shifts horizontally after optimization, causing text to become misaligned or overlap.

  • The issue has been reproduced with Roboto and Open Sans in a controlled test page.

  • In mixed-weight sentences, bold and regular text can shift relative to each other and overlap. When text uses the same font subset, the text appears to shift together.

  • The optimized file is virtually the same size as the original, sometimes differing by only a few KBs.

 

Expected behavior

Acrobat should preserve the original text positioning, formatting, selectable text, and hyperlinks while optimizing the PDF and reducing its file size where possible.

 

Cross-platform testing

Both computers run Adobe Acrobat Pro 2026, version 2026.002.22031.

PDF source Optimized on macOS Optimized on Windows
Firefox 158.0.1 on macOS Text shifts Text shifts
Firefox 157.0.1 on Windows Works correctly Works correctly
Chrome 156.0.8078.47 Text shifts Text shifts

The results indicate that the issue follows the source PDF rather than the computer performing the optimization.

 

Font investigation

The following results have been observed using the controlled HTML test page:

  • Roboto: Text shifts after optimization.

  • Open Sans: Text shifts after optimization.

  • Arial: No shifting observed so far.

I have not established whether other font families are affected.

Font-property comparisons in Acrobat's Document Properties dialog show differences between older, working PDFs and newer, affected PDFs. The affected PDFs contain multiple Type 3 font entries with names such as T3Font_32, T3Font_33, and similar identifiers. These entries were observed in PDFs generated by both Firefox and Chrome.

I have not established whether these Type 3 fonts directly cause the issue or are a related consequence of the browser's PDF-generation process.

 

Troubleshooting performed

  • Reproduced the issue on macOS and Windows using the same Acrobat version.

  • Tested PDFs generated by Firefox 158.0.1, Firefox 157.0.1, and Chrome 156.0.8078.47.

  • Confirmed that Firefox 157-generated PDFs optimize correctly on both computers.

  • Disabled the Firefox preference accessibility.tagged_pdf_output.enabled; it was already set to false.

  • Disabled all options in Acrobat's Clean Up section, including Optimize page content.

  • Tested the Standard and Mobile optimization presets.

  • Tested with font subsetting disabled.

  • Tested a controlled HTML page containing Roboto, Arial, and Open Sans, including headings, paragraphs, bold and italic text, and hyperlinks.

The problem persists across the tested optimization presets and operating systems.

 

Request

Please investigate a possible regression or compatibility issue in Acrobat Pro's PDF Optimizer when processing PDFs generated by newer browser versions.

The issue is reproducible using the linked test page and appears to affect specific font families or font structures. The unexpected lack of file-size reduction suggests that Acrobat may also be failing to optimize some of the affected PDF content as expected.

I can provide original and optimized PDF samples from both working and affected cases for further investigation.

    4 replies

    Nathan38699677xnj2Author
    Participant
    Oct 27, 2026 7:38 PM UTC

    Hi ​@Anand Sri Bhattacharya 

    I followed the diagnostic steps, but unfortunately it still resulted in the text shifting.

     

    I’ve set up a test page at: https://htmldrop.com/93xAYVxujYsf.

    For the workflow, I open Firefox, navigate to the page, press CMD + P to open the print dialog. I choose “Save to PDF” and then press “Save”. Next, I open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro, then navigate to File > Save as Other > Optimized PDF. So far I haven’t found a combination of settings in the Optimizer that doesn’t cause a text shift, but for the purposes of this example, I’m choosing the “Mobile” preset. I chose this one since it includes the checked “Do not unembed any font” option by default. I also switched compatibility to “Retain existing”. Screenshots of each panel are in the “PDF Optimizer Settings.pdf” file.

    The original browser-generated PDF and it’s optimized output are attached as “TextShiftTest_ORIGINAL.pdf” and “TextShiftTest_OPTIMIZED.pdf”.

    The screenshots of the Document Properties > Fonts is attached in “Fonts_ORIGINAL.pdf” and “Fonts_OPTIMIZED.pdf”.

    The attached examples were produced from my Mac running macOS 27.0.1. I’ve gotten the same exact results running these tests from my Windows PC running Windows 11 Home, 26H2. 

    I’ve also submitted the logs. The Log ID is 22d0abd9-1371-41f2-b219-86dc207e6f1b.

     

    Please let me know if you have any other questions.

     

    Respectfully,

    Nathan

    Translate
    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 27, 2026 7:53 PM UTC

    Thank you, for all the details, ​@Nathan38699677xnj2 

     

    We will investigate this matter with the product team and may contact you for additional details if needed.

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

    Translate
    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 26, 2026 8:04 PM UTC

    Hello @Nathan38699677xnj2


    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out. Sorry for the trouble.


    Thank you for the thorough report and for narrowing this down with controlled browser and font testing. The cross-platform results suggest an interaction between the browser-generated PDF and Acrobat’s optimization process, but they do not yet confirm the underlying cause or establish this as a known Acrobat bug.


    As a diagnostic, please retain the original PDF and test a copy:

    1. Go to All tools > Compress a PDF > Advanced Optimization.

    2. Set Make compatible with to Retain existing.

    3. Under Fonts, select Do not unembed any font.

    4. Save the result with a new filename and check whether the text still shifts.


    If the issue remains, please share the following, using the smallest sanitized sample possible:

    • The original browser-generated PDF and the optimized output.

    • The source HTML/test page, if it can be shared.

    • The exact browser PDF-creation workflow and settings.

    • Screenshots of the PDF Optimizer preset and all enabled panels/options.

    • Screenshots of Document Properties > Fonts for the original and optimized PDFs.

    • The exact macOS and Windows versions used.

    • The logs from the affected machine. To collect the logs, refer to this article: Adobe Acrobat Diagnostics.


    That material should help isolate whether a Fonts, compatibility, Clean Up, or other optimization setting is involved and provide a reproducible package for further investigation. Please continue testing only on copies of the original file.

    Thanks again for the detailed comparison.


    I hope this helps, and please reach out if you need any assistance.

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

    Translate
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices