Export Acrobat DC PDF with Embed Full Font instead Subset Font
Use Case: PDF Documents generated by multiple parties are then edited and combined (and often re-edited and re-used multiple times) within an established workflow. The workflow itself can't be changed however individual settings on the Acrobat DC instances on individual computers can be updated.
Root Problem: Files without fully embedded fonts that go into the process cause repeated problems later on in the workflow as the characters being leveraged in the editing process are not available when font characters are subset
Working Solution: Set PDF Export settings to embed full fonts. I opened an issue with Adobe Support and confirmed all settings are correct and that the fonts SHOULD be fully embedded.
Flaw with Solution: IF using a font that is part of a Font Family (multiple font styles and weights withing the same Font Family) the PDF properties ALWAYS lists the font as Subset. In the instance I'm working with, Times New Roman was being used (Times New Roman ttf on Windows, has 4 fonts in the Font family; Bold, Italic, Regular & Bold Italic). Adobe Support stated: "..it says embedded subset because the Times new roman family multiple fonts. If there is a font which only have 1 type in its family then the properties will reflect Embedded only else property says embedded subset..." As a test, I included every font in the Times New Roman Font Family in a test PDF and still it lists each font as subset. This presents an issue to the workflow as verification of the full font being embedded needs to be done to make sure that the issues with subset fonts doesn't create problems later on in the workflow.
Currently, it appears that the font will be listed as subset if part of a font family, no matter if the entire family is included, just because it is part of a family. I'm still waiting for Adobe Support to confirm this detail. Personally, this sounds like a bug, or at the very least a murky detail in intended behavior.
HELP! Moving forward: I need a way to figure out if a font is subset by available characters or if it is subset by type and weight. Is there a way through preflight or other utility to prove to a 3rd party that all the available characters for a font are in fact embedded in the PDF?
