"?" in a box in place of a letter - the latest being "f"

Question

At times when I create a PDF file using Acrobat 64-bit from an MS Word file, I get a question mark (?) in a box in place of a letter. This time the letter is “f”

When I get this question mark, I normally use the Help > Repair installation feature, then check for updates. This approach has worked until yesterday, when the problem refused to go away, and I had to use another writer.

In the first place, I do not see why I have to repair Acrobat before I use it. This wastes time, and when I work against deadlines (all the time), I find this stressful.

What is the problem?

I am using the MS Word’s recently introduced Aptos font, which Acrobat does not seem to support (I do not know why, and cannot understand why), so I untick Rely on system fonts only… in Document Properties. In the past, this worked, but yesterday it did not. I tried again today, but the problem persists, even though I used Help > Repair installation yesterday.

ls_rbls · Accepted Answer

Hi ​@Paul Gauci,I came accross this thread and got me curious:If you’re using Microsoft Windows, consider this: "Beta: Utilize Unicode UTF-8 for global language compatibility." To access the settings:1. Start by opening the Windows Start menu and typing in Control Panel2. Next, click on Clock and Region, followed by Region3. A dialog box will appear; go to the "Administration" tab.4. In the section labeled "Language for programs that do not support Unicode," click on the "Change system locale" button5. At the bottom, make sure to check the box next to: "Beta: Use UTF-8 to support worldwide languages."6. After that, click OK.7. Finally, restart your computer when Windows prompts you.Would this approach resolve the issue ??NOTES:This change impacts how Windows manages older applications that don't support Unicode and depend on the outdated ANSI code pagesLearn Microsoft - Use UTF-8 code pages in Windows apps

Meenakshi0101 · Answer

HiPaul Gauci,Thank you for reaching out, and sorry for the trouble caused.It seems that this issue is related to fonts. To help us investigate further, could you please provide the following:A short video demonstrating the steps to convert the Word file to PDF and how it appears in Acrobat.A sample Word file that reproduces the issue, along with the PDF created from it.The version numbers of both Acrobat and MS Word that you are usingWe will get this issue reviewed.Feel free to let us know if you have any questions or need help.Thanks,Meenakshi

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