Font suddenly changed in certain files - help deeply appreciated!

[marcdarrylgb]

Hi! I've been using Acrobat Reader (free version) on Windows 10 and suddenly some of my files have changed fonts. For example, the below screenshot is how it's supposed to look (and how it used to look in Adobe). I used a different PDF reader for this:

Now, it suddenly looks like this in Adobe Acrobat:

I already tried restarting/reinstalling but to no luck. The files are normal in all other PDF readers. I'm also attaching the file used above if anyone needs to check anything.

Help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[AnandSri · Accepted solution]

Hey Marc!

I hope you are doing well and sorry for the trouble you had.

I opened the attached PDF file in the latest version of Adobe Reader DC 20.009.20067 Optional update, June 02, 2020 and I am able to see the fonts as shown in the first screenshot attached. There is no change in the fonts.

Please reboot the machine once, then go to the Adobe Reader Preferences from Edit>Preferences>Page Display>under Rendering please select the option 'Use Local fonts'> Click OK, restart the application and open the PDF file again and check.

Also, make sure all the fonts are available and installed on your machine. 

Check for any pending updates of the OS, install all the mandatory and optional updates, reboot the machine after updating the OS.

Let us know how it goes and share your observations.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[AnandSri · Accepted solution]

Hey Marc!

I hope you are doing well and sorry for the trouble you had.

I opened the attached PDF file in the latest version of Adobe Reader DC 20.009.20067 Optional update, June 02, 2020 and I am able to see the fonts as shown in the first screenshot attached. There is no change in the fonts.

Please reboot the machine once, then go to the Adobe Reader Preferences from Edit>Preferences>Page Display>under Rendering please select the option 'Use Local fonts'> Click OK, restart the application and open the PDF file again and check.

Also, make sure all the fonts are available and installed on your machine. 

Check for any pending updates of the OS, install all the mandatory and optional updates, reboot the machine after updating the OS.

Let us know how it goes and share your observations.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[marcdarrylgb]

Hi Anand,

Thank you so much for your reply! I already had local fonts checked. Is there a way for me to check/fix my fonts? Not sure what's the issue with my settings since the file looks fine in other PDF readers and I'm the only one using this device as well.

Have a good day!

Regards,

Marc

[Luke Jennings3 · Accepted solution]

It looks like your PDF has some unembedded fonts. This could be because the PDF was not properly created from Word, or was optimized for size. I ran a preflight fixup on the PDF which may have fixed the issue (Tools> Print Production> Preflight> Fixups). Unfortunately the Preflight tools are not available in Reader.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cxmyt3rnpjn0s73/RCC%20Comparative%20Matrix_1.pdf?dl=0

[marcdarrylgb]

Hi, thank you so much for the help and reply! The file also got fixed. Would you know what happened though since I could previously just open the file just fine and then it became as above some months after?

Regards,

Marc

[Luke Jennings3]

I don't know what changed, unless someone optimized the PDF in Acrobat and unembedded the fonts, or something changed on your computer that removed some needed fonts?

You can use Reader to confirm a PDF has embedded fonts, go to File> Properties> Fonts, all the listed fonts should say Embedded or Subset.

[marcdarrylgb]

Hi Luke,

Thank you so much for all your help! Sorry to bother you on it but is there a way I can check if my fonts are OK? I'm just curious why the old file looked OK in other PDF readers since I have the same issue with some other files. I'm also the only one using this device.

Have a good day!

Regards,

Marc

[Luke Jennings3]

Yes, as I previously mentioned, you can use Adobe Reader to check for properly embedded fonts:

Go to File> Properties> Fonts, all the listed fonts should say Embedded or Subset.

If they don't say Embedded or Subset, there is a chance the text will display or print incorrectly, from any viewer.

[Averil5CB6]

Hi Luke & Marc,

I was so glad to find this because I thought I was (and still think I may be) losing my mind. The change I experienced was literally with the same files over a couple of days in time. And it is not a change in how the file looks in Adobe Reader but how it converts from Word to pdf doc.

I am converting Word files (11.0 Times New Roman) to pdf ones that used to convert fine (on 9/29/2021) and now convert with really tiny words w/large spaces between the lines (starting on 9/30/21). I have even gone back to other files that I created in 2019 or 2020 and just tried converting them to pdf again, and the new pdf versions are tiny while the old ones I created earlier still appear unchanged. The only thing that has changed is the day I am converting the file: the same conversion worked earlier (sometimes just a day or 2 before) that does not work now.

One thing I may have in common with the pictured files that Marc submitted is that my files are also tables -- meaning that after starting the new file, I first did the "Insertt table" command and then typed words and numbers into ever-expanding and changing tables. Could there be a problem there? And why/how could it change in a day?

Thanks for any help you can provide,

Averil 

[Luke Jennings3]

I don't know much about converting Word files to PDF, but I assume you have searched the forum already.

I suggest you ask a specific new question like "Converting Word files with tables to pdf suddenly produces tiny words w/large spaces between the lines" You will be asked your exact version of Acrobat, your OS and Word version and how you are doing the conversion.

[Averil5CB6]

thanks, I will try that.