Symbol to Symbol MT Font

[sarah_4917]

The word document has bullet points which are using Symbol and then I convert to PDF and it is moving the Symbol to Symbol MT font which is causing issues with a vendor.

[Tariq Ahmad]

Hi @sarah_4917,

Thanks for sharing the details. The difference you’re seeing between Symbol in Word and Symbol MT in the PDF is usually due to how the PDF conversion process handles certain fonts, especially older, non-Unicode ones like Symbol. During export, Word/PDFMaker may substitute the font with a Unicode-compatible equivalent to ensure the characters display and print correctly across devices.

If the vendor’s workflow requires the original Symbol font, you can try the following:

1. Embed the Symbol font in the PDF

   • In Word, go to Acrobat > Preferences (or the PDFMaker settings).

   • Enable Embed all fonts and ensure Symbol is listed in Always Embed.

   • Regenerate the PDF.

2. Convert using Adobe PDF printer

   • File > Print > Adobe PDF printer.

   • In Printer Properties → Adobe PDF Settings, uncheck Rely on system fonts only; do not use document fonts.

3. Use a Unicode bullet

   • If possible, replace the Symbol-based bullet with a Unicode bullet (•) in Word before exporting.

4. Preflight mapping (Acrobat Pro only)

   • Tools > Print Production > Preflight to replace Symbol MT with Symbol before sending to the vendor.

This font swap isn’t an error in Acrobat, but rather a compatibility step during conversion. Embedding the original font or switching to a Unicode symbol should prevent the issue in future PDFs.

Best regards,
Tariq | Adobe Community Team