Scrambled fonts PPT to PDF

[mattwarr]

I really hope someone can help me please.

When I save a PPT as a PDF the fronts are scrambled - too close together and not the Bahnshrift as was used in the original PPT I created.

Thank you in advanced.

[Amal.]

Hi Mattwarr

We are sorry for the trouble. As described, saving a PPT as a PDF the fronts are scrambled.

Would you mind sharing the workflow/steps you are doing to create the PDF from the PPT file?  Please try to create the PDF using the Adobe Acrobat ribbon in the toolbar present in MS Powerpoint on the top and see if that makes any difference. Go to Acrobat ribbon > Preferences > Advanced Settings > Fonts > Check 'Embed all fonts'> Click Ok and then create the PDF.

Also, make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat DC  v20.009.320074. Go to Help  > Check for Updates.

Let us know how it goes

Regards

Amal

[Dov Isaacs]

 Nope, see my response below!

[Dov Isaacs · Accepted solution]

The problem is that Bahnschrift is an OpenType Variable TTF font. Microsoft doesn't fully support use of these fonts yet in any Office application for PDF creation (neither with the native Microsoft PDF creation nor with the Adobe PDF creation - the interfaces within Office applications isn't ready for this format of fonts yet). Direct printing with OpenType Variable TTF fonts is also not reliable yet.

Adobe has reported the problem to Microsoft and allegedly they are working on it.

For the time being, you'll need to choose a different font family.

[mattwarr]

This is the sad news I was expecting.... a ridiculous situation and so utterly and completely frustrating.

However, thank you for the advice.

[Asher@]

Don't be so sad. I have an idea. You can first save your PPT pages as images, and then save the images to a PDF file. In this way, you'll be able to see the font in your PDF.

[defaultxcqozh3aiek8]

June 2023 and it's still happening. Incredibly frustrating.

[Creamer Training]

Did you contact Microsoft, since the answer states that it is a problem on their end. 

[defaultxcqozh3aiek8]

Yes, I am aware it's an MS problem and that the solution marked above is still the solution. I only posted here to point out for anyone else experiencing this problem with Bahnschrift that it still exists 3 years later. It's too bad because Bahnschrift is one of the more useable typefaces in Word imo.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

It takes much longer than 3 years for all computer technologies to accommodate new font technologies, like variable font weights.

Example, Unicode font encoding became the computer industry standard in 2000  -- 23 years ago  -- and we still have problems with fonts not following the Unicode standard correctly and software not using it correctly. Changes in font technologies also involve updated standards for PDF files that will use variable weight fonts.

Cool as it is, our shop doesn't recommend using any variable weight font at this time, and we advise waiting until all the stakeholders get their programming ducks in a row. Most likely, that is still several years away.

For those reading this thread who would like to know more about varible weight fonts and Bahnschrift itself, Microsoft has a great description at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/bahnschrift

[Abambo]

Yes, I am aware it's an MS problem and that the solution marked above is still the solution.

By @defaultxcqozh3aiek8

Well, you should complain to Microsoft. Waking up this old thread, just to say that it is still not working is not productive, if you do not have a working workaround.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

You can report the bug directly to Microsoft at https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-365-2b102d44-b43f-4dd...

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

The solution, marked as correct above, is to use fonts that can be embedded into PDFs. That means:

• No variable weight fonts. They are very new to the industry and many technologies can't handle them (see Dov Isaac's answer above). Here's info about what a variable weight font is: https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/what-are-variable-fonts--cms-31310
• Check that the fonts you're using have the correct license to be embedded into PDFs.
• Ensure that your PDF export settings are set to embed all fonts.

Question: What font(s) are you trying to embed?