Fix Noto Sans CJK Characters Displaying Incorrectly in Acrobat PDFs
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where Noto Sans CJK Traditional Chinese characters fail to render properly and appear as corrupted symbols in PDF files.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Opening and viewing a generated PDF document that utilizes the Noto Sans CJK Traditional Chinese font.
- Observed behavior
- The Chinese characters appear as corrupted or incorrect symbols in the main document view, even though they remain visible and correct within the PDF Content panel.
Ensure you have access to the original source file (such as the Microsoft Word document) used to generate the PDF, as the solution requires you to recreate the PDF document.
Recreate the PDF Directly in Adobe Acrobat
Bypass third-party export tools by using Acrobat's built-in file conversion feature to ensure the Noto Sans CJK fonts are properly embedded and rendered.
When a PDF is generated directly from Microsoft Word using the 'Save As PDF' or default export function, complex fonts like Noto Sans CJK may not embed correctly. Using Adobe Acrobat to pull the file in directly forces a cleaner conversion process.
Open the Adobe Acrobat desktop application on your computer.
Click on 'File' in the top menu bar, select 'Create', and then choose 'PDF from File...'.
Locate and select the original Microsoft Word document (.docx) containing the Noto Sans CJK characters, then click 'Open'.
Wait for Acrobat to process and convert the file. Once the newly generated PDF opens, review the document to confirm the Chinese characters now display correctly.
Embed Fonts in the Source Document Before Exporting
Force Microsoft Word to embed the font data directly into the document file before attempting the PDF conversion.
Create and View PDFs Flawlessly with WPS Office
WPS Office offers a built-in PDF editor and creator that seamlessly converts Word documents to PDF without font corruption issues. It perfectly supports complex character sets, including Noto Sans CJK, ensuring your documents look exactly as intended.
- 1. Open Source File in WPS: Launch WPS Office and open your original Word document containing the Chinese characters.
- 2. Export to PDF: Click on the 'Menu' button in the top left corner, hover over 'Export to PDF', and click to initiate the conversion.
- 3. Review in WPS PDF: Open the newly created PDF within WPS PDF to verify that all Noto Sans CJK characters are displayed perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Noto Sans CJK characters corrupt when converting Word to PDF?
Font embedding failures during the standard export process from Word often cause complex CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) characters to be replaced with corrupted symbols or missing glyphs in PDF viewers.
How can I check if fonts are embedded in my PDF file?
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat or WPS PDF, navigate to File > Properties, and click on the 'Fonts' tab. It should list your specific font (e.g., Noto Sans CJK) followed by '(Embedded Subset)'.
Will changing the font fix the character display issue in Acrobat?
Yes, switching to standard system CJK fonts like Microsoft YaHei, PMingLiU, or SimHei before exporting your document can often bypass the compatibility issues associated with the Noto Sans font family.
