How to Embed and Select Chinese Fonts in a PDF
Question details
The user needs to convert a document containing both Latin and Chinese text into a PDF without the Chinese characters becoming pixelated, rasterized, or unselectable.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Converting a multi-language Word document to a PDF file.
- Observed behavior
- Latin text remains sharp and selectable, but Chinese text becomes pixelated and acts like an image, preventing text selection.
Ensure that the specific Chinese fonts used in your document are fully installed on your operating system and do not have strict licensing restrictions that block font embedding.
Export as PDF Using Native Settings Rather Than Printing
Using native 'Save As PDF' or PDF Maker tools prevents the system from rasterizing complex Asian fonts into unselectable images.
When converting documents with complex character sets like Chinese, using the 'Print to PDF' virtual printer often causes the text to be flattened into pixels. Using native text-based export workflows forces the fonts to be embedded.
Open your original Microsoft Word document containing the Chinese text.
Click on 'File' in the top-left corner, and choose 'Save As' or 'Export'.
Choose 'PDF (*.pdf)' from the format dropdown list. Do not use 'Print' and select a PDF printer.
Click on 'Options' or 'More Options' before saving. Make sure 'Bitmap text when fonts may not be embedded' is unchecked. If available, check the box for PDF/A compliant, which forces all fonts to be embedded.
Click 'Save' to generate the file. Open the new PDF to confirm that the Chinese text can now be highlighted and selected.
Verify Font Embedding in PDF Properties
Check the document properties in your PDF reader to confirm if the Chinese fonts were successfully embedded during the conversion process.
Easily Export Documents with Embedded Chinese Fonts using WPS Office
WPS Office features a powerful built-in PDF converter that perfectly handles multi-language documents, including complex Chinese characters. It automatically embeds your system fonts during export, ensuring your text remains crisp, searchable, and fully selectable without requiring expensive third-party plugins.
- 1. Open Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your document containing the Chinese text.
- 2. Click Export to PDF: Navigate to the 'Menu' button in the top-left corner and select 'Export to PDF'.
- 3. Adjust Settings: In the export dialog box, ensure the export quality is set to 'Standard' to retain full text data.
- 4. Export and Save: Click the 'Export to PDF' button. WPS Office will automatically embed the necessary Chinese fonts, keeping them fully selectable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Chinese text turn into an image when converting to PDF?
This usually happens when you use a 'Print to PDF' feature rather than a native 'Save as PDF' function. Virtual printers often rasterize complex fonts—turning them into pixels—to ensure the layout prints correctly, which removes the ability to select the text.
What does 'Embedded Subset' mean in PDF font properties?
'Embedded Subset' means that only the specific characters of the font that were actually used in your document are saved inside the PDF file. This keeps the file size small while ensuring the text displays perfectly on devices that do not have the font installed.
Are there licensing restrictions on embedding Chinese fonts?
Yes, some commercial fonts have strict digital rights management (DRM) that prevents them from being embedded in PDFs. If a font's license restricts embedding, your PDF converter will automatically replace it with a system font or rasterize it into an image.
How do I select non-selectable Chinese text in an existing PDF?
If the text is already rasterized into an image in a PDF you received, you cannot select it normally. You must use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software to scan the document and convert the images back into selectable text.
