How to Fix Oswald and Open Sans Font Substitution in Adobe Acrobat
Question details
Users experience font substitution when editing PDFs containing Oswald or Open Sans fonts, resulting in a different visual appearance even if the correct font family is selected.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Editing text in a PDF document created by a third party or outsourced team.
- Observed behavior
- The edited text uses a different-looking version of the font due to embedded, subsetted, or platform-specific font data in the original file.
Ensure you have the exact TrueType (TTF) or OpenType (OTF) font files for Oswald and Open Sans installed on your local system before editing the PDF.
Install the Correct Font Family and Restart Acrobat
Installing the exact font face used in the original document prevents the software from substituting it with a generic alternative.
PDFs often use specific font weights or versions that might not be pre-installed on your computer. By installing the exact Windows-compatible font files used by the original creator, Acrobat can render and edit the text correctly.
Obtain the Windows-compatible Oswald or Open Sans font files from a reliable source, such as Google Fonts.
Right-click the downloaded font files (.ttf or .otf) and select 'Install' or 'Install for all users'.
Close Adobe Acrobat completely and reopen your PDF document to force the application to load the newly installed system fonts.
Replace the Text Block with a Matching Font
If the original PDF uses subsetted fonts, Acrobat cannot use them for new edits. Replacing the entire text block with your local font fixes the mismatch.
Edit the Source Document and Re-export
The most reliable way to avoid subsetted font issues in PDFs is to edit the original source file.
Edit PDFs Smoothly with WPS Office
Avoid complicated font substitution errors by using WPS Office's built-in PDF Editor. It seamlessly handles text edits, automatically matches local fonts, and provides a lightweight, user-friendly experience for modifying professional documents.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the PDF file you want to modify.
- 2. Enter Edit Mode: Navigate to the 'Edit' tab and click on 'Edit Text' to make the document editable.
- 3. Modify text seamlessly: Click on the text block. WPS PDF will automatically utilize your system's fonts, allowing you to edit text smoothly without formatting issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my font change when I type in a PDF?
This happens because the original PDF only embedded the specific characters used in the document (known as subsetting) to save file size. When you type new characters, the PDF editor substitutes a different font because the required characters are missing.
How do I know if a font is subsetted in my PDF?
In Adobe Acrobat, go to File > Properties and click on the Fonts tab. If a font name is followed by '(Embedded Subset)', the font is subsetted and may cause substitution issues during editing.
Can I un-subset a font directly in a PDF?
No, you cannot reverse font subsetting directly within the PDF because the unused character data was permanently discarded during the initial export. You must either install the full font on your system or re-export the PDF from the source file.
