How to Fix Rectangles with Diagonal Lines Around PDF Text
Question details
Users experience an issue where specific characters turn into rectangles with diagonal lines instead of displaying correct text when attempting to edit a PDF document.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Editing a presentation PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- Some letters in the document are replaced by rectangles containing diagonal lines, making the text unreadable and impossible to edit normally.
Ensure you have the original fonts used in the presentation PDF installed on your computer, as missing or corrupted fonts often cause these specific rendering artifacts.
Refresh Font Rendering by Toggling the Text Font
Temporarily changing the affected text to a different font and then reverting it can force the PDF editor to re-render the characters correctly, eliminating the rectangle artifacts.
This issue usually occurs when the PDF editor's font cache encounters a glitch while attempting to load an embedded font. Toggling the font type effectively resets the text layer's rendering parameters for those specific characters.
Using the Edit tool, highlight the characters that are currently displaying as rectangles with diagonal lines.
Navigate to the text formatting panel and change the selected text to a common, system-installed font such as Arial or Times New Roman.
Once the text updates, change the font selection back to the original font intended for the presentation. The characters should now render normally.
Edit PDF Text Seamlessly with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a powerful built-in PDF editor that accurately renders fonts and edits presentation PDFs effortlessly, helping you avoid missing character issues and rendering artifacts.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the problematic presentation PDF file.
- 2. Access the Edit mode: Navigate to the 'Edit' tab at the top and click on 'Edit Text' to activate the text layer.
- 3. Modify text securely: Select any text block to modify it. WPS PDF will automatically identify the original font and match it without generating rectangle artifacts.
- 4. Save your document: Click 'Save' or press Ctrl+S to save your newly edited PDF with perfectly rendered text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do diagonal line rectangles appear in my PDF?
This typically happens when the PDF application cannot find, decode, or render the embedded font properly. The rectangles act as visual placeholders (known as 'tofu') indicating missing or corrupted character data.
How do I embed fonts properly when saving a PDF to avoid this?
When exporting to PDF from your original presentation software (like PowerPoint or WPS Presentation), go to the save or export options and ensure the setting to 'Embed fonts in the file' is checked before generating the PDF.
Will these font errors show up when printing the PDF?
Yes, if the characters display as rectangles with diagonal lines on your screen, they will likely print exactly the same way. You must resolve the font rendering issue in the editor before sending the document to the printer.
