Article ID: 188324 - Last Review: August 17, 2005 - Revision: 1.1

WD: How to Embed TrueType Fonts in a Document

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SUMMARY

Microsoft Word for Windows allows you to embed TrueType fonts in your Word document so that you can view and edit the fonts (if licensing rights allow), even if you open the document on a computer that does not have the font installed.

To embed TrueType fonts in a saved document, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu click Options.
  2. Click the Save tab.
  3. Select the Embed TrueType Fonts check box.
Not all fonts are licensed so that they can be embedded. If a font can be embedded, it will increase the file size of your document by approximately the size of the TrueType font (.ttf) file.

NOTE: Some fonts treat normal, bold, italic, and bold-italic as separate font .ttf files. In this case, the file size of your document is larger when you use bold and italic formatting than it is if you do not.

If a font does not have a bold, italic, or bold-italic version of the font, then Windows generates bold or italic from the core font. In this case, the file size does increase when you use bold or italic formatting.
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MORE INFORMATION

Font embedding licensing rights determine how the font may be embedded in the document. 

   Font Licensed As   Result
   -----------------------------------------------------------------

   Protected          The font may not be embedded, copied, or
                      modified. If you use a protected font in a
                      document and if the document is opened on a computer
                      that does not have the font installed on it, a
                      font substitution occurs. Word substitutes the
                      closest font available on the computer for the
                      missing protected font.

   Print/Preview      The font is embedded and temporarily loaded on
                      the target computer. Documents that contain
                      print/preview fonts must be opened read-only, and
                      no edits are stored in the document. Embedding
                      a font of this nature has the least impact on
                      file size increase.

   Editable           The font behaves just like the print/preview
                      fonts, except that you may also apply the font to
                      other text in the same document.

   Installable        The font is installed on the target computer
                      permanently when you open the document. This
                      allows you to use the new fonts as if you
                      installed the fonts directly into Windows
                      yourself. This type of embedded font has the
                      greatest impact on file size because the entire
                      font or fonts are included with the document. The
                      size of the font file can vary greatly. To
                      estimate the font file size, do the following:
NOTE: Because there are several versions of Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, please consult your product documentation to complete these steps. 
                      Windows 95:

                         1. Click Settings On the Start menu and
                            click Control Panel.

                         2. Double-click the Fonts icon.

                         3. Right-click the desired font and click
                            Properties on the shortcut menu.

                            The size of the font on disk is listed for
                            "Size."

                      Windows 3.1x:

                         1. In Program Manager, start Control Panel.

                         2. Click the Fonts icon.

                         3. Select the font in question.

                         4. Read the information located in the
                            lower half of the dialog box.

                         The size of the font on disk is listed.

                       You can check the sizes of all of the font files
                       you use in your document. The total gives you a
                       rough idea of how much larger the file will be
                       if you embed TrueType fonts (assuming all of the
                       fonts used in your document are installable
                       fonts).

                       NOTE: The TrueType fonts that ship with Windows
                       3.1 or Windows for Workgroups may not follow
                       this behavior since there is no need to embed the
                       fonts. (They should be available on all Windows
                       3.1 or Windows for Workgroups computers.) Examples
                       of these fonts are Arial, Courier New, Times New
                       Roman, Symbol, and Wingdings.
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REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word User's Guide," version 6.0, Chapter 6, "Formatting Text Characters," "Displaying and Printing Fonts" section, pages 115-117
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Word 6.0 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Word 6.0a
  • Microsoft Word 6.0c
  • Microsoft Word 95 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Word 95a
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Keywords: 
kbfont kbhowto KB188324
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Retired KB ArticleRetired KB Content Disclaimer
This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.
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