PDF Font Embedding
Options
Black Ice ColorPlus and PDF Printer Drivers
Embedding fonts into a PDF file will insert the font files themselves into written PDF files. Why is embedding fonts useful? If one creates a PDF file on a computer, that computer will have certain non-universal fonts installed. If one uses any of these non-universal fonts and later transports the created PDF document onto another computer, the other computer might not have the same font installed. In this case, one can not be certain the PDF document will be displayed correctly on the other computer without having the original font used to create the PDF file. Embedding the font into the PDF document ensures transporting it together with the PDF file. When a consumer application opens the document it can extract the font from the PDF file on any other computer and use the extracted font to display the document thereby making sure it will be displayed the same way even on the other computer – or printer – as it was intended to.
The disadvantage of file embedding is the increase in file size. If a font is widespread enough, there is no need to embed it. There are 14 fonts in the PDF 1.4 standard that are supported without needing to embed them: Times (4 types), Helvetica (4 types), Courier (4 types), Symbol and ZapfDingbats. If one uses any of these fonts then most consumer PDF viewers will be able to view text with these fonts correctly without a need for embedding.
The conclusion is that embedding fonts makes PDF documents more portable at the cost of an increase of the file size.
The Black Ice PDF Printer Drivers support the following font formats to be embedded: TrueType (.ttf), OpenType TrueType (.ttf), Open Type Type1 (.otf) and Type1 (.pfb, .pfm).
Embed fonts: If this option is checked
the printer driver embeds all the fonts in the
PDF document except the licensed fonts, the 14
Adobe fonts, and the standard Windows fonts.
Create font subset: When
embedding fonts it is possible to include only
those characters in a font that were used in the
document. This partial font is called a "Font
Subset" If this option is checked fonts are
embedded as font subset. This works only for
TrueType/OpenType fonts. This setting can
greatly reduce the output file size.
Embed licensed fonts: Certain font
manufacturers may not permit the embedding of
their fonts into a document without the proper
licensing on the viewer’s machine. The small
lock icon before a font name indicates
restricted license embedding. Fonts with
“restricted license embedding” right will not be
embedded into the document, unless the “Embed
licensed fonts” checkbox is selected.
Embed Adobe standard fonts: Standard Adobe
fonts include 14 fonts which are carried with
Adobe Acrobat Reader. Since most people view
their pdf files with this program, the default
setting is not to embed these fonts into the
document to reduce the size of the output file.
Embed Windows standard fonts: Standard
windows fonts is a collection of fonts which are
on almost every desktop windows machine. These
fonts will not be embedded unless the embed
standard windows font checkbox is selected.
Force to embed: These fonts will be
embedded in the PDF document even if the embed
fonts checkbox is not selected.
Forbidden to
embed: These fonts won’t be embedded in the PDF
document even if the Embed fonts checkbox is
selected.
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