Font embedding

Font embedding is inclusion of font files inside an electronic document. This has been possible with Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Word for Windows and some other applications for many years. It is controversial because it allows copyrighted fonts to be freely distributed.

Contents

In word processors

Microsoft Word for Windows has permitted font embedding in some document formats since Word 97 (such as .doc or .rtf). But this feature does not work correctly in some Word versions.[1]

OpenOffice.org supports font embedding in the PDF export feature.[2]

Font embedding in word processors is not widely supported.[3][4] For example, if an RTF file with embedded font is opened in other word processor than MS Word, it will usually remove embedded fonts.

On the Web

Main article: Font embedding on the Web
Main article: Comparison of layout engines (Web Typography)

Currently, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Google Chrome support automatic downloading of fonts used on a website using CSS2 or CSS3.

Controversy

Font embedding is a controversial practice because it allows copyrighted fonts to be freely distributed. The controversy can be mitigated by only embedding the characters required to view the document, but this prohibits adding of previously unused characters to the document.

Because of the potential for copyright infringement, Microsoft Internet Explorer only permits embedded fonts that include digital rights management (DRM) protections. The Acid3 test requires font embedding with minimal DRM protections.

References

  1. ^ "Embedded fonts are not displayed as expected in the documents that are saved as Rich text format (RTF) in Word". http://support.microsoft.com/kb/275953. Retrieved 2010-12-15. 
  2. ^ "API/Tutorials/PDF export". http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/API/Tutorials/PDF_export. Retrieved 2010-12-15. 
  3. ^ "Embedding fonts in RTF file". 2005-04-23. https://list.unm.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0504d&L=rtf-l&T=0&F=&S=&P=60. Retrieved 2010-03-17. 
  4. ^ "OpenOffice.org Issue - MS Interoperability: embedd fonts into the document". http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=20370. Retrieved 2010-03-17.