BYTETOOLS

PDF Font Checker

See which fonts a PDF uses and whether each one is embedded, subset or will be substituted by the printer, with type, encoding and a CSV export.

Drop a PDF here or click to browseFont dictionaries are read locally — nothing is uploaded

What is the PDF Font Checker?

A PDF only looks the same everywhere if its fonts travel with it. This checker scans the document's font dictionaries and reports each font's name, its type — Type 1, TrueType, Type 3 or a composite Type 0 CID font — its encoding, and whether the descriptor carries an actual embedded font file.

  • Lists every font dictionary with its base font name
  • Reports Type 1, TrueType, Type 3 and Type 0 CID subtypes
  • Shows whether FontFile, FontFile2 or FontFile3 data is embedded
  • Warns about fonts that are neither embedded nor standard 14
  • Tags subset fonts and hides descendant CID entries by default
  • Read locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded

How to use the PDF Font Checker

  1. 1

    Drop a PDF onto the upload area.

  2. 2

    Read the table of fonts with their type, encoding and embedded status.

  3. 3

    Check the warning banner for fonts that a printer will have to substitute.

  4. 4

    Untick the CID filter if you want to see descendant fonts as well.

  5. 5

    Copy the table or download it as CSV for your print supplier.

About the PDF Font Checker

A PDF only looks the same everywhere if its fonts travel with it. This checker scans the document's font dictionaries and reports each font's name, its type — Type 1, TrueType, Type 3 or a composite Type 0 CID font — its encoding, and whether the descriptor carries an actual embedded font file.

Fonts that are neither embedded nor part of the standard 14 get a clear warning, because those are the ones a print shop's RIP will silently swap for a lookalike, moving your line breaks and changing the look of the page. Subset fonts are tagged too, since the six-letter prefix in front of a name confuses a lot of people.

Everything is read locally with pdf-lib, so artwork under NDA never leaves your browser. Export the table as CSV to send to your printer along with a job.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check whether a PDF's fonts are embedded?

Drop the file here and look at the Embedded column. It shows FontFile, FontFile2 or FontFile3 when the actual glyph data is inside the PDF, and a plain no when the reader will have to find that font on its own machine.

What does a six-letter prefix in front of a font name mean?

That marks a subset font: only the glyphs the document actually uses were embedded, which keeps the file small. The prefix is a random tag so two different subsets of the same font do not collide, and it is completely normal.

What are the standard 14 fonts?

They are the fourteen typefaces every PDF reader must provide itself — the Helvetica, Times, Courier, Symbol and ZapfDingbats families. A PDF can use them without embedding anything, which is why the tool does not warn about them.

Why does my printer say fonts are missing?

Because a font is referenced but not embedded, so the RIP substitutes whatever it has. Anything flagged in the warning banner here is a candidate. Re-export from your design app with font embedding turned on, or convert that text to outlines.

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