Modify Font Properties of the Text in a PDF

The file format PDF, or Portable Document Format, is often used to maintain the integrity of a document. That means regardless of the application you are using to view the PDF, the document will appear the same. Because of this, the font is typically set in stone. If you need to change the font, you will need to either use special PDF editing software, or convert the file to a format you can edit. Read on to find out how.

Steps

Using Adobe Acrobat

  1. Open the PDF in Acrobat XI. One of the easiest ways to change the font in a PDF is to use Acrobat XI. This program is not available for free, but it is the most powerful PDF editor available.
    • You cannot edit PDFs with the free Reader program.
  2. Open the Tools menu. This can be toggled by clicking the Tools button in the upper-right corner of the editing window. This will open a frame on the right side of the window. Select the Content category, and then select Edit Document Text.
    • In Acrobat 9 and earlier, you need to click the Tools menu, then select Advanced Editing. From the new menu, select TouchUp Text Tool.
  3. Select the text you want to change. Use your mouse to highlight the text that you want to edit. A box will appear around the section of text that you are highlighting.
    • If the box does not appear around the text, open the Recognize Text category in the Tools menu and then select In This File.
  4. Right-click on the selected text. Select properties from the right-click menu. This will open the TouchUp Properties window.
  5. Select your new font. Use the dropdown menu at the top of the Properties window to choose a new font. You’ll be able to see the change to your selected text immediately.[1]
    • You’ll need to change the font in order to edit text with a font that isn’t installed on your system.
  6. Adjust your new font. Once you’ve changed the font, you may notice that it doesn’t quite look or fit right. You can use the dropdown menus to adjust various aspects of the font to get it set correctly.
    • Font Size – This will change the size of the font, much like any word processor.
    • Character Spacing – This is the amount of space between each character in a word. If your words are too squished and hard to read, increase the character spacing.
    • Word Spacing – This is the amount of space between words. If your sentences seem to be made of one long word, increase the word spacing to add more space between each word.
    • Horizontal Scaling – To stretch or shrink the selected text horizontally, select a scaling value from the Horizontal Scaling drop-down list.
    • Fill – To change the font color of the selected text, select a fill color from the Fill drop-down menu.
    • Stroke – To give the selected text a paintbrush effect, select a stroke color from the Stroke dropdown menu, and select a stroke width from the Stroke Width dropdown list.
  7. Embed the font. Select the Embed check box. Embedding the font within the PDF file prevents font substitution on a user's computer, if the user does not have the font installed. Not all fonts can be embedded in a PDF file and the status of a selected font can be viewed in the Permissions section.
    • To reduce the file size of an embedded file, select the Subset check box to embed only those characters of the font that are used in the document.
  8. Save your file. Once you are satisfied with your changes, you can save the file. If you don’t want to overwrite the original, select Save As.

Using a PDF Editor

  1. Download a PDF editing program. There are several programs available online that will allow you to edit the fonts on your PDF document. These programs aren’t free but typically come with trials that will allow you to test them out. Some of the more popular programs include:
    • Foxit Advanced PDF Editor
    • PDF Complete Office Edition
    • Infix PDF Editor
    • PitStop Pro
  2. Open your PDF file in the editor. Start the editor and open your PDF file from the File menu. Your PDF will load, and you will be able to start editing the document.
  3. Make sure the PDF properties window is open. In Foxit, right-click on the document and select Property List. The Property List windows is where you will be making the changes to the font.
  4. Select the content that you want to change. PDF files are created in blocks of text. Select the text box that you want to change the font of by clicking anywhere on the text. In Foxit, click the Object menu and then select Edit Object.
  5. Click the Font entry in the Property List. A dropdown menu will appear with all of the available fonts. Choose the font that you would like to change the text to.
  6. Adjust the size and spacing. Once you have changed the font, you may find that the words don’t line up as well as they did originally. Use the Font Size, Char Space, and Word Space entries in the Property List window to adjust how your new font appears on the document.

Converting the File

  1. Choose a file conversion method. Converting a PDF file to a Word document will allow you to edit the file just like a standard document. For smaller PDF files, you can convert them for free using a variety of free websites. If you plan on converting a lot of files, or have very large PDFs to convert, you will want to download a conversion program.
    • For ease of editing, choose the “.doc” format when converting the file. This will allow you to open it in almost any word processor.
  2. Open the file in your favorite word processor. Make any font changes that you would like. Chances are the fonts from the PDF file will not have transferred 100% correctly.
    • Converting the document will sometimes result in formatting errors. Always thoroughly check the converted document for any problems.
  3. Save the document as a PDF. Click "Save As" and select the "PDF" format. This will convert the file back into PDF format.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.graphic-design-employment.com/edit-pdf-documents.html
  2. ↑ http://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/showfaq_technical.php#edr_05
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