Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Missing Fonts in a Letterhead.

Missing Fonts in a Letterhead

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 4, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Pat is trying to make a letterhead document for her office. The document is simple, consisting only of text. However, Pat noticed that the fonts used in the letterhead (to get the look she wants) aren't available on all systems. If she sends the document to someone who does not have the font, then it does not look right. Pat wonders if there is a way to create a letterhead document that will look correct on other systems, whether they have the font or not.

There are a few approaches you can take to getting the letterhead to work properly. The first thing you should try is to embed the fonts used in the document. You can accomplish this by following these steps:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Save tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Save tab of the Options dialog box.

  4. Ensure the Embed TrueType Fonts check box is selected.
  5. If your letterhead uses only a small number of characters in a particular font, choose the Embed Characters In Use Only check box.
  6. Click on OK.

When you next save your letterhead document, Word includes the fonts used in the document in the file. Thus, when you share the letterhead with others, they will automatically have the fonts and the letterhead will look correct.

It is possible, however, that embedding fonts won't work in all instances. Some fonts are restricted, by their creators, in how they can be shared. If the creator has limited what can be done with the font, then embedding it won't really work. In that instance, you should consider changing to a different font that can be embedded in your document.

If changing to a different font is not possible, you might consider doing an "end run" around the whole font issue. You could create the textual portion of your letterhead in a graphics program, save it out as a graphic, and then add the graphic to your document in Word. As a graphic, it will print correctly, regardless of the machine on which you use it.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9737) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Missing Fonts in a Letterhead.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Selecting a Table

There are several different ways you can select an entire table in Word. The various methods and shortcuts are described ...

Discover More

Odd Arrow Key Behavior

Press the up or down arrow keys, and you expect Excel to change which cell is selected. If this doesn't occur on your ...

Discover More

Printing Columns and Rows

If you want to print just the contents of a number of rows and columns, it can be challenging to get the output you want. ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Changing the Height of a Font

Scaling the width of a font is easy to do with Word's formatting capabilities. Scaling the height of the fonts is not so ...

Discover More

Adjusting Small Caps Text

If you use small caps text in a document, you know that there are several steps involved in properly formatting the text. ...

Discover More

Applying the All Caps Format

Want your text to always appear in upper-case, regardless of how you type it? Word allows you to add formatting to your ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 - 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.