Can't change default font when typing into text

[mz]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have to work on a Word-document which was made on PC. Though the inspector shows the proper font for the given text when highlighted, when I want to replace characters they show up only with the (probably default) Times New Roman font. How to solve this problem?

 

[CyberTaz]

In order for the document to be displayed in -- and for you to apply -- any
given font, that font must be installed on the system you're using. If it
isn't Word has to substitute from what is available. The deceptive (but
necessary) aspect of font substitution is that the name of the font with
which the text is actually formatted will be displayed in the various font
lists when that text is selected even though the substituted font is what is
being used to display the text. The text remains "tagged" with the original
font so that the correct font *will* be used when the document is opened on
a system where that font *is* available.

The Compatibility Report in the Toolbox should make you aware of any font
substitution that occurs in the document. You can also go to Word>
Preferences> Compatibility, click the Font Substitution button in order to
determine what fonts have been substituted for which. Additionally, you can
select what substitutes you would prefer to use in place of what Word chose
to use as substitutes... which can get a bit dicey if you don't know font
design rather well. The metrics of different fonts can radically influence
text flow even though the font size remains unchanged.

The only way to "solve" the problem is to avoid it in the first place. Any
time documents are intended to be edited on different systems it is best to
make sure that all of those systems are equipped with the same fonts. Those
are the only fonts that should be used in those documents. The fonts
included with Mac Office 2008 are the same as those that ship with Win
Office 2007, so the simplest -- and perhaps most economical -- solution is
to use those fonts only. Most of them are really quite well done & they are
specifically designed to render [almost] identically on both platforms.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[mz]

Thanks, but I think my problem is from elsewhere. When I open this document I see what I want to see: all with the proper fonts. So I assume that it can't be a font-substitution issue. But when I want to edit the text it only gives me only the possibility to type with the default (Times NR) font. When I highlight the text, the proper font-name is shown in the "font-window". But when I place the cursor (blinking) somewhere in the text (no highlight) - in order to make corrections, etc. - there is Times New Roman shown in the window. Since the font in question is a specialized plainchant music notation font, it is also impossible to edit the "text" first in Times and then convert it all to the proper one.

 

[John McGhie]

Look to see which font is defined in the style you are using for those
paragraphs?

Selecting text and choosing a font is not a good way to change fonts in
Word: it leads to these problems if the font you selected is different from
the font in the underlying style. The font in the style will sometimes
appear if the overlaid direct font is disturbed.

You also need to ensure that the font you want is installed. If you add
text to a document on a computer where the required font is not installed,
Word will use the closest match.

And finally, it pays to ensure that the font you are using is a Unicode
version. Unicode supports a much wider range of characters than the old
MacRoman fonts: again, if you need a character that's not in the font, Word
will revert to the closest matching Unicode font that does contain the
character.

But I suspect that most of your problem is coming because you have not yet
set the styles up properly in that document.

Cheers

Thanks, but I think my problem is from elsewhere. When I open this document I
see what I want to see: all with the proper fonts. So I assume that it can't
be a font-substitution issue. But when I want to edit the text it only gives
me only the possibility to type with the default (Times NR) font. When I
highlight the text, the proper font-name is shown in the "font-window". But
when I place the cursor (blinking) somewhere in the text (no highlight) - in
order to make corrections, etc. - there is Times New Roman shown in the
window. Since the font in question is a specialized plainchant music notation
font, it is also impossible to edit the "text" first in Times and then convert
it all to the proper one.

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

--

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]