OpenType Fonts not working in Powerpoint 2004 - Any Solution in Sight?

[Gavin Lawrie]

My firm is being affected by the bug in Powerpoint 2004 that means that
it doesn't display some (but not all) OpenType fonts. This is a new bug
introduced with the 2004 edition - the old Vx Powerpoint works fine with
the same fonts and presentations.

We are currently planning a migration from a mixed PC / Mac world to a
Mac only universe, but this problem is one of a handful of key blockers.
I can find no indication that Microsoft has yet acknowledged the
problem exists, let alone anything to suggest a fix may be in the works.

Does anyone know what the scoop is on this?

Regards

Gavin Lawrie

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Gavin,

An updated to PowerPoint was released today. Get it using the Check for
Updates feature on the Help menu.

I've read a report that OpenType font handling has been improved after
installing the update. Please try it and post a follow-up with your results.

Thanks.

-Jim

 

[Gavin Lawrie]

Hi Gavin,

An updated to PowerPoint was released today. Get it using the Check for
Updates feature on the Help menu.

I've read a report that OpenType font handling has been improved after
installing the update. Please try it and post a follow-up with your
results.

Thanks.

-Jim

Hi Jim

Thanks for the info. I've applied the update and am delighted to report
that it has solved the problem. This is really good news for us, and
hastens the day for us to get this PC -> Mac migration underway.

If there are any Microsoft bods reading this, just to let you know that
while I'm very happy that PowerPoint is now fixed - Microsoft would have
done well to have come clean and acknowledged the problem when it first
emerged (as far as I know it still hasn't): a simple "yes there is a
problem and we're working on it for the first Service Pack release"
would not have hurt, and would have saved us a lot of time trying to
track down possible causes of the problem.

Regards

Gavin Lawrie