Do custom fonts work in PowerPoint and Word?

A custom font is a font that is not standard in Microsoft Office programs. It can be more or less unique. It can be a font that a company buys from a font provider, e.g. fonts.com, or it could be a font created by a design agency for the company.
A font is comparable to a piece of software, no matter where the font comes from, one must have purchased rights (licenses).
If we assume that your company has got a new custom font, is it then possible to get it implemented in your Word and PowerPoint templates? Yes, You can. In this white paper, we review the requirements for embedded fonts and the challenges you should be aware of.

In general

There are two ways in which custom fonts can work in MS Office – the font can either be installed locally or it can be embedded in the templates. Let's briefly outline the difference up and give the answer as to why it makes good sense to embed the font.
When a font is installed, it only works on the computers that have the font installed. If you are sending a document or presentation to a recipient, who does not have the font installed, it will not work with the receiver.
If a font is embedded, it is found in the document/presentation itself and is therefore not depending on whether the font is installed on the machine on which the file is being read.
The strongest argument for embedding a font, is that you thereby ensure that your brand is always consistent regardless of who and where a file is read. Everyone who takes their brand seriously, should embed the font in the case of a custom font.

So, is it actually possible to use a custom font?

The answer is yes. At Omnidocs, we are specialists in brand implementation in the Office programs. Since 2004, we have been at the executive end when new visual identities have been developed, and we are a part of the process when the customer's employees urge to create documents and presentations.
Therefore, we also know how important custom fonts can be for a business. But we also know all about what challenges it can present. We recommend, from the bottom of our hearts, that you should always say “yes to custom font” - with the brain we have our “but”.

Embedding

You can embed a font in MS Office templates, however, the embedding needs to be thoroughly tested, as not all fonts behave the same.
Embedding the font allows users to use the templates without having to install the font on the machine. This means that the font exists as a part of the document/presentation and can be read and used on machines that doesn’t have the font installed.
Embedding, however, make specific demands on the font, and your documents will typically be approx. 1 – 2 MB heavier (depending on the amount of fonts used in the template).
But note! Mac users (including iPads and iPhones) will disconnect the font. Font embedding is simply turned off when the font passes devices other than a PC.

MacOS

A file that is shared across respectively PC and macOS products (including iPad and iPhone) does not work with custom fonts.

Embedding only works on MacOS products with Microsoft 365 (Word and PowerPoint) and 2019 + 2021 for Mac (PowerPoint only).
Often the font does not remain embedded after ‘visits’ on a macOS device. Hence, the font will remain disconnected, and an error message will appear. If you install the font on macOS machines, there is no problem, except that embedding is turned off when it comes back to PC.

The Font

There are some requirements for the font. These requirements are crucial to keep track of if they are to be embedded in MS Office.
The font must have TrueType outlines. The easiest explanation is that the font should be a .ttf file. If the font does not have TrueType outlines, you must contact the font developer/agency and ask for this.
Also check if the font has a tick in ‘install mode’, as this is a prerequisite in order to be embedded at all. This setting typically requires ownership of the font, as it can then be used freely in all the templates. The font developer also takes care of this setting.
In addition, you need to consider what cuts and weights you intend to use, both inside and outside Office. In PowerPoint and Word, we most often use Regular, Italic, Bold and Bold/Italic. The font must have the correct naming for this to work in MS Office.
Have you bought several cuts and weights (e.g. semi ball, thin, light) of the font, but without them necessarily being used in Office documents, you must ask the font developer to rename the font and its cut to [FontName]forOffice[cut], e.g. Segoe UI for Office Light. Otherwise, all sections will be embedded in the font, which will mean a lot in relation to the weight of the template/file.

Weight

All files based on a template with fonts embedded will weigh more.
We have seen many different file sizes, but the average is around 1.5 - 2.5 MB extra for documents and presentations with embedded fonts. It is a significant increase and usually the IT department is hesitant about an increase of that size.
This alone may be the reason why You do not necessarily want to have the whole font with all sections embedded in your files. If You cannot/will not embed the font, you can continue to use it. Then you must ensure that everyone in the company has the font installed and that nothing leaves your own machines without the file being converted to PDF.
An installation on all internal computers removes the issue of file sizes, however on the other hand, the font only works locally on the machines on which it is installed.

License

It is important to pay license to all users of the font. There is no way around it. server license or similar. All users are de facto a user of the font as it is embedded and working on the individual computer.

Additional N.B.

In addition to the things we have already mentioned, the following are also important to mention:

• If You present via Skype (not screen sharing), the font will not necessarily work.
• In OfficeOnline, the font will not work.
• Embedding does not work on any MacOS products, other than Microsoft 365 (Word and PowerPoint) and 2019 + 2021 for Mac (PowerPoint only).
• The font cannot be used in emails.
• You must test that all characters are in the font. We often see examples of fonts that are missing Danish characters, raised letters, special characters, etc.

Recap

Despite all this, we, as previously mentioned, very often implement custom fonts – and it works really well. If you choose to use custom fonts, an extra resource cost for testing the font should be expected, if Omnidocs helps You develop Your template solution. Despite our standardized process of checking custom fonts, there may still be a risk of subsequent problems that need to be addressed before rolling out.

Further Research

Omnidocs is a world leader in the field of fonts in MS Office - a position we intend to expand. We are part of several partnerships to be able to offer even better quality and stability in the end product, and we also develop software that can be a help in everyday life. First and foremost, we would like to offer advice to everyone in our network before or after custom font selection.