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    Outline PDF Text

    Convert text to vector outlines that need no fonts

    1Choose file2Settings3Process4Save

    Choose a PDF and its contents will be analyzed and shown here.

    Files are processed only in this browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

    Turn text into vector shapes so it looks the same without the fonts

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    Fonts that aren’t embedded (such as system Arial or Calibri) are converted using the shapes of the standard substitute fonts this browser’s renderer uses. This is always on, so be sure to check the letterforms in the result preview. After conversion the text can’t be selected, copied or searched, and screen readers can’t read it, so keep the original for distribution.

    Remove the password from an encrypted PDF first. Processing focuses on page content, so bookmarks, attachments, forms and signatures may not be preserved. Keep the original and check the result.

    About Outline PDF Text

    Text in a PDF is an instruction — “draw this code from this font here” — so if the font data is missing or substituted, the look changes. Converting text to outlines leaves only shape paths instead of a font, so it looks the same everywhere. It's used for sign and banner output where the shop won't take fonts, or when the font license doesn't allow passing the font file along.

    This tool records the shapes the browser's PDF renderer uses to draw each glyph, writes them back as paths at the same position and size, and removes the original text instructions (BT…ET). Text inside nested Form XObjects is handled too, and font resources that are no longer used are dropped from the file.

    How color is handled, before you print

    The new glyph paths use the color space and values the original content stream set. The renderer only reports screen RGB, so while recording, each color operator is given a unique marker color that is then mapped back to the original operator (for example 0 0 0 1 k). A K100 single-ink black therefore stays K100, gray (DeviceGray) stays gray, and spot (Separation) and ICC colors defined in the page resources keep their color space.

    There are exceptions. Text filled with a gradient or pattern, or with a spot color defined only inside a Form XObject, is written in screen RGB, and overprint settings on the text are not carried over. For offset printing, check the RGB item in the preflight tab of PDF Info after converting.

    What you lose and what stays

    Because the text is gone, selecting, copying, searching and screen reading all stop working. Keep the original for distribution. A document whose fonts were not embedded is frozen in whatever substitute font the renderer used, and paths carry no hinting, so small type can look slightly soft on screen. With lots of text, the paths often take more space than the font did, so the file grows.

    Worked examples

    A banner file

    Input
    Three lines of headline, a commercial font embedded, one page
    Output
    A PDF with an empty font list and the same look

    After converting, the tool re-counts text items and remaining fonts. If both are zero, you can send it to the print shop without the font. If you set a page range, fonts used on the other pages remain.

    A brochure for offset printing

    Input
    9 pt K100 body text, one spot-color (Pantone) heading
    Output
    After conversion the body is still K100 and the heading the same spot color

    The glyph paths are painted with the original 0 0 0 1 k and /CS0 cs 1 scn operators, so preflight's RGB check does not flag them. If the heading was set to overprint, though, that setting is lost; outline in the design application if you need it.

    How to use it

    1. Add the PDF and, if needed, set a page range.
    2. When conversion finishes, check the remaining text and font counts.
    3. Save, and for print jobs check color in the preflight tab.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I edit the converted text later?

    Text that has become shapes isn't recognized by text editing tools. Always keep an editable original.

    The file got bigger.

    Each glyph is stored as its own path. For text-heavy documents, convert only the pages you need by setting a range.

    Are Type3 fonts converted?

    Glyphs drawn in special ways, such as Type3 fonts, may be left out of the conversion; if so, the status message says so.

    Sources

    Last reviewed:

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