Embedding Fonts in PowerPoint

A challenge many presenters face is what font to use in their presentations. Often, I recommend using a clean font like Arial. It works well especially with large text being projected on a screen in titles, graphics, and bulleted lists (remember that your slides shouldn’t hold paragraphs of text). For those presenters involved in government proposals, Arial is usually requested in the RFP. Plus, Arial is standard on nearly every computer (PC or Mac), so you needn’t worry about font substitution, if you’re presenting from a different computer.

However, if your company has a specific font style or you would like to make your mark with a favorite font, then you may be able to embed the font in your presentation. TrueType fonts can be embedded into a PowerPoint presentation for PowerPoint 2002, 2003, and 2007 on a PC. (Unfortunately, they do not offer the option for Macs.)

TrueType fonts are an outline font standard (on Macs and PCs) and offer the best quality for viewing text on computer screens and via print. On a PC, you can embed TrueType fonts into your presentation so others may edit the your copy even if they do not have the font—a helpful feature for anyone presenting from a different computer or working with a team to create the presentation.

The following are instructions to embed fonts in PowerPoint.

In Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, follow these steps:

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog box, click Tools, and then click Save Options.
3. Click to select the Embed fonts in the file check box under Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation, and then click OK.

In Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 and in Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, follow these steps:

1. Start PowerPoint, and then open the presentation that you want.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. On the Tools menu, click Save Options in the Save As dialog box.
4. Click to select the Embed TrueType fonts check box, and then click OK.

If a font is not TrueType or if it has a license restriction, you will receive an error message explaining why it can’t be embedded. (For more information, see Microsoft Help and Support from where these instructions were taken.)

Remember to test out fonts for legibility before you present. Make sure that everyone seated in the audience can easily read your text. Use fonts with flourishes sparingly. Your main goal is to successfully communicate your information. Minimizing font issues will help your presentation succeed.