PPT 2003 & read-only embedded font

[Steve P]

I opened a powerpoint file and got the dialog box saying the presentation
couldn't be edited because of the DRM associated with an embedded font.

It seems the fonts name is "System" and the recommendations I found on the
internet were to open it using an old version of powerpoint and resave
without the font. I tried to replace the font, but it kep telling me the
System font was a double byte font and I was trying to replace it with a
single byte font. In addition, all the computers I could find had new
versions of powerpoint.

I ended up opening the file with OpenOffice and then resaving it in ppt
format. OpenOffice said it lost some data, but I didn't miss it.

Any other way around this I missed? Any idea what a "system font" is?

 

[Guest]

A system font is:
A font utilized by the operating system for displaying text used in menus,
icons, errors, etc.

A double-byte font is:
A font in which each character is represented by 2 bytes. Languages such as
Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, which contain more symbols than can be
represented by 256 code points, require double-byte character sets.
Double-byte fonts usually also contain a full complement of alphabetic
characters occupying the first 256 positions in the font, so you can display
Roman-alphabet text and non-Roman text using the same font.

Sometimes Powerpoint files include fonts that don't seem to appear anywhere
in the presentation, especially if you are reusing an old presentation. These
fonts may not be used by any text in your new presentation, but they may
still cause errors when the presentation is opened. To remove such fonts,
follow these steps:

In Powerpoint, go to the Format menu and click "Replace Fonts..."
In the window that opens, the first drop-down box contains all of the fonts
found in the presentation. For each font that you want to remove, select the
font in the top box and in the second box select one of the fonts that you
intended to use in the presentation, and click the Replace button.
If you get a message "You selected a single-byte font to replace a
double-byte font. Please select a double-byte font.", choose the font "Arial
Unicode MS" for the "With" font in the second box and try again.
If there was any text that was displayed in the fonts you just replaced, it
will now be displayed in the font(s) that you used to replace the old fonts.
You should look over your presentation to make sure all of the text is
displayed correctly

You're best bet would be to locate that font and install it on your system.
Hopefully your problem will be solved.
Hope this helps!!!

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Try applying the latest Service Pack for Office 2003 (do Help, Check For
Updates).

I haven't tested it yet myself but understand that after applying it, you'll be
able to substitute a different font for embedded fonts that are preventing you
from editing the file.

If System is truly a doublebyte font, then you'll need to follow John's
suggestion and substitute another doublebyte font for it.

That could still cause problems down the road, so if you want to rid the
presentation of the doublebyte font altogether, have a look here:

StarterSet Overview
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptools/starterset/FAQ00011.htm

Scroll WaaayyyyyyyyYYY to the bottom of the page where it explains how to swap
out fonts.

 

[Steve P]

That did the trick.
When I tried to open the file, a dialog box opened offering to remove the
restricted font and it identified the font "Garmond".

thanks!

 

[Glen Millar]

Hi,

Being unable to edit or replace read-only fonts has been something I have
hated so I am pleased Microsoft has addressed this issue!

--

--
Regards,

Glen Millar
Microsoft PPT MVP
www.powerpointworkbench.com

Australia

Please tell us your PowerPoint version,
whether you are using vba,
whether your dog has fleas, or
anything else relevant.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

That did the trick.
When I tried to open the file, a dialog box opened offering to remove the
restricted font and it identified the font "Garmond".

Thanks for letting us know it worked. Delighted to hear it!