Windows
PDF export used a variable Source Sans 3 font instead of the static font
Word documents were exporting to PDF with font rendering that did not match the original document. The issue was resolved by removing the Source Sans 3 variable font and installing the static Source Sans 3 version.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-25.
Affects
Versions
- Windows
Apps
- Microsoft Word
- Adobe Acrobat Pro
What you see
- PDF output looked different from the Word document.
- Font rendering did not carry over correctly when saving as PDF.
Why it happens
Likely Source Sans 3 was likely installed as a variable font, which caused PDF rendering/embedding problems.
When it shows up
A Windows computer uses Source Sans 3 and PDFs exported from Word do not match the Word document.
You are in this case if:
- Source Sans 3 is installed as a variable font.
- PDF output from Word shows different font rendering than the source document.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
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Keeping it away
- Use the static Source Sans 3 font for documents that will be exported to PDF when the variable font does not render correctly.
Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2025-09-25. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.