Normally, when you create presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, you should stick to using standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or to a lesser-extent, Verdana. This is because these fonts are the most common on Windows machines.

By default, PowerPoint will not embed TrueType fonts in a document. When you distribute a PowerPoint presentation to someone else, if they don't have the fonts you originally used in the presentation, their computer will make a 'best guess' on the font to display based on the ones available on their system. This may make your distributed presentation less than attractive.

There is, however, a way to embed TrueType fonts directly in a PowerPoint 2003 presentation, allowing end users to see your work exactly as you envisioned it. However, this does come at a cost of increased file size, especially if you use lots and lots of fonts. If you wish a particular document to have TrueType fonts embedded:

1. Click "Tools" - "Options".

2. When the "Options" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Save" tab.

3. Check "Embed TrueType Fonts".

4. Now, you should decide whether or not you plan on allowing others to edit your presentation.

- If you are delivering a presentation file for others to modify and return to you, select "Embed all characters". This way, entire TrueType fonts are embedded in the presentation so others can change text as desired.

- However, if you plan on distributing a final non-modifiable presentation, such as using the "Package for CD" feature, select "Embed characters in use only". This way, since only the used TrueType characters are embedded in the presentation, the file size will be smaller.

5. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.

6. Resave your presentation to include the embedded TrueType fonts.

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Return to the PowerPoint 2003 Text Formatting and Fonts page.