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Contact UsPaperback Fonts
What is the minimum font size?
To ensure your book's text is legible, we require a minimum font size of 7 points.How should I choose a font?
Times New Roman and Arial are popular, but there are other options. When choosing a font, look for something simple and easy to read long passages of. More elaborate fonts can be effective for headers and chapter titles but aren't recommended for body text.A few options for body text are:
- Centaur
- Garamond
- Hightower Text
- Palatino Linotype
- Amazon Endure - This KDP font is specifically designed to reduce your page count and save you money on printing costs. Note that this font is currently not available in Japanese, Kanji, or Cyrillic characters. Visit Paperback and Hardcover Manuscript Templates to download the font.
- Fonts like Constantia and Cambria are alternatives that can also help reduce page count.
For books written in Japanese, we recommended these fonts:
- MS Mincho
- Yu Mincho
- Meiryo
- Yu Gothic
- MS Gothic
Note: The fonts recommended above are suggestions based on common usage. You are responsible for securing the required licenses for any fonts used in your book. If Previewer shows a font error, follow the troubleshooting steps below to resolve the issue.
Can I use fonts I found online?
Not every font you find online will work for your book. Here are some things to watch out for:- Fonts that won't embed. When it comes time to upload your book files, you'll need to create a PDF with the fonts embedded in the file. Some of the fonts available from free font sites, or non-standard fonts available in some design programs, won't embed due to technical or legal restrictions. To find out whether the font you downloaded will embed properly, create a test file using only that font. Then, create a PDF from your test file. You can find out if the fonts are embedded by opening the file in Adobe Acrobat and checking under the File/Properties on the Fonts tab. Every font in the list needs to show "Embedded" or "Embedded Subset" for your file to work.
- Obtain a license. If you're downloading font software from a third-party site, make sure the site owner has the rights to it and you have purchased the appropriate license. It is your responsibility to ensure that your content doesn't violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights.
- Fonts that are low quality. Some fonts look good when you see them as a sample. However, they might cause you trouble when you try to use them. These fonts may be:
- Incomplete. Fonts that were created for a specific function, like a headline in an advertising campaign, are frequently incomplete. They might not have all the glyphs and symbols standard fonts have. Or they might lack an italic version to go along with the roman.
- Badly drawn. A sample might look good, but when you put your 100,000-word manuscript file into your layout, your book pages might show irregularities in the font. For example, a flourish on a lower case "g" can make your page look "blotchy" or like it has little "flags" everywhere.
- Misaligned. In a sample, you might not notice that the font doesn't sit properly on the baseline. This will show up in your book right away. The same goes for "set width" errors, where the amount of space each letter takes up has not been calculated properly. This can cause some letter combinations to have too much or too little space.
How do I embed fonts?
Our printing presses need information about how to properly render the fonts used in your file. Information about fonts is not always included in documents by default. That means you may need to take extra steps to embed fonts when you save your file. We recommend that you always embed fonts within your file so your book prints as intended.Below are instructions for embedding fonts in Microsoft Word. If you're using a program other than Word, consult its documentation for instructions on embedding fonts. Word includes an option to save the fonts used in your document with the file. This option increases file size, but it will ensure your fonts, word spacing, and breaks appear properly.
Here's how to embed fonts:
- Under the File menu, click Options
- Select Save from the left menu
- Check the Embed fonts in the file box
- Make sure the two sub-boxes "Embed only the character used in the document" and "Do not embed common system fonts" are not checked
- Click OK
Why are certain fonts rejected?
Fonts that cause problems during production are no longer accepted. If Previewer shows a font error, it means our system detected an unsupported font in your file and rejected it at ingestion to prevent manufacturing delays. This is not a decision-based rejection. We cannot print the file successfully with this font. Rejecting at ingestion prevents customer order delays, cancellations, and the risk of your title being unpublished due to production issues.Where can rejected fonts appear in my file?
If Previewer shows a font error, the problematic font may be in locations that aren't immediately obvious, including:- Any text character, space, or punctuation mark.
- Line breaks created while the font is active.
- Headers and footers (even if not visible).
- Style definitions, even if the style isn't applied to visible text.
What are faux font errors?
This error occurs when the system detects that a bold or italicized font was used that does not actually exist as a bold or italic font within the file itself. Your software may allow you to bold or italicize the font, but since this font does not truly exist in the file, it is a fake (or "faux") font that sometimes causes production failures.How do I troubleshoot rejected fonts?
Choose one of the following methods based on your needs:Method 1: Outline fonts
If your software supports outlining fonts, this converts the font to printable objects.Before you begin: Save a copy of your original file. Outlining fonts makes the file uneditable.
- Open your file in your design software.
- Select the outline fonts option.
- Save the outlined version.
- Resubmit your file.
Method 2: Remove the rejected font from styles (Microsoft Word)
- Open the Styles pane.
- Review each style for the rejected font.
- Select Select All from the dropdown to find all instances.
- Click Modify to change the rejected font to a different font.
- Review your document for formatting changes.
Method 3: Replace all fonts
Use this method only if the other options don't work.- Save a backup copy of your file.
- Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to select all content.
- Change the font to a new font option.
- Review your entire document and reapply fonts as needed.
- Check all formatting carefully.
Method 4: Fix faux fonts
- Check that the bold and/or italicized version of the font is installed on your computer.
- If yes, ensure the fonts are embedded, then resave the file under a new name.
- If no, remove all bold and italicized formatting from the font, then resave the file under a new name.
