Using TrueType Fonts

When working with documents, you often have to use different fonts, styles, and sizes. Documents can contain any number of fonts, which are not necessarily limited to the fonts that are installed in the operating system. The fonts can be completely different, such as fonts taken from other operating systems, purchased, or created by users themselves.

Sometimes, information about the fonts being used is embedded in the document, eliminating display problems during document transfer. In some other cases, only the font name is known, which does not guarantee that the document will look the same way on another computer. In this case, Aspose.Words can find the right font (or its suitable replacement, if the required font cannot be found) for correct rendering.

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FAQ

1. Q: How can I tell Aspose.Words for C++ where to look for TrueType fonts on a Linux machine?
   A: Use the FontSettings class to add a folder that contains the required fonts. Create a FontSettings object, call SetFontsFolder with the path to the folder, and assign it to the Document via SetFontSettings. This makes the engine search the specified directory before falling back to system fonts.

2. Q: What should I do if a document references a font that is not installed on the target system?
   A: Enable font substitution by configuring FontSettings::set_SubstitutionSettings. You can map the missing font name to an existing TrueType font using SubstitutionSettings::get_TableSubstitution()->AddSubstitutes. Aspose.Words will then render the document with the substitute font.

3. Q: Can I embed the original TrueType font into the output PDF or DOCX so that the document looks identical on any machine?
   A: Yes. Set FontSettings::set_EmbedTrueTypeFonts(true) before saving. When the document is saved to PDF or DOCX, the engine will embed the used TrueType fonts, ensuring consistent rendering on machines that do not have those fonts installed.

4. Q: How do I load a font from a memory stream instead of a file path?
   A: Create a System::SharedPtr<Aspose::Words::FontSource> from the byte array (e.g., System::MakeObject<Aspose::Words::MemoryFontSource>(fontBytes)) and add it to the FontSettings::get_FontSources() collection. This allows the engine to use fonts that are embedded in your application or downloaded at runtime.

// Example: Set custom font folder and enable embedding
System::SharedPtr<Aspose::Words::FontSettings> fontSettings = System::MakeObject<Aspose::Words::FontSettings>();
fontSettings->SetFontsFolder(u"/usr/share/fonts/truetype", true);
fontSettings->set_EmbedTrueTypeFonts(true);

System::SharedPtr<Aspose::Words::Document> doc = System::MakeObject<Aspose::Words::Document>(u"input.docx");
doc->SetFontSettings(fontSettings);
doc->Save(u"output.pdf");