PDF glossary
Embedded font
A font whose glyph outlines are stored inside the PDF, so the document looks the same on every device.
When a PDF embeds a font, the shapes of its glyphs travel with the file. Readers don't need the font installed; they draw exactly what the author saw.
When a font is not embedded, the reader substitutes a similar font it has, which changes widths and often the look of the page.
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