Last reviewed by Robert Prime — May 2026
Quick Answer: KDP requires every font used in your PDF to be embedded with full character sets. Re-export your PDF with 'embed all fonts' ticked — in Word: Save As → Tools → Save Options → 'Embed fonts in the file'. In Acrobat: File → Properties → Fonts to verify.
Full reasoning, why-it-happens, and the exact fix below.
UK note: UK-specific considerations apply — ISBN purchases go through Nielsen (not Bowker), VAT rules differ from the US (print books are zero-rated; ebooks carry 20% VAT), and GDPR applies to any email/customer data. See our UK self-publishing guides for specifics.
We see this come through our formatting queue at publishing.co.uk regularly, so the patterns and fixes here are based on what actually works at upload.
What this error means
KDP's automated checker opens every PDF and walks the font table. If any font is referenced but not actually embedded inside the file, the upload is bounced with "One or more fonts in your manuscript are not embedded." KDP needs the fonts in the file because their print partner — Lightning Source via Amazon's facilities — won't have your custom font installed.
The same error appears if a font is subsetted incorrectly. Subsetting (embedding only the glyphs used) is fine, but some exporters strip the embedding flag while keeping the subset, leaving an orphaned reference.
Bold and italic variants count as separate fonts. A PDF where "Garamond Regular" is embedded but "Garamond Italic" isn't will fail on every italicised word.
📎 Source: KDP's authoritative documentation on this rule is at KDP's font requirements.
Why it happens
The single biggest cause is Microsoft Word's "Minimum size" PDF export. Word offers two PDF options: "Standard" (embeds fonts) and "Minimum size" (strips them). Authors pick the smaller file without realising what it costs them.
Licensed commercial fonts often forbid embedding. Some Monotype and Adobe foundry licences allow display only, not embedding. The exporter respects the flag and leaves the font out. The fix is to swap to an embeddable font — Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts via Creative Cloud are licensed for embedding.
Old or corrupted PostScript Type 1 fonts silently fail to embed in modern PDF exporters. macOS Catalina+ dropped Type 1 support entirely, so any old font from the early 2000s may be the culprit.
Canva historically had font-embedding gaps for non-Latin scripts. Cyrillic often slip through as bitmap fallbacks.
LaTeX users hit this when their TeX installation can't find a font's metric file (.tfm or .pfb), and pdflatex silently substitutes Computer Modern at lower quality.
The fix
Step 1: Confirm which fonts aren't embedded. Open the PDF in Acrobat → File → Properties → Fonts tab. Each font row says "Embedded", "Embedded Subset", or nothing. "Nothing" means rejected.
Step 2: Word fix. File → Export → Create PDF/XPS → Options → tick "PDF/A compliant" → tick "ISO 19005-1 compliant" → tick "Bitmap text when fonts may not be embedded" only as a last resort. Then OK and export.
Better Word workflow: File → Save As → choose PDF → click "Options" → select "ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)". This forces embedding even for fonts that normally refuse.
Step 3 (Vellum / Atticus): Both embed fonts by default. If you're still failing, you've used a custom heading font without proper licence — swap to one of their built-in choices.
Step 4 (InDesign): File → Export → PDF/X-1a:2001. The preset forces font embedding. Under Advanced → Fonts, set "Subset fonts when percent of characters used is less than" to 100% to force full embedding.
Step 5 (Canva Pro): Download → PDF Print → tick "Flatten PDF". For non-Latin text, also tick "PDF Standard".
Step 6 (LaTeX): Use XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX instead of pdflatex — they handle modern font formats directly. Add \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} and \usepackage{lmodern} to your preamble. Compile and inspect the font tab.
Step 7: If a specific commercial font keeps failing, check its EULA — many require an upgrade to a "commercial embedding" licence. The cheaper fix is to replace it with the closest Google Font (Cormorant Garamond, Crimson Pro, Lora are good free substitutes for premium serifs).
Step 8: After re-export, verify all fonts read "Embedded" or "Embedded Subset" in Acrobat's Fonts tab.
How to pre-flight it
Drop your PDF into our free KDP Readiness Score and we'll list every font in the file with its embedding state. If any are flagged red, you know exactly what to fix before resubmitting and waiting for KDP's review queue.
Related errors
- KDP error: transparency not flattened
- KDP error: crop marks present in print PDF
- KDP error: file exceeds 650MB
FAQ
Is 7pt really the minimum font size for KDP paperback? Yes — KDP rejects anything smaller than 7pt body text. Footnotes and copyright pages included.
Can I use a Google Font in KDP? Yes. All Google Fonts are licensed under SIL Open Font Licence or Apache, both of which permit embedding in PDFs. They're the safest free choice.
My PDF says 'Embedded Subset' — is that OK? Yes. Subset embedding only includes the characters you actually used, which keeps file size down. KDP accepts both full and subset embedding.
What if my font is from Adobe Fonts (Typekit)? Adobe Fonts allow PDF embedding for active subscribers. You must remain subscribed for the licence to stay valid, but the embedded PDF works permanently.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use any font, or only certain ones?
Any font you have the commercial licence to use. Most desktop-license fonts (Microsoft, Adobe, Google Fonts) are fine for self-published books. Premium foundry fonts may require a specific commercial-print licence — read your EULA.
How do I check whether all fonts are embedded in my PDF?
Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat → File → Properties → Fonts tab. Every font should show "Embedded Subset" or "Embedded". Any font listed as "Not embedded" will be flagged by KDP. Word's default PDF export sometimes silently fails to embed non-system fonts.
Can publishing.co.uk re-embed fonts in a file I've already exported?
Yes — for a PDF you've exported with missing embeds, we re-embed via Acrobat's PDF/X conversion. For a Word manuscript, we re-export with the correct settings so the embed happens at source. The Word route is cleaner and faster.
What if I'm using a font I don't have an embed licence for?
Most commercial fonts permit embedding for non-editable distribution (which is what PDF embedding does), but some restrict it. Check the font's EULA. If embed is restricted, we substitute a visually-similar embed-friendly font — Garamond and Sabon are widely-licensed alternatives that work for almost any prose book.
Related KDP error fixes
If you got the rejection above, you may also want to check these related issues — they tend to cluster:
Full list: KDP formatting errors hub · KDP rejection fixes hub · KDP rejected my book
About this guide
This page is part of a series of UK-focused KDP rejection guides at publishing.co.uk, each documenting a specific reason KDP can reject a print or Kindle file and the exact fix. Written by Robert Prime — founder of publishing.co.uk, co-runs the LoveReading network, and has overseen 500+ KDP submissions through formatting work in this category (fonts).
If you'd rather have someone else handle this and the other 35 issues KDP checks for, our formatting service is from £69 with a 3-day turnaround and a 100% KDP-acceptance guarantee.
Run a free KDP Readiness Score on your file before you upload — catches this issue and 35 others, in 60 seconds.
External references
- Amazon KDP Help — official KDP documentation
- Author Earnings reports (ALCS) — UK author income surveys
