Fonts not embedded or faux bold errors: how to fix them for KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and B&N

Embedding a font means a copy of it travels inside your PDF, so the printer draws your words exactly as you see them, even if it doesn't have that font. If a font isn't embedded, the printer has to swap in something else or turn the file away.

Faux bold and faux italic happen when you press Bold or Italic on a font that has no real bold or italic version installed. Your computer fakes it by thickening or slanting the letters. It looks fine on screen, but printers can flag it.

What each platform says (as at 4 October 2026)

KDP wants every font embedded, and recommends fully embedded fonts rather than subsets (a subset holds only the letters you used). Its fonts help page explains that a font which can't be embedded, often because its licence doesn't allow it, can be rejected when your file is processed. The same page covers faux font errors, where bold or italic was applied without the real font files. KDP's minimum font size is 7 point.

IngramSpark runs a "Fonts not embedded" check when you upload, and its file guide says files with unembedded fonts are rejected. It recommends exporting as PDF/X-1a:2001, a print standard that embeds fonts.

Lulu shows a warning rather than an error, and says "we will attempt to embed them for you". It also warns "Some of your fonts are less than 5 pt." and recommends 8 point or more.

Barnes & Noble Press may show "Cover/Interior Not Accepted" with the reason. Fonts are one, and B&N gives Word users a specific fix, below. Bookvault's upload check also looks for embedded fonts.

How to fix it in Word

1. Go to File > Save As and choose PDF as the file type.
2. Click Options. Tick ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A). PDF/A is a version of PDF made for long-term storage, and it requires every font to be embedded. This is the setting B&N Press tells Word users to use.
3. Click OK, then Save.
4. If a font still won't embed, its licence probably doesn't allow it. Change it to another font: right-click the style it's used in (Home > Styles), choose Modify, and pick a different font.
5. For faux bold or italic, check your font has real versions installed. On Windows, go to Settings > Personalisation > Fonts and click the font. If it only shows a Regular style, any bold or italic in Word is being faked. Install the real bold and italic files from wherever you got the font, switch to a font family that has them, or remove the bold and italic.
6. Check nothing is smaller than 7 point if you're printing with KDP.

KDP prefers PDF/X-1a, but says it accepts other PDFs such as PDF/A. It may remove comments, form fields or other things that don't print during review. For a novel saved from Word, that's nothing to worry about.

Using a designer, InDesign, Affinity or Canva? Export with all fonts embedded (KDP recommends full rather than subset embedding), ideally as PDF/X-1a:2001. Choose real bold and italic fonts from the font menu rather than a style button. On covers, converting text to outlines (shapes) also works; Lulu accepts that.

Check before you upload

Bervet's free spine width calculator checks interior and cover PDFs, including whether every font is embedded. The check runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded; checking a PDF needs a free Bervet account.