Can't install Simsun font

Question

Can't install Simsun font

I have a Word document which uses the Chinese font Simsun. I found the font file in the MS Office/Fonts folder but I can't seem to install it in FontBook -- when I try to add it, nothing happens. FontBook doesn't hang or anything, it's just . . . nothing. The font doesn't appear in the list.

Is this an issue with the font itself or with Font Book?

Powerbook G4, Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Aug 22, 2007 4:46 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,848 points

Aug 23, 2007 5:08 AM in response to Cheryl Kohler

Try just putting the font manually into the folder Home/Library/Fonts.

For Chinese issues you can also ask on the Chinese Mac mailing list:

http://groups.google.com/group/chinesemac/

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Answer 2

Aug 23, 2007 7:46 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Thanks Tom. I tried that but it didn't work. I'm going to download a new copy of the font and see if that helps; if not, I will try the Chinese Mac mailing list.

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Answer 3

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,848 points

Aug 23, 2007 7:59 AM in response to Cheryl Kohler

Could you indicate the nature of the problem with the Word doc? Send me a screenshot (or a copy of the doc) if you like (tom at bluesky dot org).

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Answer 4

Aug 23, 2007 8:08 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

The Word doc has two different fonts. One of them appears to be working correctly. That font doesn't seem to have an English name and appears in the font list as Chinese characters. The Simsun font, on the other hand, just shows up as outlined boxes. I know that it's supposed to be Simsun because that name comes up in the font window when I highlight that text. I'm thinking maybe my Simsun font file might be corrupted or maybe I need a newer version.

The document was sent to me by people using Windows, and the font is working correctly on their end.

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Answer 5

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,848 points

Aug 23, 2007 8:10 AM in response to Cheryl Kohler

Are you using Word2004 or Word X? Have you tried opening a copy of the doc with TextEdit?

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Answer 6

Aug 23, 2007 9:18 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

I'm using Word 2004. I opened the doc in TextEdit and it substituted Fang Song for SimSun. Since I don't know Chinese, I don't know if the fonts are interchangeable. I don't need to edit the text per se; I'm only interested in cosmetic changes, like making headlines a different color and perhaps changing the margins and headers. Ultimately I need to create a PDF of the document. The document also contains a table of contents which I believe is automated, but I have to confirm that before I do anything that changes the text flow.

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Answer 7

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,848 points

Aug 23, 2007 9:48 AM in response to Cheryl Kohler

I opened the doc in TextEdit and it substituted Fang Song for SimSun.

Does SimSun show up in the font list for TextEdit? It does for me (I have the font in Home/Library/Fonts) If so, can you select the text where this should be used and change it to SimSun?

I don't know if the fonts are interchangeable.

Yes, in terms of the characters being displayed.

Sorry, I don't know to what extent the formatting of your original will be preserved in TextEdit. Other apps that a supposed to be pretty much clones of Word are NeoOffice and OpenOffice.

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Answer 8

Aug 23, 2007 9:59 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

I put Simsun in cherylkohler/library/fonts (I don't have a "home" folder, I assume this is what you mean) and it's not showing up in the font list in any application. That's why I am wondering if maybe there's something wrong with the font file itself.

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Answer 9

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,848 points

Aug 23, 2007 10:11 AM in response to Cheryl Kohler

I put Simsun in cherylkohler/library/fonts (I don't have a "home" folder, I assume this is what you mean)

If from the Finder you do Go > Home, you presumably are in the cherylkohler folder, right?

I wonder if there is something about 10.3 which doesn't like that font? (I'm using 10.4 but I did not think there should be a difference). Did you restart your machine?

Another place you can ask if necessary is the Word newsgroup:

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/community/community.aspx?pid=newsgroups

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Answer 10

Aug 23, 2007 10:21 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Yes, that's the folder where Go/Home takes me.

I haven't restarted but I'll give that a shot.

I'm waiting for the person who created the Chinese document to answer some questions about how the text works so I will know if it's even practical to reformat it. I'll try the MS group, too.

Thanks for all your great suggestions -- I'll post more if I figure it out.

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