User profile for user: macwhat?
macwhat? Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

Ariel font not displaying properly

Ariel font does not seem to work correctly in any of the Microsoft Product such as powerpoint. word. entourage. etc..

Background: The user messed up and actually put fonts she needed to install the first time in System/Library/Fonts. which I have read was the folder you are not to touch. So i deleted all fonts in that folder, went to another MAC machine and copied the system/library/fonts and copied it to this computer hoping it will now have the default fonts in there.

The font shows it as Ariel but what is actually on the screen is some other weird font.

To troubleshoot, i first decided to start the computer in safemode to delete all cache fonts. This resolved the issue just one time. Upon reboot of the computer i open Word and start typing in Ariel. All is well. Ariel shows as ariel. I change the font back to helvetica and start typeing. all is well, helvitica shows fine. I change it back to Ariel and the problem comes back. Ariel font is chosen but what i am seeing on the screen is NOT ariel.

Can anyone enlighten me? I have also deleted all fonts from folders users are supposed to put the font in and recopied to no avail. After the first typing of ariel it will work..but when changed to another font then back to ariel the problem creeps up again.

thanks for those who can help.

macbook pro, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Jun 15, 2009 12:30 PM

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14 replies
User profile for user: Tom Gewecke
Tom Gewecke
User level: Level 10
122,216 points

Jun 15, 2009 12:35 PM in response to macwhat?

The font shows it as Ariel but what is actually on the screen is some other weird font.


Could you send a screenshot (tom at bluesky dot org)? Font subsitution is a common problem, particularly if you have by accident installed any junk fonts where the maker used Ariel or whatever as the basis but forgot to change the internal name. Only fix is to trash the offending font.
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User profile for user: William Lloyd
William Lloyd
User level: Level 7
21,323 points

Jun 15, 2009 12:51 PM in response to macwhat?

You actually deleted all fonts out of /System/Library/Fonts? Ouch.

So the situation is that your computer setup is a bit of a mess. It's impossible to tell how /System/Library/Fonts and /Library/Fonts should look. I'd say, an Archive & Install of the OS would be a good step first.

Also, the MS Office Installer has an option where it will automatically install the fonts in the right location (as it see it... others may argue 😉 ) in the users Fonts directory. Or, it will copy them there on first launch. There is no need for a user to copy any fonts anywhere. I did a quick look through Word's menus as I believe there's an option to tell Word to fix things, but I can't find it. A re-install of Office would probably address this if you paid attention to the options when you did it. I know this is explicitly called out in the Office 2008 installer.
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User profile for user: macwhat?
macwhat? Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jun 15, 2009 1:03 PM in response to William Lloyd

Yes tell me about it. I had to delete the system/lib/font as the user put her fonts in there the first time. so it was a mess. I opted to try to just copy from another mac machine and install "fresh" files from another mac that the folder /sys/lib/fonts was not messed with. That obviously didnt work. I didnt want to do the archive/os install as that would be my last and final troubleshooting. well 2nd to last.. as the last would be fresh install of os and all programs.
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User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
68,626 points

Jun 15, 2009 1:09 PM in response to macwhat?

First, you should run a Repair Permissions. Even though you copied the /System/Library/Fonts/ from one Mac to another in the same location, they will all have incorrect permissions.

You can install all, or any number of the fonts OS X comes with by following the instructions at the bottom of Font Management in OS X.

As for the cache files, booting in safe mode only removes cache files for the user account you log into. That still leaves the system font cache files and those belonging to Office, which are not in the same location as the rest of the user account cache files.

To clear all font cache files from the system, download and run Font Finagler. This might still leave the Office cache files. To remove them, if necessary, close all Office applications. Remove the following files. The tilde (~) indicates your home account.

~/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.browserfont.cache

~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office Font Cache (11)

For Office 2008, the location of the second item is:

~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008/Office Font Cache (12)

The link, or one of the links above directs you to my personal web site. While the information is free, it does ask for a contribution. As such, I am required by Apple's rules for these discussions to include the following disclaimer.
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.
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Ariel font not displaying properly

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