[Issue] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

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jdpipe
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[Issue] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

Hi all

Has anyone else had a problem where exporting documents to PDF results in wrongly exported glyphs?

This document that I'm working on comes originally from import from MS Word, but even so, I still seem to see these problems even after I've attempted to edit and fix the offending equation.

I think this sounds like a bug (using OOo 2.4.1 on Ubuntu Hardy). But if anyone else has seen this, I'd be interested to know if there's a workaround?

Cheers
JP
Editing the same equation, shows the correct glyphs
Editing the same equation, shows the correct glyphs
PDF created from OpenOffice Writer document
PDF created from OpenOffice Writer document
pdf-errors.png (5.82 KiB) Viewed 16229 times
Last edited by foxcole on Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

It's a problem with the font I guess (but rather weird to have that difference depending on the edition mode).

Make sure you've installed the msttcorefonts package in Synaptic to get all the standard MS fonts. Else see if changing the fonts for the Numbers (Format>Fonts menu).

Thanks to add '[Solved]' at beginning of your first post title (edit button) if your issue has been fixed.
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jdpipe
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

I'm inclined to think that this can't be just a font issue. I mean: isn't '0' a '0' in all fonts that we're likely to be taking about? I'll try the suggestions you made.
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acknak
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by acknak »

I think this has come up before: the glyphs in your PDF look to me like Arabic numerals (not Western "Arabic numerals", the numerals used in Arabic writing). That makes it a locale-related issue, perhaps. I don't have the slightest idea how that might work, but maybe a search for "arabic number" or similar will turn up an answer.
arabic_numerals.png
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foxcole
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by foxcole »

jdpipe wrote:I'm inclined to think that this can't be just a font issue. I mean: isn't '0' a '0' in all fonts that we're likely to be taking about? I'll try the suggestions you made.
Not necessarily... and acknak's comment makes me wonder what language is applied to the font in your document.
Cheers!
---Fox

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Hagar Delest
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

There was a bug that has been solved in the 2.4.1 release: [Solved] Incorrect numeral font when opening MS-Word files.

If nothing seems to fix it, you can try the official version: [Ubuntu] Installing OOo on Debian and Co.
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jdpipe
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

I suspect that this problem is as hagar suggested, related the buggy import from MS Word documents that have been the basis of the documents I am now working on.
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xugular
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by xugular »

Hello, this problem has nothing to do with MS-Word importing. This is a problem with Ubuntu's Microsoft embedded fonts. My problem is described here: http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/ ... f=7&t=7796.

A workaround can be printing to a file or using a external .pdf creator.

I assure you that if you go into Windows and convert the same file with OOo you won't have the problem, or maybe even other unix like operating systems that are not Ubuntu.
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jdpipe
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

Hi there, I don't see how you managed to conclude that the problem was with 'Ubuntu's Microsoft embedded fonts'. What and where are the fonts you describe, and what's the reasoning behind saying that there's a problem with them?
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

xugular wrote:This is a problem with Ubuntu's Microsoft embedded fonts.
Definitively not since I can't reproduce your issue on my xubuntu (Hardy) system with OOo 2.4.1 and the msttcorefonts package!
As said in your thread, the only root cause seems to lay in the Ubuntu version of OOo.
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xugular
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by xugular »

jdpipe wrote:Hi there, I don't see how you managed to conclude that the problem was with 'Ubuntu's Microsoft embedded fonts'. What and where are the fonts you describe, and what's the reasoning behind saying that there's a problem with them?
Yes, maybe I concluded very fast and I'm not quite sure. I just searched the web for an article I read back some months ago when I started my problem's topic, but I couldn't find it. It said something like the fonts now were embedded in the software, like OOo Writer, and not in the Operative System. The solution this guy gave to the problem was to change the formulas font to another one that doesn't give trouble (he gave some example but I don't remember; I just tried DejaVu Sans but it also gave a problem, and DejaVuSans is not in the msttcorefonts package).

The "Microsoft's fonts" I was referring to are the ones contained in the msttcorefonts package:

Andale Mono
Arial Black
Arial (Bold, Italic, Bold Italic)
Comic Sans MS (Bold)
Courier New (Bold, Italic, Bold Italic)
Georgia (Bold, Italic, Bold Italic)
Impact
Times New Roman (Bold, Italic, Bold Italic)
Trebuchet (Bold, Italic, Bold Italic)
Verdana (Bold, Italic, Bold Italic)
Webdings

from: http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy/msttcorefonts
Hagar de l'Est wrote:Definitively not since I can't reproduce your issue on my xubuntu (Hardy) system with OOo 2.4.1 and the msttcorefonts package!
As said in your thread, the only root cause seems to lay in the Ubuntu version of OOo.
I concluded this because the article I read, and because we have seen it works fine in every other Operative System, like Debian, Windows or even Xubuntu. But you are right, if in Xubuntu worked fine the problem might be in the Ubuntu version of OOo, as I saw posted here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour ... bug/244353.

So,

1) There might be a chance that the problem does not exists with some fonts (I don't have the time to keep checking more fonts)

2) It doesn't seem to be a problem with MS Word importing, and rather it's a bug of OOo Ubuntu (and only Ubuntu) version.

3) There's also a chance that the original version of OOo fixes the problem (http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/ ... ?f=16&t=68). I can't check this option because im in the amd64 Ubuntu version, and it seems that the .tar.gz package is for 32 bit architecture. This is pending to check...

dpkg: error al procesar openoffice.org-onlineupdate_2.4.1-17_i386.deb (--install):
la arquitectura del paquete (i386) no corresponde con la del sistema (amd64)


I uninstalled my Ubuntu's OOo package for nothing.. but oh well I think that I agree with this guy: http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/Read ... sgNo=57769.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

xugular wrote:I can't check this option because im in the amd64 Ubuntu version, and it seems that the .tar.gz package is for 32 bit architecture. This is pending to check...
You can do it with the --force-architecture parameter in the dpkg command line: Upgrade to 2.4.1 on Debian & AMD64.
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jdpipe
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

A clarification: I'm seeing this issue with OOo 2.4.1 on Ubuntu Hardy. So if the bug was fixed on Hardy, I'm not seeing that.

Cheers
JP
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

What version? Installed from the OOo web site debs or from Synaptic?
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jdpipe
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

It's the Ubuntu Hardy version from Synaptic from the Ubuntu repositories.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

Then, replace it by the official version from OOo web site: [Ubuntu] Installing OOo on Debian and Co.

Thanks to add '[Solved]' at beginning of your first post title (edit button) if your issue has been fixed.
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jdpipe
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Re: [bug] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

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Re: [bug] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

I bet it will soon be closed WONTFIX because it seems to be linked to the distro version, not the OOo code itself. Wait and see.
In the mean time, why not try the official version if you want to get rid of this behavior?
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jdpipe
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Re: [Issue] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by jdpipe »

If there were a proper package repository containing official OOo packages, I would try it. But I'm wary about messing up my everyday working computer with conflicting versions of OOo. Perhaps I will try it in a KVM virtual machine, but will take some time.
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Re: [Issue] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by Hagar Delest »

No need to run them in parallel (even if it's possible). I've replaced the Ubuntu version of OOo by the Sun version from the beginning for any Ubuntu release I've tried and it works fine.
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lawilog
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Re: [Issue] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by lawilog »

I have the same problem - by googling for it, i found this page.
I use a 64bit gentoo system: Linux deepthought 2.6.27-gentoo-r4de #5 SMP Sun Dec 21 12:14:01 CET 2008 x86_64 AMD Turion(tm) 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-64 AuthenticAMD GNU/Linux
As usual in gentoo, I built everything from source. version 3.0.0, OOO300m9 (Build:9358), Build 3.0.0.3.5

When I export a Writer document to PDF realy randomly (!) choosen characters in formulas get replaced by some wired arabic, hebrew, ...? strange-looking characters. I justed wanted to say that the problem is still out there. If you need more information, please let me know.
I was writing a German document (with many formulas in it).

Workaround: Print... [x] to file -> save as postscript .ps file, open it (e.g. with kghostview), print to pdf.

lw
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topangamountainsam
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Re: [Issue] Symbols such as '2' exported as wrong glyphs in PDF

Post by topangamountainsam »

I am running OOo 3.1.0 on mac os x 10.4.11 and have the SAME problem: I get the same arabic characters when I export to PDF, but only sometimes. It seems to happen when there are negatives in the formula, unless I put a space between EVERY character. It is happening right now, with exponents, and I can't get it to go away. I will try using another font. Why arabic?

EDIT: changing the font to times new roman fixed it.
OOo 3.1.0, Mac OS X 10.4.11
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