---
title: "Font Tool"
url: "https://help.manageartworks.com/en/article/font-tool"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-10-26T20:58:34.288Z"
---

# Font Tool

The **Font tool** in **ManageArtworks** allows users to verify critical font properties such as **font name**, **size**, **X-height**, and **Cap Height**. This helps ensure that the fonts used in the artwork comply with **brand guidelines** and **regulatory standards**.

-   **Cap Height:** The vertical height of capital letters, measured from the baseline.
-   **X-Height:** The height of the main body of lowercase letters, excluding ascenders and descenders.
-   **X-Height Significance:** Fonts with large x-heights are generally considered easier to read at small font sizes, whereas small x-heights require more spacing between letters and larger font size to achieve legibility.  
     

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/9d8618e6-d390-497a-958d-0db02cc59f13)

  
However, not all PDFs behave the same. A PDF can contain various data types — including **text**, **raster graphics**, **vector graphics**, and **embedded fonts (glyphs)**. Some PDFs that appear to contain text may actually be **image-based** (for example, scanned documents). In such cases, the text is visually present but not recognized as actual text data, making **font detection and analysis impossible**.

## Challenges in Estimating Font Properties in PDFs

-   **PDFs don’t store real text structure** – Text in PDFs is represented as individually positioned glyphs rather than paragraphs with defined font metrics.
-   **Declared font size ≠ actual height** – A font size of *12 pt* in the metadata may render smaller or larger depending on the font’s internal design.
-   **Key metrics often missing** – Details such as *x-height*, *cap height*, *ascenders*, and *descenders* are rarely embedded in the PDF.
-   **Visual adjustments can change actual size** – Design adjustments like scaling or skewing may cause the measured font size to differ from the original.
-   **Tools give inconsistent results** – Different PDF libraries interpret and measure text differently, leading to variations in reported font metrics.

## Best Practices

To ensure accurate and reliable proofreading results when working with packaging artworks, follow these recommended practices:

### 01\. Use Live (Editable) Text

-   Always provide artwork with live text rather than outlined or rasterized content.
-   Outlined or image-based text cannot be analyzed for font properties, spelling, or text-based comparisons.

### 02\. Use Unicode-Compliant Fonts

-   Choose fonts that adhere to Unicode encoding standards. Unicode fonts ensure characters are correctly mapped and interpreted during automated proofreading.
-   Avoid using non-Unicode or custom-encoded fonts — even if they appear correct visually, they may cause missing or corrupted characters during analysis.
-   Unicode fonts also support multiple languages and special characters, making them ideal for regulatory and multilingual artwork.

03\. Avoid Symbol Fonts or Custom Glyph Sets

-   Fonts such as *Wingdings* or custom glyph-based fonts do not map to standard characters and will appear as unreadable symbols during analysis.
-   If symbols or icons are required, clearly label them or include live text alternatives to maintain accessibility and ensure proper verification.