FrameMaker (v7.2 to 11): Font issues

Problem

I have 2 documents, 1 is the resultant PDF from a Framemaker file recreating a source document, the other is from the source document itself. The fonts are the same on both documents (10pt TNR), so why do they come out looking so small in the frame document?
Frame font is TNR 10pt, 0% Spread, 100% Stretch, 12 pt Line Spacing. PDF was generated via save-as PDF command, High Quality Print setting in both frame and distiller.
What should I do differently to make the PDF from Framemaker match the source?

Solution

Neither one of them appears to be Times New Roman. So check to be sure you are using the font that you think you are. Also, make sure that Adobe PDF is set as your default printer when working in FM, or the PDF output may not match what you see in FM. The print driver can affect the fonts available.

The free SetPrint utility will set Adobe PDF as the default printer, without altering the default for any other Windows programs. (http://sundorne.com/**FrameMaker/Freeware/setPrint.**htmhttp://sundorne.com/FrameMaker/Freeware/setPrint.htm)

Make sure your font is actually installed on your computer. If you have a printer besides Adobe PDF set as the default in FM, then FM can see and use its “printer resident” fonts– that is, fonts that are hard-wired inside the printer and available for printing _on that printer_, but not necessarily installed on the computer where they would be available to embed in a PDF. If the font isn’t actually installed on the computer–usually in the \windows\fonts folder– the PDF will be forced to substitute with something else.

Make sure your font is set to embed in the PDF. If you have Acrobat, you use Acrobat Distiller to do this, editing the appropriate settings file.

The High Quality Print settings file has all fonts set to embed, unless someone altered it.

You also might trying printing to the Adobe PDF virtual printer, rather than using Save as PDF. You didn’t mention which FrameMaker version you have, but Save as PDF was highly unreliable in older versions– so much so that all the gurus warned to avoid it.
Anyway, those are some starting places to look.