Why a Converted Document Looks Different

Why does my document look different after converting?

A document looks different after converting because the converter lays the text out again with the fonts it has. If your font is missing, a substitute with other letter widths and line heights takes its place, so lines wrap differently and pages fill differently. Unsupported features, such as some charts, can also drop out.

Which fonts change the layout when converting?

Any substitute with different letter widths changes the layout. In our test, the same paragraph at 11 points in a 6.5 inch column took 12 lines in Calibri, 13 in Arial and 15 in DejaVu Sans. Fonts made to match an original kept its line count, except a redrawn web build of Caladea.

What are metric-compatible fonts?

Metric-compatible fonts are free fonts drawn so every letter takes the same width as in a common commercial font. Text set in them breaks lines in the same places. In our measurement Carlito matched Calibri, Arimo matched Arial, Tinos matched Times New Roman and Cousine matched Courier New to the tenth of a point over 212 words.

Caladea, the free match for Cambria, comes in two builds. The original (version 1.002, the one LibreOffice installs) gave 5,596.3 points against Cambria's 5,596.8, and 13 lines against 13. The redrawn build that Fontsource serves (version 1.001) gave 5,341.3 points and 12 lines. Our Word to PDF tool used the redrawn build until we measured it on 12 October 2026; it now uses the original.

Why does line spacing change after converting?

Word's default line spacing, "Multiple 1.08", means 1.08 times the font's own single line height, not 1.08 times the font size. Calibri's single line is 1.2207 times its size, so a converter that reads 1.08 as a plain multiple sets lines about 18% too close. In our 160-paragraph test report, that turned 18 pages into 17.

We found this while testing our own Word to PDF tool on 12 October 2026: the .docx route set Calibri lines at 11.9 points, the RTF and ODT routes at 14.5 points (1.08 × 1.2207 × 11). We fixed the .docx route, and all three now give 18 pages for that report. The single line height comes from each font's own table of ascent, descent and line gap, which is why it differs from font to font: 1.2207 for Calibri, 1.1499 for Arial.

How do I keep the layout when converting?

Keep the layout by giving the converter your fonts or fonts with the same widths. Export to PDF from the app that made the file when you can, since it has the fonts. In Word, turn on Embed fonts in the file before sharing a .docx. Prefer common fonts, and check the preview before sending.

• Word: File, Options, Save, then tick Embed fonts in the file.
• No Word at hand: Word to PDF shows a preview and uses width-matched fonts for Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New.
• Slides: PowerPoint to PDF uses the same fonts.
• Going the other way: PDF to Word rebuilds paragraphs from positions, so expect some spacing to differ there too.