vLetter Support - Using SmartFonts in Microsoft Word

This page addresses issues with using SmartFonts
(OpenType® format) in Microsoft Word.

Using Advanced OpenType features

Advanced OpenType features need to be enabled in each document within Microsoft Word. These features are not enabled by default.

Word 2010 for Windows, Word 2008 for Mac and Word 2011 for Mac all require that older Word documents be converted to the new Word format in order to enable advanced OpenType features for that document.

If you see the words "Compatibility Mode" in the document title bar, then you will need to convert the document to the new format before enabling OpenType features.

You can also try enabling OpenType features as the default for new documents. This works for Word 2010 for Windows and Word 2011 for Mac.

There are also tips below for signatures and letters cut off on screen.

Convert documents from Compatibility Mode:

To convert older documents opened in Compatibility Mode, follow the steps below.

Word 2010 for Windows: Go to the File menu/tab, then click the big Convert button on the Info menu.

convert file in Word 2010

Word 2008 for Mac: Go to the File menu, then choose Save As... to save the file in the new format. Select "Word Document (.docx)" as the Format in the Save As dialog box.

Word 2011 for Mac: Go to the File menu, then select Convert Document (below the Save options), then click the OK button in the dialog box that appears.

convert document in Word 2011 convert dialog box for Word 2011

Enabling Advanced OpenType Features

To enable advanced features in Microsoft Word documents, follow the steps below.

Word 2008 for Mac To make the letters connect as you type (or to use contextual variations), press Cmd-D to open the Font dialog box. In the Advanced section (above the Preview at bottom), check the box labeled “Enable all ligatures in document,” then click OK.	Word 2011 for Mac To make the letters connect as you type (or to use contextual variations), press Cmd-D to open the Font dialog box. In the dialog box, click on the Advanced tab. Check the option to “Use Contextual Alternates,” then set Ligatures to “All,” then click OK.

Word 2010 for Windows To make the letters connect as you type (or to use contextual variations), press Ctrl-D to open the Font dialog box. In the dialog box, click on the Advanced tab. Check the option to “Use Contextual Alternates,” then set Ligatures to “All,” then click OK.

Setting defaults in Word 2010 and Word 2011

You can try setting the SmartFont as the default font, with the advanced OpenType features enabled. This should keep it set for all new documents based on the "Normal" template, but you would still have to enable the features separately if editing older documents that have not yet used the SmartFont, or if using a different template to create a new document (such as brochures, reports or labels).

NOTE: This does not work for Word 2008 for Mac (it doesn't keep OpenType features enabled).

Word 2010 for Windows:
Open Word 2010 directly (do not use an existing document), then press Ctrl-D to select the SmartFont name, set the font size, and enable the OpenType features (as shown above), then click the "Set As Default" button at the bottom to save these in the Normal.dotm template. When you close Word, it should save these settings.

Word 2011 for Mac:
Open Word 2011 directly (do not use an existing document), then press Cmd-D to select the SmartFont name, set the font size, and enable the OpenType features (as shown above), then click the "Default..." button at the bottom to save these in the Normal.dotm template. When you close Word, it should save these settings.

Using Signatures

The full signature in a handwriting font can be inserted by typing fullsign; the nickname in a font can be inserted by typing nicksign.

Word tends to auto-correct words at the beginning of a line to have a capital letter, which can make "fullsign" or "nicksign" not work. Try typing a character space first, then typing the appropriate word to insert the full signature or nickname.

Note: Schoolhouse SmartFonts do not contain signatures.

Some letters appear cut off on screen

Word does not display parts of characters that extend beyond the allotted line space; however, these characters should print intact to a printer or to a PDF file. Be sure you have the latest drivers installed for your printer.