Distiller 8.0 / Word 2007: Loss of Summation and Integral Signs in Equations

Question

Software: MS Word 2007 and Acrobat 8.0 on Windows Vista. Issue: I have a huge word file with numerous complex equations produced by field codes (not the Word Equation Editor, which is too cumbersome for this task). Many of them feature integral and summation signs. When distilling the file, none of the integral and summation signs which are part of these equations show up. One relatively simple example: {EQ f(r) = \I\Su(h=-¥,¥, ah cos(2p hr) + bh sin(2p hr))}. The code \I\Su(,,) is supposed to produce a summation sign, and it shows up nicely in Word and when I print it with just about any printer, but distiller eats the S/Sigma (or the integral/ò) signs. It does convert any Sigma entered as plain Symbol Greek text, but not when produced by field codes.
According to http://www.math.clemson.edu/~bmoss/math_on_web/math2C.htm, this issue isn't new but has been around in older versions of Distiller/Word.
Question: is there a fix for this? (or if it has been addressed before in any forum and I missed it despite my searching for a long time, please indicate where I can find infos about this).
Thanks in advance (had it misfiled(?) in the forum Distiller Server Windows...)
GR

Answer 1

I now found a fix for the problem. The problem is that Distiller does not convert any "Symbol" font characters beyond code no. 220, which is where the summation and the integral sign are located. It is advisable to use other math fonts instead, like, e.g., the "Unicode Symbols" font (free dowload from http://users.teilar.gr/~g1951d/download.html), and to NOT use Word's equation editor function \i to create integrals or sums, as it relies on above Symbol font. Instead, use a nested overwrite function: \o(\o(∑, h=-¥),¥).