Why do I see incorrect fonts when I create PDFs from Word

Question

When I first started using Acrobat (versions 3 through 5), it was an incredible product because it could create an exact copy of a document I created with a DTP program. I could send that PDF to someone who did not have the DTP program, yet the recipient saw exactly what I created in the DTP program. That's what made Acrobat great. It worked flawlessly.
Now I have Acrobat Pro XI, and I can't create a PDF from Word and get the correct fonts. I've seen quite a few messages on this forum and elsewhere indicating that other people have this problem, too. But I haven't found a solution. I've tried many things that are suggested--embed fonts, don't embed fonts, and different settings. Nothing seems to work. I've spent hours on this insted of doing the job I am paid for (writing). So I'd be very glad if anyone knows how to fix this.
A few specifics:
- Using Word 2010 and Acrobat XI Pro 11.0.3. Windows 64 bit.
- Most fonts are OK, but some appear to be substitutes. For example, some headings that are supposed to be Tahoma bold-italic come out as something different. It's a lighter weight font. I don't know what it is.
- Creation method from Word: Acrobat Tab, Create PDF or File > Save As PDF. Either way I get the wrong fonts.
- Print to Adobe PDF printer DOES produce the correct fonts, but this doesn't help because you don't get bookmarks (which are a critical part of our final PDF product).
- At one point it seemed that a Word setting, File > Options > Save > Preseve fidelty when sharing this document, but it didn't always work.
- I've seen this same problem on four computers, all using Word 2010 and Acrobat Pro XI.
Some messages suggest that rolling back to Acrobat 8 will solve this problem. It's hard to believe that's the only solution.

Answer 1

I was starting to think this might be an issue with font fauxing (I think that's the tech term). You've confirmed it.
Here's what can happen.
Font designers design a font, and (if they have the enthusiasm) bold and italic and bold-italic versions of the font. If you compare carefully, you will see that they are often quite different designs (look at lower case "a" for example, you'll often see that different in italic). Anyway, in an ideal world the font designer has provided four font files. Choose the bold/italic buttons in Word and it (well, actually Windows) picks the right font file. 
But Word never forbids you from choosing those buttons even if the font files aren't there. (As an aside, pro design tools like InDesign WILL stop you choosing a style for which there is no font file, because what happens next in Word is considered evil).
If you ask Windows (or Mac OS) to show you a font in italic and there is no italic font file, it will take the regular file and slant each character. This may look different from the italic design font, it may also have different spacing. But to the casual word processor user, all is fine. (The pro designer says "oh my, look at that"). No bold? The font letters get thickened up somehow, often with ugly results, but the casual user is happy, because it's clearly the same font and clearly bolder. These processes are called "fauxing" (from making a faux or fake font).
But what happens in a PDF? PDFs will not faux fonts, and they don't have to. If you make a PDF it's like printing. To print a faux italic font, a slanted font prints. Generally looks no worse than the screen font. To print a faux bold font there are several different techniques, all ugly. One is to print several copies of each letter, slightly set off from each other but overlayed. This isn't only ugly, copy/paste often yields something like BBBOOOLLLDD TTTEEEXXXTTT. Often the printed bold faux font doesn't look much like the screen bold faux font. And here we have your situation exactly.
Now, I see only Tahoma and Tahoma-Bold on my computer too. You could see if anyone seels an Italic/BoldItalic version, or if they are bundled with some Microsoft software (which you'd need to own, the fonts can't be freely copied). But really this is sending the message - use a different font. I'd use Arial, where Windows has had all four files included since Windows 3.1 was released.