vLetter Support - Using SmartFonts in Microsoft Word

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.