Check a font for math symbols in a brochure

A math symbol can look fine on your computer and turn into a square, a blank space, or a different-looking character in someone else’s brochure. The same problem can affect accented letters and characters from other writing systems.

Use the Installed Fonts tool to compare fonts on your computer with a sample of the symbols and languages your brochure uses. Then check the text in the app you will use to design and export the brochure. That last check matters because a font preview cannot guarantee how another app will handle the font.

Check a font with your brochure text

Open the Installed Fonts tool in Chrome or Edge on a computer. These browsers support the tool’s full font access. Other browsers may show a reduced list or no installed fonts.
Find the font you plan to use. Put a sample of your actual brochure text into the preview, including the symbols and language characters that matter.
Include symbols such as ∑ ∫ √ ≤ ≥ ≠ ± × ÷ ° µ if they appear in your content. Add the exact accented letters, Greek, Cyrillic, or other script characters that your brochure needs. A short representative sample is more useful than testing only the alphabet.
Compare the same sample in a few candidate fonts. Look closely at symbol shapes, spacing, accents, and whether characters appear as empty boxes or unexpected substitutes.
Copy the sample into the brochure app and inspect it there too. Check the app’s exported PDF or other final file, not just its editing view.

The tool previews fonts installed on the computer you are using. It does not open your brochure file or confirm which fonts will be included in an export.

What the preview tells you

The sample looks consistent in the preview

The font is a promising candidate, but the preview is only a first check. Confirm that the same characters look right in your layout app and after export. A PDF opened on another device is a useful final check if the brochure will be shared digitally.

A character appears as a box or is missing

The chosen font may not include that character, or your browser may not be able to display it. Try another font that covers the required script and symbols. Do not leave a missing character for the export stage, since the result can vary by app and device.

A symbol looks different from the surrounding text

The browser or layout app may be using a fallback font for that character. Fallback means another font supplies a character that the selected font does not have. It can keep text visible, but the substitute may have a different weight, size, or baseline.

Characters look right alone but wrong in a phrase

Some scripts need characters to combine or change shape according to their neighbors. A font can contain individual characters but still be a poor match for a particular language or layout. Check complete words and sentences in the brochure app, especially for right-to-left text or combining accents.

Fix missing or inconsistent characters

Choose a font with broader coverage. Compare another installed font using the same sample. For a brochure with several languages, you may need a primary font for body text and a second font for symbols or a script the first font does not cover.
Check the text in the layout app. Select a problem character and confirm which font the app applies to it. If it is using a fallback, assign a font that supports the character to that text rather than relying on an automatic substitute.
Install or enable the font you need. On Windows 11, check Settings › Personalization › Fonts to see whether the font is installed. On macOS, open Font Book, find the font, and check that it is enabled. If you have a font file from a trusted source, open it and follow the operating system’s installation prompt.
Restart the layout app after installing a font. Some apps build their font list when they open. Close and reopen the app, then check the text again before making layout changes.
Check export and sharing settings. If the brochure is a PDF, look for an option to embed fonts when exporting. If embedding is unavailable or restricted by the font license, use a permitted font with the needed characters or ask the recipient to install the same font.

Do not mistake fallback for font support

A browser can display a character using a different font even while the preview is set to your chosen font. That can make the sample look complete when the chosen font itself lacks the symbol. The Installed Fonts preview helps you compare appearance, but it is not a character-by-character font coverage report.

If a symbol’s exact typeface matters, check it in the font’s glyph map or in a font utility that shows the characters provided by that font. In your layout app, also check the font assigned to the symbol. This is especially important for equations, where a substituted minus sign, integral, or Greek letter can look noticeably different from the rest of the formula.

Test the exported brochure on a second device before sending it to print or sharing it with readers.