If you are seeing "CIDFont+F1" through "F7" in your document properties, it usually isn't because you need to find a specific font family named "F1." Instead, these are often generic placeholder names assigned by PDF creation software when a font isn't fully embedded or is renamed during export. Why You See CIDFont F1–F7
Export Issues: Programs like Microsoft Print to PDF or certain online converters may use these labels for fonts they can't properly decode or name.
Missing Originals: Typically, CIDFont+F1 often refers to Arial (Bold) and CIDFont+F2 refers to Arial (Regular).
Encoding: "CID" (Character Identifier) is a method for encoding large character sets, often used for Asian languages or complex OpenType features. How to Resolve Missing Font Errors
If you are looking to download these to fix a "missing font" error when editing a PDF, try these steps instead of searching for a "CID" font file: cid font f1 f2 f3 f4 f5 f6 f7 fonts free download new
Substitute Common Fonts: Try replacing the missing F1–F7 fonts with Arial, Myriad Pro, or Rockwell to see if the appearance matches the original.
Flatten Transparency: If you use Adobe Illustrator, instead of opening the PDF directly, import/place it into a new document and use Object > Flatten Transparency with "Outline Text" checked to bypass the need for the font file entirely.
Export again as PDF: Opening the file in a viewer like Mac's Preview and using "Export as PDF" can sometimes re-encode the fonts into a usable format.
Check Properties: Use the Adobe Acrobat Font Properties (Ctrl+D) to see if the "Actual Font" name is listed next to the CIDFont label. Where to Find Similar Free Alternatives If you are seeing "CIDFont+F1" through "F7" in
If you are specifically looking for modern, versatile fonts for web and print that handle CID encoding well, consider these free resources: CID+ Fonts - Adobe Community
Adobe’s own open-source pan-CJK fonts are the industry standard.
F1.otf through F7.otf and place them in your system’s font folder.Based on common naming conventions found in legacy publishing software (e.g., Adobe InDesign 1.5–CS2, Ghostscript, and older RIPs), the F1–F7 naming often corresponds to:
| Font Tag | Typical Role / Encoding | Common Family Type | |----------|------------------------|--------------------| | F1 | Base CIDFont – Japanese (93-1 encoding) | Kozuka Gothic Pro, Heisei Mincho | | F2 | Base CIDFont – Korean (KSC 5601) | Batang, Gulim | | F3 | Base CIDFont – Traditional Chinese (BIG5) | Adobe Ming, PMingLiU | | F4 | Base CIDFont – Simplified Chinese (GB2312) | SimSun, Fangsong | | F5 | Extended Japanese (JIS X 0212) | Kozuka Mincho Pro, Source Han Sans | | F6 | Extended Korean (Johab) | UnBatang, Nanum Gothic | | F7 | Extended Chinese (GB18030) | Noto Sans CJK, Source Han Serif | CID Font F3 (Script)
Note: This mapping varies by software. In Ghostscript, F1 may simply point to the default fallback CIDFont. In Adobe Distiller, F1–F7 are temporary placeholders.
Google Noto Sans CJK is the ideal substitute. You can download these and create aliases (or simply copy and rename):
NotoSansCJK-Regular.ttc (Japanese)NotoSansCJK-Regular.ttc (Korean)NotoSansCJK-TC-Regular.otf (Trad. Chinese)NotoSansCJK-SC-Regular.otf (Simp. Chinese)NotoSerifCJK-JP-Regular.otf (Japanese extended)NotoSerifCJK-KR-Regular.otf (Korean extended)NotoSansCJK-Regular.ttc (GB18030)License: SIL Open Font License – Free for commercial & personal use.
You should consider downloading these font files if:
Can't find CID font 'F1' or F2, F3, etc..ttf file.