PDF converted with Calibre (from epub) is missing bold and italic

[kris33]

PDFs converted with Calibre (from epub) are missing bold and italic, which I need.

Epub on left, PDF on right:


As you can see it's missing bold and italic in the converted PDF. I don't really get why.

The code shouldn't pose any problems for Calibre:

<p class="normal text"><i class="italic"><span xml:lang="NO-BOK" xmlns:xml="http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace">TIPS! Har enkelte kostnader sammenheng med både lønnsinntekt og næringsinntekt, kan du eventuelt foreta en fordeling, feks at 75 prosent av denne konkrete kostnaden føres i næringsregnskapet, mens 25 prosent inngår som en del av minstefradraget i lønnsinntekt mv.</span></i></p>

.italic {font-style: italic}

Bold is the same.

ebook-convert book.epub book.pdf --preserve-cover-aspect-ratio --paper-size a4 --embed-all-fonts --base-font-size 10 --margin-bottom 40 --margin-top 50 --margin-left 50 --margin-right 50

How can I bypass this Calibre bug and get PDFs with bold and italic text?

[kovidgoyal]

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=186697

[kris33]

Here

A test file is attached. So is the PDF, command and log.

Log:

Convert book 1 of 1 (Bold Italic)
Resolved conversion options
calibre version: 2.78.0
{'asciiize': False,
 'author_sort': None,
 'authors': None,
 'base_font_size': 10.0,
 'book_producer': None,
 'change_justification': u'original',
 'chapter': u"//*[((name()='h1' or name()='h2') and re:test(., '\\s*((chapter|book|section|part)\\s+)|((prolog|prologue|epilogue)(\\s+|$))', 'i')) or @class = 'chapter']",
 'chapter_mark': u'pagebreak',
 'comments': None,
 'cover': u'/var/folders/5j/9x30qv714wx0zj94s55xmjl00000gn/C/calibre_2.78.0_tmp_YjGHO8/h8_ZWF.jpeg',
 'custom_size': None,
 'debug_pipeline': None,
 'dehyphenate': True,
 'delete_blank_paragraphs': True,
 'disable_font_rescaling': False,
 'duplicate_links_in_toc': False,
 'embed_all_fonts': False,
 'embed_font_family': None,
 'enable_heuristics': False,
 'expand_css': False,
 'extra_css': None,
 'filter_css': u'',
 'fix_indents': True,
 'font_size_mapping': None,
 'format_scene_breaks': True,
 'html_unwrap_factor': 0.4,
 'input_encoding': None,
 'input_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.InputProfile object at 0x1128d2f50>,
 'insert_blank_line': False,
 'insert_blank_line_size': 0.5,
 'insert_metadata': False,
 'isbn': None,
 'italicize_common_cases': True,
 'keep_ligatures': False,
 'language': None,
 'level1_toc': None,
 'level2_toc': None,
 'level3_toc': None,
 'line_height': 0.0,
 'linearize_tables': False,
 'margin_bottom': 40.0,
 'margin_left': 50.0,
 'margin_right': 50.0,
 'margin_top': 50.0,
 'markup_chapter_headings': True,
 'max_toc_links': 50,
 'minimum_line_height': 120.0,
 'no_chapters_in_toc': False,
 'no_inline_navbars': False,
 'old_pdf_engine': False,
 'output_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.OutputProfile object at 0x1128d4350>,
 'override_profile_size': True,
 'page_breaks_before': u'/',
 'paper_size': u'a4',
 'pdf_add_toc': False,
 'pdf_default_font_size': 12,
 'pdf_footer_template': None,
 'pdf_header_template': None,
 'pdf_mark_links': False,
 'pdf_mono_family': u'Courier New',
 'pdf_mono_font_size': 16,
 'pdf_page_numbers': False,
 'pdf_sans_family': u'Helvetica',
 'pdf_serif_family': u'Times New Roman',
 'pdf_standard_font': u'serif',
 'prefer_metadata_cover': False,
 'preserve_cover_aspect_ratio': True,
 'pretty_print': False,
 'pubdate': None,
 'publisher': None,
 'rating': None,
 'read_metadata_from_opf': u'/var/folders/5j/9x30qv714wx0zj94s55xmjl00000gn/C/calibre_2.78.0_tmp_YjGHO8/AVtsDP.opf',
 'remove_fake_margins': True,
 'remove_first_image': False,
 'remove_paragraph_spacing': False,
 'remove_paragraph_spacing_indent_size': 1.5,
 'renumber_headings': True,
 'replace_scene_breaks': u'',
 'search_replace': '[]',
 'series': None,
 'series_index': None,
 'smarten_punctuation': False,
 'sr1_replace': None,
 'sr1_search': None,
 'sr2_replace': None,
 'sr2_search': None,
 'sr3_replace': None,
 'sr3_search': None,
 'start_reading_at': None,
 'subset_embedded_fonts': False,
 'tags': None,
 'timestamp': None,
 'title': None,
 'title_sort': None,
 'toc_filter': None,
 'toc_threshold': 6,
 'toc_title': None,
 'transform_css_rules': '[]',
 'uncompressed_pdf': False,
 'unit': u'inch',
 'unsmarten_punctuation': False,
 'unwrap_lines': True,
 'use_auto_toc': False,
 'verbose': 2}
InputFormatPlugin: EPUB Input running
on /var/folders/5j/9x30qv714wx0zj94s55xmjl00000gn/C/calibre_2.78.0_tmp_YjGHO8/2gILF0.epub
Found HTML cover OEBPS/Text/titlepage.xhtml
Parsing all content...
Parsing OEBPS/Styles/stylesheet.css ...
Parsing OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_007.htm ...
Parsing OEBPS/Text/titlepage.xhtml ...
Parsing OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_009.htm ...
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_011.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_003.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_016.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_017.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_014.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_019.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_012.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_015.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_018.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_021.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_006.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_020.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_split_002.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_010.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_005.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_004.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_023.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_013.htm' not found
Referenced file u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_008.htm' not found
Spine item 'html14' not found
Spine item 'html13' not found
Spine item 'html12' not found
Spine item 'html11' not found
Spine item 'html10' not found
Spine item 'html9' not found
Spine item 'html8' not found
Spine item 'html7' not found
Spine item 'html6' not found
Spine item 'html5' not found
Spine item 'html4' not found
Spine item 'html3' not found
Spine item 'html1' not found
Reading TOC from NCX...
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_split_002.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_003.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_004.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_005.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_006.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_008.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_010.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_011.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_012.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_013.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_014.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_015.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_016.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_017.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_018.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_019.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_020.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_021.htm' not found
TOC reference u'OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_023.htm' not found
Merging user specified metadata...
Detecting structure...
Flattening CSS and remapping font sizes...
Source base font size is 11.99998pt
Removing fake margins...
Found 90 items of level: p_1
p_1  left margin stats: Counter({u'0': 90})
p_1  right margin stats: Counter({u'0': 90})
Cleaning up manifest...
Trimming unused files from manifest...
Trimming u'OEBPS/Text/titlepage.xhtml' from manifest
Creating PDF Output...
Splitting markup on page breaks and flow limits, if any...
Converting input as a text based book...
Serializing oeb input to disk for processing...
The cover image has an id != "cover". Renaming to work around bug in Nook Color
Rendering pages to PDF...
Processing /var/folders/5j/9x30qv714wx0zj94s55xmjl00000gn/C/calibre_2.78.0_tmp_YjGHO8/XSgTni_pdf_out/OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_007.htm...
Loading font: family_name=Droid Serif full_name=Droid Serif postscript_name=DroidSerif subfamily_name=Regular
Processing /var/folders/5j/9x30qv714wx0zj94s55xmjl00000gn/C/calibre_2.78.0_tmp_YjGHO8/XSgTni_pdf_out/OEBPS/Text/BoldItalic_2015_split_009.htm...
Rendered PDF in 0.686728 seconds:
PDF output written to /var/folders/5j/9x30qv714wx0zj94s55xmjl00000gn/C/calibre_2.78.0_tmp_YjGHO8/mBplZD.pdf

./ebook-convert book.epub book.pdf --preserve-cover-aspect-ratio --paper-size a4 --embed-all-fonts --base-font-size 10 --margin-bottom 40 --margin-top 50 --margin-left 50 --margin-right 50

[kovidgoyal]

Your epub file references the font DroidSerif, but it only has the regular variant of that font embedded. Add the bold and italic variants or remove the references to that font and you will be fine.

[kris33]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Your epub file references the font DroidSerif, but it only has the regular variant of that font embedded. Add the bold and italic variants or remove the references to that font and you will be fine.

Thanks, I'll try that. However that has to be a bug?

Most epub viewers support the file.

[kovidgoyal]

Does not work in the calibre viewer. Does not work in Adobe Digital Editions 1.7.

When a font is missing bold/italic variants, there is no guarantee that the fallback font will be bold/italic, that's upto the vagaries of the font selection system of the OS in question. So if you want to embed a font and use its bold/italic faces, then embed all the faces.

For example, on a linux system, do

fc-match 'some family with no bold:weight=bold'

and font config will return the regular face for that font. You absolutely must not rely on rendering systems substituting a bold face for a font with no bold face of its own.

[kris33]

Thanks, that did the trick. Any idea why epubs with missing fonts validate?

[kovidgoyal]

Because epub validators are a useless joke. They basically check only the things that are easy to check programmatically, not the things that might actually cause rendering issues in the real world. epub validators will complain about a huge class of "errors" that cause no actual real world issues and remain silent about a huge class of errors that do cause actual real world issues.