Use a different font for bold text, instead of synthetic bold?

Question

In Word, how can we make bold text (such as by pressing Ctrl+B/the B button) use the bold variant of a differently named font from that of the non-bold font? We're using the Light weight of the Open Sans font. Marking some text as bold makes Microsoft Word use what looks like a synthetic automatically boldified version of the Light weight, rather than the Bold weight. How can we make it use the actual Bold weight? Open Sans comes in lots of weights; we have them all installed. However in Word the Light weight shows up as a distinct typeface called ‘Open Sans Light’. The typeface called ‘Open Sans’ just has the Regular and Bold weights.Obviously the font showing up as ‘Open Sans Light’ doesn't have a bold weight. How can we tell Word that when it's emboldening something in Open Sans Light it should use the Bold weight from Open Sans? Alternatively, is there a way of installing a duplicate of Open Sans Bold as Open Sans Light Bold, such that Word will find it and automatically do the right thing?We want to set up a template document such that all users in the organization can easily follow the house style and get the right fonts in all our documents, without them needing to know anything about how that's implemented. Thanks.

Answer 1

To ensure that Microsoft Word uses the correct Bold weight of the Open Sans font (instead of a synthetic bold variant) for bolded text, follow these steps:

1. Install All Available Weights of Open Sans

First, make sure that all weights of the Open Sans font (including Bold) are correctly installed. You mentioned that you already have all the weights installed, so just ensure that the Open Sans Regular and Open Sans Bold are available in your system's font library.

You can do this by verifying the font installation on your computer:

1. Windows: Go to Control Panel > Fonts, and check that Open Sans Regular and Open Sans Bold are listed.
2. Mac: Go to Font Book and check if both weights are available.

2. Modify the Bold Font Setting in Word's Styles

Once the correct fonts are installed, you can set up a style in Word to use the Open Sans Bold weight when you apply Bold to the text in your documents.

1. Step-by-Step:
2. Open Microsoft Word.
3. Go to the Home tab and look at the Styles section.
4. Right-click the Normal style (or the style you're using for body text) and select Modify.
5. In the Modify Style window, click on the Font button.
6. Choose Open Sans as the font, and Bold as the weight.
7. Click OK to apply this setting.

This will ensure that Open Sans Bold is used when you apply the Bold formatting.

3. Use Character Styles for Consistency

If you want to ensure that bolded text consistently uses the correct bold weight across all documents, you can set up a Character Style in Word that applies Open Sans Bold when bold is used.

1. Step-by-Step:
2. Go to Home > Styles and click the New Style button (the small "A with a star" icon).
3. Name the style, for example, “Open Sans Bold.”
4. Choose Open Sans for the font and Bold for the font weight.
5. Save the style.
6. Now, when you need bold text, you can apply this style manually.

This way, you can ensure that bold formatting always applies the correct font weight, without relying on Word to apply a synthetic bold.

4. Create a Custom Template with the Correct Font Settings

If you're preparing a template for your organization:

1. Create a new document in Word.
2. Modify the Normal style (and any other styles you use) to ensure Open Sans Bold is used when bold is applied.
3. Save the document as a template by choosing File > Save As > Word Template (.dotx).
4. Share the template with your organization.

Now, whenever someone uses this template, Word will automatically use the Open Sans Bold weight when text is bolded, ensuring consistency across all documents.

5. Installing a Duplicate Font (Optional)

If you're experiencing issues with Word detecting the correct weights, you can create a workaround by duplicating the Open Sans Bold font as Open Sans Light Bold, but this is usually unnecessary if the fonts are correctly installed. However, you can do this using font management tools, although it's not the most straightforward solution.

6. Alternative: Set a Font for Bold Text in Word Settings (Advanced)

If Word still applies synthetic bold despite the fonts being installed correctly, you can adjust Word's Font Substitution settings to force it to use the correct weights. However, this option is more complex and typically not needed once you ensure proper font installation and style configuration.

By using custom styles and ensuring that the Open Sans Bold font is correctly applied for bolded text, you should be able to have a document template that applies the correct weights in Word.