“That’s what’s happening,” Mara said. “Our identities are changing. Clients’ names are becoming other names in print. Contracts—”

: Moving projects between different software (e.g., Final Cut Pro to Premiere Pro) can trigger this if the destination software cannot map the original font's metadata correctly. Critical Risks

When substitution occurs, those kerning instructions are thrown into a void. The substitute font applies its own, usually generic, kerning. The result? Headlines that look loosely glued together. The elegant fluidity of "ffl" ligatures replaced by clunky, disconnected defaults.

Default substitutes (often Courier or Arial) may not match the intended aesthetic or professional tone.

: When a document was saved (like a PDF), the original creator didn't "embed" the font data, meaning the file relies on the recipient already having the font installed. Cross-Platform Issues