What is font substitution?

Font substitution refers to the practice of replacing one font with another when the original font is unavailable for certain text. This often occurs in various software applications or platforms when the specific font chosen by the designer isn't installed on the system being used to view or edit the document. The substitution may be automatic, where the software selects a similar font that is available, or it may be manually specified by the user to ensure that the text appears correctly despite the absence of the desired font.

Using one font in place of another helps maintain readability and visual consistency, ensuring that the document or design maintains its intended look as closely as possible, even with the limitations of font availability. Recognizing how font substitution works is crucial for graphic designers, typesetters, and anyone involved in digital publishing to avoid unintentional changes in the appearance of their content. In contrast, the other options describe different processes regarding font manipulation but do not accurately capture the definition of font substitution.