Formatting issues when converting Word documents with content controls to PDF

priya.krishna · May 7, 2026, 5:15am

Product: PDFTron.NET.x64 c# package

Product Version: 11.8.1

Please give a brief summary of your issue:

We are facing formatting issues when converting Microsoft Word documents containing content controls (form fields) to PDF using PDFTron’s OfficeToPDF conversion.

The Word document renders correctly in Microsoft Word, but the formatting changes after conversion to PDF.

Issues Observed

When the content is inside content controls, the following issues occur in the generated PDF:

Font size is reduced
Font family changes (font substitution occurs)
Extra/unexpected text is displayed

All of the above issues are observed only for text inside content controls. Static text outside content controls is rendered correctly.

Code Snippet Used for Conversion

pdftron.PDF.Convert.OfficeToPDF(doc, filePath, null);

doc.Save(outputPath, SDFDoc.SaveOptions.e_linearized);

christopher.thompson · May 7, 2026, 4:52pm

Hi Priya,

We are going to need to have the .docx file that you are converting so that we can test with it on our end. I have reached out to your supplied email address directly so please respond back to that on the existing ticket with the file that you are having these issues with.

-Christopher Thompson,
Apryse Support Engineer

priya.krishna · May 8, 2026, 11:10am

Sure, I have attached a zip file with 5 sample files.
There are 4 folders inside the zip file

Sample docx files
Docx files converted to pdf using Save as option is ms word
Docx files converted to pdf using Apryse
Images depicting the format changes post conversion

Sample files.zip (3.1 MB)

priya.krishna · May 11, 2026, 8:56am

Hi,
Is there any update on this?
Maybe I can highlight one of the samples
Filename - CN-000000002_A_009_Umbrella Cover Page.DOCX
Left side is the pdf converted using Apryse and right side is the original word document

The highlighted text visible in the PDF is not present in the original Word document.
Similarly, the font of the text “Test Calculation Note” also looks different.

Thanks

christopher.thompson · May 11, 2026, 12:05pm

Hi Priya,
Currently we are working on testing your provided files with the latest available version of the Apryse toolkit to see if any of the issues that you are reporting have already been addressed. Based on some preliminary testing, I can say that some of these things appear to have already been addressed. As soon as I have more information for you, I will reach out with an additional update.

You have listed that you are working with the v11.8.1 version of the toolkit - can you please try upgrading to the currently available version of the toolkit, v11.12, to see if that resolves some, if not all of these issues?

-Christopher Thompson
Apryse Support Engineer

christopher.thompson · May 11, 2026, 5:39pm

Hi Priya,
I have been able to test with the currently available version of the toolkit, v11.12, and found that a large number of these issues have already been resolved. Can you please try upgrading your library to the latest to see if there are any additional issues remaining? Once that has been done, if you see any lingering issues, please point those out and update your provided sample files/images.

Thanks
-Christopher Thompson,
Apryse Support Engineer

priya.krishna · May 12, 2026, 4:24am

Hi,
I tried upgrading to 11.12 version but still the below issue is visible
Filename - CN-000000002_A_009_Umbrella Cover Page.DOCX
Left side is the pdf converted using Apryse and right side is the original word document

CN-000000002_A_009_Umbrella Cover Page.DOCX (193.1 KB)

The highlighted text visible in the PDF is not present in the original Word document.
Similarly, the font of the text “Test Calculation Note” also looks different.

Thanks

christopher.thompson · May 12, 2026, 12:12pm

Hi Priya,
Thank you for testing the upgrade. I have also been able to replicate the issue you are seeing and have reported this to our Apryse Engineering Department. As soon as I get more information from them or a solution, I will reach out and update you.

Thanks,
-Christopher Thompson
Apryse Support Engineer

priya.krishna · May 15, 2026, 5:34am

Hi,

Could you please let me know if there’s any update on the reported issue?

Thanks,

Priya

priya.krishna · May 15, 2026, 11:04am

Hi,

One more issue is found in the attached word file where the highlighted text font size is reduced when converted to pdf file.

Filename - 0000-5454545454-SUP-ELLEN-EMAIL-001_06_002.DOCX

0000-5454545454-SUP-ELLEN-EMAIL-001_06_002.DOCX (269.1 K
Left side is the pdf converted using Apryse and right side is the original word document

Thanks,

Priya

christopher.thompson · May 15, 2026, 12:49pm

Hi Priya,

No, we do not have an update for you at the moment regarding the originally submitted issue. Reported issues typically take some time to be investigated by our Apryse Engineering Department. As soon as we hear back from them regarding a solution or timeline we will be sure to update you.

Thank you for submitting this second file and the issue you are finding with it. I will need to create a separate ticket for you regarding that issue specifically for tracking purposes. I will reach out to you via email as soon as it has been submitted.

If you run across any additional issues with your files, it is often best to contact us via email at support@apryse.com. This allows us to track these issues and provide updates via email as they come.

Thanks,
-Christopher Thompson
Apryse Support Engineer