# [Tex/LaTex] How to avoid Type3 fonts when submitting to ManuscriptCentral

dvipdfdvipsfonts

I am trying to submit a publication to ManuscriptCentral. All I am allowed to do is to submit my tex file and any missing packages (it seems to have a fair selection of standard packages) and it will go away and compile it. I think it uses latex and then dvipdf to create PDF files – here is an extract from the log file that I can download from the server:

command: latex -interaction=batchmode diff.tex
Command Ok
This is TeX, Version 3.14159 (Web2C 7.4.5)

command: dvipdf diff.dvi
Command Ok
dvips: warning: no config file for generic'


In other words, I can't really change how latex is invoked and what fonts are installed on the target system. The servers seems to choke on my tex file with a not too specific error message:

We are sorry, but there is a problem with your submitted file(s) named
x.tex.pdf. Our system cannot process this file. The most common reason for
this is badly embedded fonts or Type 3 fonts (which we do not support at the
moment). If possible, please change the font settings and/or re-distil this
PDF to a lower Adobe Acrobat version and try again.


The following additional help (available under 'Read more …') makes me think it must be about the fonts in the tex file:

A Type 3 font error is due to bit mapped fonts in your document or missing
fonts used within the document. Bitmapped fonts display poorly on screen in PDF
files and sometimes cause printing problems. We recommend for Word Documents
that you embed your fonts and re-upload the file(s), or for PDF's save them
using Acrobat 6 (or lower).


So here is my question: What can I do in the tex file so that it chooses fonts that are in all likelihood present on the server and not of the Type 3 flavour?

EDIT:
Some more sleuthing prompted by egreg reveals the following:
when I run pdffonts on the PDF file that the publisher creates from my tex files I get:

Error: PDF file is damaged - attempting to reconstruct xref table...
Error: Invalid XRef entry
Error: Top-level pages object is wrong type (null)


Oddly, when I compile them myself, pdffonts lists some fonts all of which are Type 1, CID TrueType, TrueType, or Type 1C. When I open the publisher PDF file with Adobe Reader and look at the Fonts I see two Type 3 fonts. How come ScholarShip manages to sneak them in and I don't?

I had the same problem. I replaced a \mathbbm{1} command I had with \mathds{1}` and the issue has been resolved: no Type 3 Font Error in Manuscript Central.