Windows System Font Document Embedding Restrictions

Question

The company is using Windows right now When using (Batang, BatangChe, GULIM, GULIMCH, Malgun Gothic) in Windows system fonts, I was wondering if commercial use (e.g. if you deliver documents in business) would be a violation when using that font as PDF embedding!

참고 URL : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fonts/font-faq

Answer 1

Hi 재성 한,

The fonts you mentioned are standard Windows system fonts, and Microsoft’s font licensing FAQ confirms that they can be used for commercial purposes as part of the operating system.

When you embed these fonts into a PDF for business use, you are not violating the license, provided the fonts came with your licensed copy of Windows. The restriction you may see in some font properties (like “restricted license embedding”) is more about preventing redistribution of the font itself, not about preventing you from sharing documents that use it. In other words, you can deliver PDFs to clients or partners without issue, the embedded font data is only there to ensure the document displays correctly.

If you want to double-check, Microsoft’s official guidance is published in the font FAQ you linked, and it makes clear that system fonts are licensed for both personal and commercial use. The only limitation is that you cannot extract or redistribute the font files separately outside of Windows.

In short, using those fonts in your business documents and embedding them in PDFs is fully supported and compliant.

I hope the response provided some helpful insight. If it clarified the issue for you, please consider marking it as Accept Answer so others with the same issue can find the solution.

Jason.

Answer 2

Using the Windows system fonts Batang, BatangChe, Gulim, and GulimChe in PDFs for commercial document delivery is allowed as long as document font embedding rules in the OpenType/TrueType specifications are followed and the fonts’ embedding flags permit it.

From the Windows font redistribution FAQ:

• “Document font embedding” is a special case that is allowed when an application follows the OpenType/TrueType rules and restrictions.
• If an application (for example, Word or PowerPoint) follows those rules, it can embed Windows-supplied fonts in documents it creates, including PDFs.
• When fonts are embedded according to their embedding flags (such as “editable embedding” or “print and preview embedding”), there are “no special restrictions around the distribution of documents that contain embedded Windows’ fonts (unless you are using an application that is specifically licensed for home, student, or non-commercial use).”
• Document font embedding permissions apply only to documents, not to embedding fonts directly in games, apps, or devices.

Batang and Gulim are listed as Windows Korean supplemental fonts and are covered by the same Windows font redistribution FAQ. For commercial document delivery (e.g., sending PDFs to customers or partners), using these fonts embedded in PDFs generated by compliant software does not violate the Windows font license, provided:

• The fonts’ embedding flags allow embedding (not set to “restricted license/no embedding”).
• The fonts are only embedded in documents (such as PDFs) and not redistributed as standalone font files or embedded in applications/devices.
• The application used to create the PDFs complies with the OpenType/TrueType document embedding rules and is not itself restricted to non-commercial use.

If different embedding levels are mixed (e.g., “print and preview” with “editable”), the specification requires the entire document to be locked for editing when opened without the fonts installed.

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References:

• Font redistribution FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for Windows
• Batang font family
• Gulim font family
• Embedded Fonts
• Windows 11 font list
• Windows 10 font list