This is not the correct way to change the default font. By this method the normal.dotm will be disconnected from document themes. What you need to do is change the default Font Set in the normal.dotm. This is much easier to do in Word 2007 (Windows), but can be done with a few extra steps for Word 2008.

1. Open the normal.dotm: File > Open > Enable: Word Templates, then navigate to Office > User Templates and select Normal.dotm > Open

2. On the Formatting Palette (View menu > Toolbox: Formatting Palette), Open Document Theme

3. Select a pair of fonts (Headings and Body) for Fonts. The default fonts from Word 2004 and earlier are in the Font Set Office Classic.

4. While you're at it, you can choose a different theme Color Set and fix any settings to the Normal Style (like the space after paragraph mentioned above).

5. Save the template. Now when you open a New Blank Document based on the normal template, these settings will be in play. Also, because you changed the Font Set instead of selecting a specific font, the Document Themes will still be able to update the document fonts.

One problem with keeping the new fonts (Cambria and Calibri) as the default is that users who have not installed the new version of Office will not have these fonts, so even if you give them a version of your file they can open, the fonts will be substituted. Embedding the fonts when you save the file or saving the file as a PDF will maintain the fonts you use, but are not good solutions for collaborating on a document with other users.

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