diff --git a/crates/preflight/src/lib.rs b/crates/preflight/src/lib.rs
index 7a3808ba9a..9635d0df75 100644
--- a/crates/preflight/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/preflight/src/lib.rs
@@ -378,6 +378,37 @@ fn referenced_content(doc: &Document, objs: &[(ObjRef, std::sync::Arc<Object>)])
     out
 }
 
+/// The fonts the document draws with: those a resource dictionary names (`/Resources`, of a page or
+/// a page tree node, a form XObject or an annotation's appearance stream, a pattern or a Type 3
+/// font). PDF/A asks that every font "used for rendering" be embedded (ISO 19005-2, 6.2.11.4.1). A
+/// font that only the interactive form's default resources hold (`/AcroForm /DR`, ISO 32000-1
+/// 12.7.2) draws nothing, so it needn't be: an appearance stream that does draw with it names it in
+/// its own `/Resources`.
+fn drawing_fonts(doc: &Document, objs: &[(ObjRef, std::sync::Arc<Object>)]) -> std::collections::HashSet<ObjRef> {
+    let mut out = std::collections::HashSet::new();
+    for (_, o) in objs {
+        let Some(resources) = dict_of(o).and_then(|d| d.get(b"Resources")).map(|r| doc.resolve(r)) else { continue };
+        let Some(fonts) = resources.as_dict().and_then(|r| r.get(b"Font")).map(|f| doc.resolve(f)) else { continue };
+        if let Some(fonts) = fonts.as_dict() {
+            out.extend(fonts.iter().filter_map(|(_, f)| f.as_ref()).map(|r| font_object(doc, r)));
+        }
+    }
+    out
+}
+
+/// How many references [`font_object`] follows, as the document's own `resolve` does.
+const MAX_REFERENCE_HOPS: usize = 32;
+
+/// The object a font entry's reference `r` ends at: an object can be nothing but a reference to
+/// another (ISO 32000-1 7.3.10), and the font dictionary is the last one in that chain.
+fn font_object(doc: &Document, mut r: ObjRef) -> ObjRef {
+    for _ in 0..MAX_REFERENCE_HOPS {
+        let Object::Ref(next) = &*doc.get(r) else { break };
+        r = *next;
+    }
+    r
+}
+
 /// Whether a stream's own dictionary says it holds content: a form XObject, or a stream with a
 /// `/BBox` and no `/Subtype` (a tiling pattern, or an appearance stream that leaves out
 /// `/Subtype /Form`). Mesh shadings may carry a `/BBox` too, but their data isn't content.
@@ -681,7 +712,8 @@ pub fn verify(doc: &Document, level: Level) -> Vec<Issue> {
             issue("6.5.2", "Page {} has additional actions", Some((i + 1).to_string()), Some(i), true);
         }
     }
-    check_objects(doc, level, &objs, &page_of, &mut issue);
+    let drawing = drawing_fonts(doc, &objs);
+    check_objects(doc, level, &objs, &drawing, &page_of, &mut issue);
     // One message per kind of problem is enough for repeated ones (as preflight summaries do).
     let mut out = out.into_inner();
     let mut seen = std::collections::HashSet::new();
@@ -693,28 +725,29 @@ fn check_objects(
     doc: &Document,
     level: Level,
     objects: &[(ObjRef, std::sync::Arc<Object>)],
+    drawing: &std::collections::HashSet<ObjRef>,
     page_of: &impl Fn(ObjRef) -> Option<usize>,
     issue: &mut impl FnMut(&'static str, &'static str, Option<String>, Option<usize>, bool),
 ) {
     for (r, o) in objects {
         let Some(d) = dict_of(o) else { continue };
-        check_one_object(doc, level, *r, d, o, page_of, issue);
+        check_one_object(doc, level, d, o, drawing.contains(r), page_of(*r), issue);
     }
 }
 
 fn check_one_object(
     doc: &Document,
     level: Level,
-    reference: ObjRef,
     dict: &Dict,
     object: &Object,
-    page_of: &impl Fn(ObjRef) -> Option<usize>,
+    draws: bool,
+    page: Option<usize>,
     issue: &mut impl FnMut(&'static str, &'static str, Option<String>, Option<usize>, bool),
 ) {
     let ty = dict.name(b"Type");
     let subtype = dict.name(b"Subtype");
     check_actions(doc, dict, issue);
-    if is_annotation(dict, ty, subtype) && check_annotation(doc, dict, subtype, page_of(reference), issue) {
+    if is_annotation(dict, ty, subtype) && check_annotation(doc, dict, subtype, page, issue) {
         // A forbidden annotation stops every later check for its object, as the scan did before
         // it was split into helpers: the rest of its own checks and the form field, font, stream
         // and embedded file below all came after that `continue`.
@@ -723,7 +756,8 @@ fn check_one_object(
     if dict.get(b"FT").is_some() && dict.get(b"AA").is_some() && ty != Some(b"Annot") {
         issue("6.5.2", "A form field has additional actions", None, None, true);
     }
-    if ty == Some(b"Font") || dict.get(b"BaseFont").is_some() && subtype.is_some() {
+    // A Type 0 font's descendant is checked through it.
+    if draws && (ty == Some(b"Font") || dict.get(b"BaseFont").is_some() && subtype.is_some()) {
         check_font(doc, dict, issue);
     }
     if let Object::Stream(stream) = object {
diff --git a/crates/preflight/src/tests.rs b/crates/preflight/src/tests.rs
index 5d3b8a7d0f..ca222bd21d 100644
--- a/crates/preflight/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/preflight/src/tests.rs
@@ -1232,3 +1232,35 @@ fn xmp_value_forms_are_those_xmp_allows() {
         ["xmpMM:DerivedFrom"]
     );
 }
+
+/// PDF/A asks for the fonts "used for rendering" to be embedded (ISO 19005-2, 6.2.11.4.1). A font
+/// that only the form's default resources hold (`/AcroForm /DR`, ISO 32000-1 12.7.2) draws
+/// nothing, as in veraPDF's 6-4-1-t02-pass-a; one that a widget's appearance stream draws with is
+/// named in that stream's `/Resources`, and still has to be embedded.
+#[test]
+fn only_fonts_something_draws_with_must_be_embedded() {
+    let fonts =
+        |doc: &Document| -> Vec<String> { verify(doc, Level::A2b).into_iter().filter(|i| i.clause == "6.2.11.4").map(|i| i.message).collect() };
+    let form = |appearance_fonts: &str| {
+        build(
+            &[
+                "<< /Type /Catalog /Pages 2 0 R /AcroForm << /Fields [6 0 R] /DA (/Helv 0 Tf 0 g) /DR << /Font << /Helv 4 0 R /ZaDb 5 0 R >> >> >> >>",
+                "<< /Type /Pages /Kids [3 0 R] /Count 1 /MediaBox [0 0 200 200] >>",
+                "<< /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /Resources << >> /Annots [6 0 R] >>",
+                "<< /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica >>",
+                "<< /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /ZapfDingbats >>",
+                "<< /Type /Annot /Subtype /Widget /FT /Tx /T (name) /F 4 /Rect [10 10 90 30] /P 3 0 R /AP << /N 7 0 R >> >>",
+                &format!("<< /Type /XObject /Subtype /Form /BBox [0 0 80 20] /Resources << {appearance_fonts} >> /Length 0 >>\nstream\n\nendstream"),
+                // An object that is nothing but a reference to the Helvetica font (ISO 32000-1 7.3.10).
+                "4 0 R",
+            ],
+            "",
+        )
+    };
+    assert!(fonts(&form("")).is_empty(), "{:?}", fonts(&form("")));
+    assert_eq!(fonts(&form("/Font << /Helv 4 0 R >>")), ["The font Helvetica isn't embedded"]);
+    // Named through a reference to it, it is still the font something draws with.
+    assert_eq!(fonts(&form("/Font << /Helv 8 0 R >>")), ["The font Helvetica isn't embedded"]);
+    // A page's own font is checked as before.
+    assert_eq!(fonts(&messy()), ["The font Helvetica isn't embedded"]);
+}