diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py
index 4f248fde9..0fc17ea37 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py
@@ -1135,15 +1135,7 @@ end"""
 
         # Beginning of main embedTTF function...
 
-        # You are lost in a maze of TrueType tables, all different...
-        sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
-        try:
-            ps_name = sfnt[1, 0, 0, 6].decode('mac_roman')  # Macintosh scheme
-        except KeyError:
-            # Microsoft scheme:
-            ps_name = sfnt[3, 1, 0x0409, 6].decode('utf-16be')
-            # (see freetype/ttnameid.h)
-        ps_name = ps_name.encode('ascii', 'replace')
+        ps_name = font.postscript_name.encode('ascii', 'replace')
         ps_name = Name(ps_name)
         pclt = font.get_sfnt_table('pclt') or {'capHeight': 0, 'xHeight': 0}
         post = font.get_sfnt_table('post') or {'italicAngle': (0, 0)}
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py
index 1aeee39a2..3d44b6f7f 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py
@@ -714,12 +714,8 @@ grestore
             self.track_characters(font, s)
 
             self.set_color(*gc.get_rgb())
-            sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
-            try:
-                ps_name = sfnt[1, 0, 0, 6].decode('mac_roman')
-            except KeyError:
-                ps_name = sfnt[3, 1, 0x0409, 6].decode('utf-16be')
-            ps_name = ps_name.encode('ascii', 'replace').decode('ascii')
+            ps_name = (font.postscript_name
+                       .encode('ascii', 'replace').decode('ascii'))
             self.set_font(ps_name, prop.get_size_in_points())
 
             lastgind = None
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
index cdc82edbf..2ea6efc2d 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
@@ -413,16 +413,11 @@ def ttfFontProperty(font):
     #  Styles are: italic, oblique, and normal (default)
 
     sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
-    sfnt2 = sfnt.get((1,0,0,2))
-    sfnt4 = sfnt.get((1,0,0,4))
-    if sfnt2:
-        sfnt2 = sfnt2.decode('mac_roman').lower()
-    else:
-        sfnt2 = ''
-    if sfnt4:
-        sfnt4 = sfnt4.decode('mac_roman').lower()
-    else:
-        sfnt4 = ''
+    # These tables are actually mac_roman-encoded, but mac_roman support may be
+    # missing in some alternative Python implementations and we are only going
+    # to look for ASCII substrings, where any ASCII-compatible encoding works.
+    sfnt2 = sfnt.get((1, 0, 0, 2), b'').decode('latin-1').lower()
+    sfnt4 = sfnt.get((1, 0, 0, 4), b'').decode('latin-1').lower()
     if sfnt4.find('oblique') >= 0:
         style = 'oblique'
     elif sfnt4.find('italic') >= 0:
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py b/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py
index 5ee356774..89fcfb79c 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py
@@ -68,13 +68,7 @@ class TextToPath(object):
         """
         Return a unique id for the given font and character-code set.
         """
-        sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
-        try:
-            ps_name = sfnt[1, 0, 0, 6].decode('mac_roman')
-        except KeyError:
-            ps_name = sfnt[3, 1, 0x0409, 6].decode('utf-16be')
-        char_id = urllib_quote('%s-%x' % (ps_name, ccode))
-        return char_id
+        return urllib_quote('%s-%x' % (font.postscript_name, ccode))
 
     def _get_char_id_ps(self, font, ccode):
         """