diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py
index f84b3d539afd..9a3e80bb32e4 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_pdf.py
@@ -1146,10 +1146,10 @@ def embedTTFType42(font, characters, descriptor):
         # You are lost in a maze of TrueType tables, all different...
         sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
         try:
-            ps_name = sfnt[(1, 0, 0, 6)].decode('macroman')  # Macintosh scheme
+            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')
+            ps_name = sfnt[3, 1, 0x0409, 6].decode('utf-16be')
             # (see freetype/ttnameid.h)
         ps_name = ps_name.encode('ascii', 'replace')
         ps_name = Name(ps_name)
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py
index a2bb35d3e5bc..3c0303864948 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py
@@ -696,10 +696,9 @@ def draw_text(self, gc, x, y, s, prop, angle, ismath=False, mtext=None):
             self.set_color(*gc.get_rgb())
             sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
             try:
-                ps_name = sfnt[(1,0,0,6)].decode('macroman')
+                ps_name = sfnt[1, 0, 0, 6].decode('mac_roman')
             except KeyError:
-                ps_name = sfnt[(3,1,0x0409,6)].decode(
-                    'utf-16be')
+                ps_name = sfnt[3, 1, 0x0409, 6].decode('utf-16be')
             ps_name = ps_name.encode('ascii', 'replace').decode('ascii')
             self.set_font(ps_name, prop.get_size_in_points())
 
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_svg.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_svg.py
index bf09351655a0..21030bc6e136 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_svg.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_svg.py
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ def _write_svgfonts(self):
             font = get_font(font_fname)
             font.set_size(72, 72)
             sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
-            writer.start('font', id=sfnt[(1, 0, 0, 4)])
+            writer.start('font', id=sfnt[1, 0, 0, 4].decode("mac_roman"))
             writer.element(
                 'font-face',
                 attrib={
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
index bb0a056d284e..ed4d4740afb0 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
@@ -411,11 +411,11 @@ def ttfFontProperty(font):
     sfnt2 = sfnt.get((1,0,0,2))
     sfnt4 = sfnt.get((1,0,0,4))
     if sfnt2:
-        sfnt2 = sfnt2.decode('macroman').lower()
+        sfnt2 = sfnt2.decode('mac_roman').lower()
     else:
         sfnt2 = ''
     if sfnt4:
-        sfnt4 = sfnt4.decode('macroman').lower()
+        sfnt4 = sfnt4.decode('mac_roman').lower()
     else:
         sfnt4 = ''
     if sfnt4.find('oblique') >= 0:
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py b/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py
index dfedd2c2b88b..a02d83e93779 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/textpath.py
@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ def _get_char_id(self, font, ccode):
         """
         sfnt = font.get_sfnt()
         try:
-            ps_name = sfnt[(1, 0, 0, 6)].decode('macroman')
+            ps_name = sfnt[1, 0, 0, 6].decode('mac_roman')
         except KeyError:
-            ps_name = sfnt[(3, 1, 0x0409, 6)].decode('utf-16be')
+            ps_name = sfnt[3, 1, 0x0409, 6].decode('utf-16be')
         char_id = urllib_quote('%s-%x' % (ps_name, ccode))
         return char_id