Font FAQs
- PostScript Font Format
- TrueType Font Format
- OpenType Font Format
- What's the Font?
- Best Fonts for the Web
- Using Graphics to Convey Text
Is the preferred font format for Macintosh computers. PostScript fonts were developed by Adobe for use with PostScript writer. Font size will properly scale when Adobe Type Manager (ATM) is installed on your system, otherwise font may appear jagged.
Preferred font format for Windows computers. The format was developed for efficient storage and processing. TrueType had a stigma for being a low quality font format, however advancements in technology make such claims unjustified.
Developed by Microsoft as a successor to TrueType fonts, OpenType format is similar to TrueType. However OpenType fonts are developed to be cross-platform compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Unix.
If you don't know the font but have a sample try WhatTheFont. The website will upload your sample image and attempt to identify the font by asking you a few simple questions.
Use generic fonts for displaying text on the internet. If a web surfer does not have a copy of the font on his/her computer then the browser will substitute a different (known) font. Therefore you are limited to a common pool of fonts such as: Serif, Arial and Times New Roman.
6. Using Graphics to Convey Text
Using a graphic to convey text may improve the graphical appeal of your website, however search engines cannot read graphics. You may be hurting your search engine rankings by using this practice, therefore try formatting using stylesheets, not graphics.