Design philosophy: all information in this web site should be accessible to the intended audience regardless of platform, browser, or size of screen. Graphics are kept to a minimum to reduce download times. If you see a frame or an animated GIF, feel free to flame me mercilessly.

This site uses fully compliant cascading style sheets (CSS). Older browsers should display text in their default fonts, while more recent browsers will all display fully formatted text. (However, the styles sheets will look best viewed in Internet Explorer 4.0 or above.) The site also complies with major accessibility standards.

Colophon

The base font for this page is Trebuchet MS, a free font from Microsoft designed for on-screen readability at small point sizes. The headlines are 32 pt Times bold italic, combining elegance, classical proportions, and compactness.

The logo is variation on the original logo from Aldus PageMaker and depicts Aldus Manutius, a student of Johannes Gutenberg and inventor of italics. This is to echo the roots of desktop publishing, both in the 1450s and the 1980s. The logo uses Courier from ITC to evoke the feel of metal type and Poetica from Adobe Systems to evoke the era of hand lettering.

Made on a Macintosh using Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia DreamWeaver.

Fonts & Typography

Top 10 Type Tips

10. Don't overdo kerning. The point is not to get the letters as close together as possible, but to make the overall appearance of the text as even as possible.

9. Use ligatures, including the lesser used ffl and ffi ligs found in "Expert Sets"

8. Use true small caps and old style figures from Expert Sets of fonts.

7. Limit the number of fonts installed in your system. Use a program like ATM Deluxe or Suitcase to activate fonts as you need them. Overloading your operating system with too many fonts can cause instability.

6. Check your word and letter spacing values. I suggest varying letter spacing no more than from –5% to 3% (depending on the typeface and size). This is carefully hidden in the Paragraph dialog box, behind the Spacing button.

5. Pick a font that is appropriate for your publication, such as New Century Schoolbook for children, Times when space is tight, etc. Learn the difference between different fonts and what kind of "feel" they give your type: elegant, informal, etc.

4. Before deciding on a font, ask your service bureau or prepress shop about compatibility with their equipment and whether they accept downloadable fonts.

3. Avoid "el cheapo" fonts that come from unknown sources. They may be all right for in-house use, but may cause output problems or even computer instability.

2. Don't overdo use of different fonts on a page. Stick to a single font family if possible, adding a single other font for contrast or decoration.

1. Don't double space between sentences.

First, let's get a few terms straight. As you can see in our glossary, what most people call a font isn't a font, it's a typeface.

A font is

However, as the terms are so commonly used interchangeably, we will not be very strict about use here.

Font Books

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Typography on the Net

The Typo-L mailing list is dedicated to the discussion of type, typography, typeface design, and type history. Members come from all walks of the printing, publishing and design fields, as well as from student and academic life. Anyone with an interest in these areas is welcome to subscribe and become a member, and learn and teach about type. To subscribe to TYPO-L, send a 1-line mail message saying SUB TYPO-L (your name) to the address LISTSERV@listserv.heanet.ie or your nearest LISTSERV site.

Information on Opentype fonts can be found at Adobe's OpenType page.

Font Utilities & Services

Adobe Type Manager -- I can't say much for ATM font checking. Seems to me all I ever get are duplicate font warnings.

Font Reserve --

Type Tamer --

Font Doctor is another Mac app for checking fonts. I haven't tried it, but it got good reader reviews.

Font Foundries & Vendors

Adobe Systems was the original vendor of PostScript fonts, since it invented PostScript. It has a very wide selection of type faces, including my favorite, Galliard. But Matthew Carter's version of Galliard for Carter & Cone is better.

MyFonts.com is a Web site devoted to fonts done by font aficionados. There's the TypeXplorer, a tool to browse the 10,000 font database by adjusting thickness, width, height, and other font variables. Find a font you like and the TypeXplorer displays a graphic preview, even allowing you to "testdrive" the font with your own text. You can browse by font styles, font names, font designers, or font foundries. For the most part, you'll have to pony up some cash to become the proud owner of the fonts on this site, but it's a great place to explore the fascinating world of digital typography and the designers behind it.

One of my favorite font sites is Chank.com. Chank.com is the work of Minneapolis' Chank Diesel, self-proclaimed Alphabetician. His site blends wise-ass humor with a constantly updated selection of custom-designed fonts, many of which are free. Among the feathers in his cap is the typography used on a lot of Taco Bell advertising.

Another mighty fine font site with a number of free selections is Astigmatic One Eye Foundry. A free font section can be found.

I have created a mailing list for fontpacks (zip's with fonts). If you dont want to download fonts individually, this is the list for you. The group is located at http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/fontpacks. The list provides designers with fonts.

These folks show your fonts in inventory http://www.fordesigners.com/fonts/

STEPPS -- Stop Tax Exempt Private Property Sprawl -- Framingham