Though it isn't always easy to know why, fonts cause tons of problems. Any computer application will haven't any trouble understanding letters and numbers, but they also got to be told exactly the way to display those letters and numbers on the screen. This has consequences for people that make an internet site, and meant that up until recently the selection of free fonts used for an internet site has been limited to a mere handful.
Fonts 101
Whenever a computer displays characters on a screen, it uses information contained during a font file that defines exactly how each character should look on-screen. This display rendering information contained in these font files must be accessible for a computer to use it.
Unfortunately, each computer has its own collection of installed font files and since there are actually thousands of various fonts, there's no way of knowing beforehand exactly which fonts are installed to be used on any given computer.
This isn't ordinarily a drag, as most of the time content is made, displayed and used locally, on the one computer. Websites, on the opposite hand, are designed for external viewing by anything with an internet browser: from computers to phones, and everything in between.
To make sure websites look precisely the same one of these devices and web browsers, website designers have traditionally been limited to using fonts that are commonly found on just about any device with an internet browser. the utilization of those fonts helps ensure a webpage will look an equivalent from browser to browser, but it also limits the selection of fonts for website designers.
But there are absolutely no guarantees that any given font - even those common, supposedly "web-safe" ones like Arial, Times or Courier - are going to be installed on every browser-enabled device. And if a required font isn't installed on the device wont to view a site, it'll be substituted with a special one.
So what's all the fuss about web fonts?
Instead of counting on fonts installed locally on the pc, smartphone or tablet wont to view an internet site, web fonts are all about telling browsers to use a font file located somewhere online instead. The widespread use of rapid Internet connections lately means having to access online font information to display a page won't adversely affect site usability for many visitors, because the information is downloaded quickly and transparently.
Using a web font rather than a daily font means site visitors will view your site precisely the way you intended it to seem, whenever. To use an internet font, it just must be linked from the location code, so web browsers know where to seek out relevant font display information. Applying the linked font to the location design is then just a matter of adding it to the site's CSS, a bit like a daily font. It's that straightforward.
What's the catch?
There really isn't one, aside from to use a font, it must be licensed for third-party use (as in by you, on your site). People make fonts, so understandably you will need to get a license to use most of them (it helps font designers pay rent and take out, after all).
But there also are "free" fonts, made available to be used by others via open (free) licenses. Google Web Fonts is one such one-stop-shop free font service, and includes everything you will need to browse and link chosen fonts.
Putting web fonts to use to make a very unique and personalized website design is basically not that tough, and it only takes a couple of minutes to make a site (or modify an existing one) using them, because of CSS3 styling.
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