CashCome.com Articles Pages

Web-Safe Fonts for Your Site

Download eBooks and Software

The World's #1 Lottery System For Lotto.
Ken Silver's Multi-million Silver Lotto System! 1 Minute Setup, Winning 9 Out Of Every 10 Games Since 1991. Affiliate Commission Now 75%! Earn Up To $243/sale. Low Refunds. Visit: www.lottoaffiliatecenter.com

The Lotto Black Book
This Radical Approach To An Online Sales Letter Converts In The 3-5%... We've Never Seen Something Like This Since The Early Days Of 2004-2005 And I'm Sure You Haven't Either... We Convert More Than Our Competition And We Pay Out More... Try It!

Paleo Recipe Book - Brand New Paleo Cookbook
Brand New Paleo Diet Cookbook With Over 370 Recipes. Pays 70% Commission On This High-quality, Easy To Sell Product. Get Banners And Promotional Material At Http://paleorecipebook.com/affiliates.html

Articles > Computers and The Internet

Web-Safe Fonts for Your Site

by: Mario Sanchez

Choosing the right typeface for your website copy is important, since it will affect the way your readers perceive your page (serious and formal, or friendly and casual). Aside from this, there are also important usability concerns. For example, some font types are more easily readable than others, and some are more widely available.

You want to choose font types that:

fit the character of your site,
are easy to read on a computer screen, and
are widely available across many browsers and operating systems.

There are basically two types of fonts: serif and sans serif. Serif fonts are those that have fine cross-lines at the extremities of the letter. Sans serif ("sans" being the French word for "without") are fonts that don't have serifs. The most common serif font is probably Times New Roman. Arial is an example of a common sans serif font.

Let's go briefly through the most popular font types and evaluate their availability, readibility and character:

Arial:

Availability.- Thoroughly available. It is probably the most common sans serif font. It is the default font for Windows, and it first shipped as a standard font with Windows 3.1.
Readability On Screen.- Not the worse but definetely not the best, especially at small sizes, when it becomes too narrow and the spacing between characters too small.
Character.- Has a streamlined, modern look but is also plain and boring.

* For Mac users, the equivalent of Arial is Helvetica.

Times New Roman:

Availability.- Thoroughly available. It is probably the most common serif font. It is the default font for web browsers. It was first shipped as a standard font with Windows 3.1
Readability On Screen.- Acceptable for font sizes of 12pt. and up, but terrible for smaller sizes.
Character.- Serious, formal and old fashioned.

For Mac users, the equivalent of Times New Roman is Times.

Verdana:

Availability.- A widely available sans serif font, Verdana was first shipped with Internet Explorer version 3, when the exponential growth of the Internet demanded a new font that was easy to read on the screen.
Readability On Screen.- Exceptional. It's wide body makes it the clearest font for on-screen reading, even at small sizes.
Character.- Modern, friendly and professional.

Georgia:

Avaliability.- Good. It is a serif font introduced by Microsoft with Internet Explorer version 4, when the need for a serif font which much better readability than Times New Roman became evident.
Readibility On Screen.- Very good. It is the best serif font for on-line reading, since it was specifically designed for that purpose.
Character.- Modern, friendly and professional.

Microsoft has also popularized two more fonts: Comic Sans Serif and Trebuchet.

Comic Sans Serif was launched with Internet Explorer verion 3 and mimics the hand writing used in comics. It is easy to read and is informal and friendly, but it is not considered appropriate for more serious, professional sites.

Trebuchet is another sans serif font, similar to Arial but with more character, although it can be difficult to read in small sizes.

Finally, we can mention Courier New, a serif font that was widely popular with old, mechanical typewriters, and that is now used only to present simulated computer code (if you need to present snipets of sample HTML code in your web pages, this is the font to use.)

Therefore, from a usability perspective, the clear winner is Verdana. If you are inclined to use a serif font, Georgia is the best option. Arial remains a good option for specific parts of text, like headlines and titles, where a different font must be used and you can use larger sizes.

-----

You can freely reprint this article. Just include the following resource box at the end:

About The Author

Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest ( http://www.theinternetdigest.net ), an online collection of web design and Internet marketing articles and resources. You can freely reprint his weekly articles in your website, ezine, newsletter or ebook.

?>

News on Computers and The Internet

Google: Up to 500,000 Computers Face Disconnection From The Internet
On Tuesday internet services giant Google began warning users infected with the DNSChanger malware that they face disconnection from the web if they don't disinfect their computer.

Yahoo seeks to shake up search, Web browsing
Joining the battle to redefine Internet search, Yahoo is taking aim with a new browser enhancement it calls "Axis."

Facebook And Smartphones Becoming New Tools For Psychological Science Research
In today's technological era, most people use computers or smartphones to keep up with friends on Facebook, play games, etc. Psychological researchers have now discovered in two recent studies that social media and technology reveal a lot about someone's personality and the way they think. The studies, featured in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, describe how media and ...

Hands-on: Yahooâ€™s Axis Browser
Yahooâ€™s Axis browser is fast and simple to use and the read later syncing feature across devices works as advertised, but itâ€™s not a new idea.

Google Adding DNSChanger Malware Warnings to Search Results
Don't lose Internet access on July 9! Google today pledged to warn users whose computers or home routers appear to be infected with the DNSChanger malware.