Remember, unless it states so explicitly, the font is not legal as a webfont. How many webfonts are available? Make sure the fonts include the ability to use with the rule.All WFSBs I’ve listed in this article won’t have this problem, but it’s something to keep on an eye for newer services.īeyond those criteria, consider the following questions when evaluating potential font suppliers. This is an issue where Firefox won’t display webfonts coming from a server other than the one that the summoning Web page is on. (See the warning in “What You Need to Know About Webfonts: Part 1”). You should also find out whether the webfont source solves the problem with Firefox cross-domain incompatibility. For example, if your style guide requires the use of a specific typeface, it’s you can immediately rule out any WFSB that doesn’t have that typeface. Obviously, the source you choose must have the font or fonts that meet your needs. Some services also include the SVG format, but, as explained in Part 1 of this series, I don’t recommend SVG. Your primary concern is to find a webfont retailer or WFSB that provides the proper formats to support all of the browsers: EOT, WOFF, and either TTF or OTF formats. Most WFSBs don’t provide copies of the fonts for you to install on your own computer, meaning that if you need to create visual comps in Photoshop, for example, you must buy a separate license for the local copy. Pricing structure is complex and hard to compare between WFSBs. When you lease a font, you can relax and leave the heavy lifting to your selected Web Font Service Bureaus.Ĭons: You give up direct control over the file. These are usually high-quality fonts.įigure 2. It can also reduce the strain on your server because you’re not delivering the files. Pros: You don’t have to upload the fonts or worry about updates and cross-domain issues. Some WFSBs use the rule for adding fonts, but more often you will indirectly reference the file through a linked CSS file or even using JavaScript. Instead, you pay a licensing fee and then point to the font files on the WFSB’s server. You never actually own the fonts, nor do you have direct control over the files. You have to be aware of the cross-domain issues that affectsģ. You need to understand the technical intricacies of uploading fonts onto your own web server. When the font is yours, you maintain control.Ĭons: You have to pay for the font. Pros: The font is yours you serve it from your own web server, use it on as many sites as you wish, and have maximum control.įigure 1. There are a growing number of websites that sell font files intended for the Web, generally including all of the necessary formats. You serve it from your own web server, and have maximum control.Ĭons: Unless you created the font, you may not have the legal right to make this conversion.Ģ. When you are choosing which method you want to use, it’s important to keep in mind that conversion and purchasing from retailers means that the font is yours, and under your control. You can take a font file that you own or created and use a tool like FontSquirrel’s Generator to convert one file to all of the different formats you need to ensure full cross-browser support. There are three primary sources for fonts you can use on the Web legally:ġ. It’s their intellectual property, and they deserve to be rewarded for their hard work. I’ll leave it up to your own conscience as to whether you think this is acceptable, but keep in mind that type designers spend months and often years developing a really good typeface. It doesn’t matter how easy it is to do - you’re still breaking the law. Some will argue that this is similar to downloading music or movies without paying for them, but that’s illegal too. Put another way, if your font file is not licensed for webfont use, then you are breaking the law if you do so. While it would be nice to think that this is just a formality, most fonts do not explicitly allow you to download the font for use on a webpage with the rule, and, unless it’s explicitly stated, then it is implicitly illegal. However, there are actually only about 40,000 you can use legally in Web designs.Īn End User License Agreement (EULA) is the agreement you make on what you can legally do (and not do) with a particular piece of software - in this case, a font file. You might think that as long as you can convert them to the proper file formats, then you can use any of those fonts in your Web designs. The best estimate I’ve come up with is that there are around 150,000 digital fonts, at least for print design.
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