Change Website Font: 3 Temporary Solutions
Dealing with Difficult Website Fonts
Have you ever received a link to a website featuring fonts that are exceptionally challenging to decipher? This is a common frustration for many internet users. Typically, little can be done to rectify such issues – or so it seems.
Numerous individuals online have encountered this very problem. Thankfully, they’ve taken initiative and developed solutions. Feel free to click on links, even those from sources like chain emails, and explore these web tools.
Tools for Customizing Web Text Display
These tools share a single, focused objective: to empower you to view website text according to your preferences.
- Personalized Readability: They allow for adjustments to font size, style, and color.
- Accessibility Focus: These resources can be particularly helpful for users with visual impairments.
- Control Over Presentation: You gain the ability to override a website’s default styling.
Instead of being forced to strain your eyes, these tools provide a means of enhancing your online reading experience. They offer a level of control over web content presentation that wasn't previously available.
By utilizing these resources, you can ensure that the information you seek is presented in a format that is comfortable and accessible for you. This ultimately leads to a more enjoyable and productive time online.
FontFonter [Web App]
It’s important to understand that FontFonter won’t magically overhaul a poorly designed website into a visually stunning creation. Substandard web design remains substandard, and no tool can fundamentally alter that. However, it significantly improves website readability. Simply input the target URL into FontFonter’s address field, activate the "FontFont It!" function, and experience the benefits of its TypeKit font modification capabilities.
FontFonter allows users to alter the fonts displayed on any website through three distinct categories: serif, sans-serif, and a combination of both. This functionality enables a complete font overhaul or the creation of visual consistency by applying a single typeface across the entire site. The tool facilitates easy replacement of all sans-serif fonts with a preferred choice, and conversely, allows for the substitution of serif fonts.
How FontFonter Works
As highlighted previously, the application can unify a website’s appearance by applying the same typeface to both its sans-serif and serif elements.
A limitation of FontFonter is its lack of font previews. If you aren’t already familiar with the available TypeKit fonts, selecting an appropriate typeface may require some experimentation. However, this is a minor inconvenience, as repeated use of FontFonter will naturally build your familiarity with preferred font options.
Over time, users will develop a personal catalog of suitable font choices. This makes the selection process more efficient and intuitive.
Google Font Previewer [Chrome Extension]
The Google Font Previewer extension was developed to assist web developers, though it also offers benefits to everyday internet users. This Chrome extension is specifically tailored for web designers seeking a visual representation of Google Font API fonts as they are implemented on webpages.
However, it also serves as a valuable tool for anyone looking to enhance readability through improved font selection.
Once the Font Previewer extension is installed, its icon will appear to the right of the Chrome address bar. Activating the extension while browsing any website unlocks a range of customization options.
Users can experiment with different fonts from the provided list, and refine the appearance with features like adjusting text weight, converting text to all capital letters, or increasing text size in 50% increments.
For those engaged in website design, the extension’s CSS selection functionality proves particularly useful. Rather than repeatedly testing the entire site with each font change, specific CSS tags can be targeted.
This allows for focused adjustments and previews, streamlining the design process and eliminating the need for constant code modifications to visualize alterations.
The Readable Firefox Add-on: Enhancing Text Clarity
A previous article on MakeUseOf highlighted the Readable Firefox add-on, alongside its similar counterpart, Reader. This extension doesn't alter the website's core styling, but significantly improves the readability of the text displayed.
If you encounter an article with a difficult-to-read font, activating the Readable button provides a welcome visual adjustment. Upon activation, the add-on presents the website's content in a streamlined, theater-like format.
Key Features of Readable
- The page's text and images are displayed in a simple, user-friendly sans-serif font.
- This presentation minimizes distractions and enhances focus.
- Highlighting specific text sections converts only the selected portion, further reducing visual clutter.
The add-on offers a focused reading experience, eliminating the need to scroll through unnecessary elements.
While generally effective, the Readable add-on does have a minor drawback. The activation button is notably small and can be difficult to locate within the browser interface.
This presents an ironic challenge, as the add-on is intended to assist users with visual impairments. Despite this design flaw, the tool remains a valuable asset for those seeking improved reading comfort.
Overall, Readable is a beneficial tool for individuals who find standard website fonts challenging to read. It provides a simple and effective solution for enhancing online reading accessibility.
Final Thoughts
The aforementioned web-based applications concentrate on a website’s textual elements, rather than evaluating the site comprehensively. Nevertheless, for individuals prone to headaches from extensive online reading, these tools represent a significant benefit.
For those seeking further resources to enhance readability while browsing, exploring MakeUseOf’s compilation of 7 Firefox Add-ons That Improve Webpage Readability Level is highly recommended.
What web fonts do you find particularly displeasing? Have these utilities proven helpful for you? Are there alternative tools you would suggest?
Image Source: jeltovski, The New York Times