Using Non Web-Safe Fonts on Your Website

The Importance of Distinctive Web Typography

As previously highlighted, achieving online visibility requires differentiation. To prevent your website or blog from blending into the vast digital landscape, establishing a unique identity is crucial. Altering the design is one effective strategy, but web designers often find their creative control limited in the realm of typography.

The introduction of Google Fonts significantly improved access to free web typography. However, despite the extensive library offered by Google, this collection represents a small fraction of the total number of fonts available – potentially numbering in the millions.

Discovering Fonts.com

Fonts.com emerges as a valuable resource, offering a comprehensive selection of web page fonts to enhance your design projects.

This platform provides access to thousands of fonts, with over 3,000 available for complimentary use.

Consider these benefits when choosing fonts:

• Enhanced Readability: Select fonts that are easy on the eyes and improve the user experience.
• Brand Consistency: Maintain a consistent visual identity across your website.
• Visual Appeal: Fonts contribute significantly to the overall aesthetic of your site.

By exploring options beyond standard choices, you can significantly elevate the visual impact of your web presence.

Discovering Complimentary Fonts at Fonts.com

Fonts.com, a service provided by Monotype Imaging, is a prominent resource within the typography industry. The company’s reputation assures a comprehensive selection of fonts for designers and developers. Utilizing Fonts.com necessitates initial registration for a complimentary account.

Available Plans and the Generous Free Tier

Several subscription levels are offered, each with distinct features. However, the free plan – providing access to over 3,000 fonts, unlimited website usage, and accommodating up to 25,000 monthly pageviews – proves sufficient for many bloggers and website administrators. This free offering is particularly advantageous when contrasted with Typekit, which restricts users to a single website and two fonts per site.

Project Setup and Domain Association

Begin by initiating a new project. Assign a descriptive name to it and specify the domains where you intend to implement the chosen fonts. Remember to save the project details before proceeding.

Multiple projects can be created for organizational purposes. However, if a website anticipates substantial traffic, establishing a separate account for each project is recommended to avoid exceeding pageview limitations.

Font Selection and Filtering Options

The subsequent step involves selecting fonts for your project. Fonts can be sorted by classification, designer, foundry, or language support. Alternatively, utilize the search function if you know the specific font name.

Browsing the complete font library alphabetically is also possible, though it may be time-consuming.

Exploring Featured Fonts

Before diving into the full catalog, reviewing the list of featured fonts is advisable.

Language Support for Global Audiences

The language support filters are invaluable when seeking fonts that accommodate characters beyond the Latin alphabet, such as Arabic or Chinese.

Adding Fonts to Your Project

Incorporating fonts into a project is straightforward: simply click the "Add to project" button located beside each font listing. A grey "Upgrade" button indicates that a particular font is exclusively available to paid subscribers.

Creating Custom Stylesheets

Once you’ve added your desired fonts, you can begin constructing your stylesheet. Enter selectors into the "Selectors" field and click "Add selector". Repeat this process for each selector you require.

A foundational understanding of HTML and CSS is beneficial, but utilizing basic selectors like "body" and "h1" through "hx" is sufficient for beginners.

Font Assignment and Preview

Select a font from the dropdown menu for each selector. A live preview of the font’s application will appear alongside the font list.

Publishing Your Project and Obtaining Code

The final stage is publishing your project. Selecting the "Publish" tab presents four distinct options. New users should initially opt for the first option.

Options three and four are reserved for paid users.

A snippet of code will be generated for implementation on your website. Copy this code by clicking the "Select code" button and using the keyboard shortcut Command + C (Mac) or Ctrl + C (Windows).

Implementing the Code on Your Website

Now, integrate the copied code into your website’s codebase.

Implementing the Code

The generated code needs to be inserted within the head section of your website. It is presumed that individuals with existing websites possess the necessary knowledge to accomplish this. However, for those managing self-hosted Wordpress blogs, a simplified method exists that bypasses direct code editing.

A Wordpress plugin named "Insert Codes" can be installed and activated. Subsequently, the font code should be pasted into the "Blog header" field, and the modifications saved.