Font Library
Fonts are to printing what specialty accessories are to car
enthusiasts. If used properly, they can really add a touch of
class. When used in excess, however, they can turn into fuzzy
dice and gaudy chrome hubcaps. From the days of the monks and
their elaborate manuscripts to the thousands of font styles available
today, people have always needed to vary the look and feel of
their writing. Sometimes it's merely a matter of taste, but the
letters can also establish the tone of the content.
It's a fact that there is a deep connection with the way letters look and what
they actually say. That's why many people spend a lot of time deciding exactly
which font suits their document. Changing the style of the font from the standard
Times New Roman to a scripted font can add a personal feel, while a more simplistic
font such as Arial can suggest a more direct approach.
Trying to locate the right font can be a time consuming process. Sometimes, despite
a valiant search, it can be impossible to locate the right font for a particular
job. When this happens, it's important to have a number of references available.
If you want to start building a font library, or add to your existing fonts,
there are a few things to keep in mind. You should first start by removing the
fonts that you never use. They take up valuable disk space and require additional
installation time each time you boot up your computer. Too many unused fonts
can also make searches far more tedious.
After purging your collection of unused fonts, you start looking for specific
font styles that you like. One of the best ways to build a font library is to
purchase font collection CDs. They're a convenient resource, and you can browse
through the collection at your leisure without loading the entire CD on your
computer. Some font collections even come with a printed reference book showing
examples of the fonts, which is much easier than just highlighting text and experimenting
in a word processor.
Another good place to look for fonts is the Internet. Typing in the word "font" into
any search engine is certain to bring up several good sites with fonts you can
download for free. One excellent site for finding new fonts is www.acidfonts.com.
They have many new releases, and several site links to other freeware font sites.
When you begin looking for fonts, you'll discover two main file extensions; .fot
and .ttf. These respectively stand for Font and True type font. The regular .fot
extension is for fonts that aren't too graphically intensive, and are perfect
for standard word processing and text manipulation. A True type font is usually
used in more graphic design projects due to their more artistic nature. True
type fonts are generally more artistic and varied in style.
You should gather fonts in two separate folders on your hard drive. One should
be for "permanent" fonts, or those which you use most often. The other should
be labeled "temporary", for fonts used only on current projects. Remember not
to overload your hard drive with an enormous font library. You should consider
alternate forms of storage such as CD, Zip or a document server.
Also, don't forget to include your fonts on the transfer disks that contain your
job files. With so many variations of fonts available, it's always safest to
provide your own.
Choosing new fonts and using them intuitively is a knack, but once mastered,
it can be an effective way of communicating. However, no matter how great the
font, it shouldn't be expected to compensate for a lack of content quality. The
main thing to remember is that fonts should be used as an enhancement to your
writing, not the cornerstone.
Where creativity comes in all shapes and sizes! Call Sylvan
Signs today at 503.430.8072!
