Friday, August 7, 2009

Basics: Installing a font

Windows comes with some nice fonts, but, if you're like me, you sometimes need something different. Luckily, it's easy to find new fonts and install them on your computer.

First, of course, you have to find them.  There are many free font sites on the web; a search on "Free fonts" will find many of them.  But there are several things you need to know:

  • Watch out for viruses.  Font files have a .ttf extension or they may be within a zip file. You should be wary of other extensions.
  • Make sure all characters are there.  Some fonts only have the alphanumeric characters and a handful of punctuation marks. These may do the job for you, but if you need something other than the basic characters, they aren't going to be useful.

When you find a font you like, download the file.  If it's in a zip file, double click to open the file and then save it. It's usually easier if you avoid the desktop; the font installer doesn't always recognize "desktop" as a location and you need to figure out the path.  A folder named "fonts" on your hard drive is ideal.

The next step is to add the font. 

For Windows XP:

  • Click on "Start."
  • Click on "Control Panel."
  • Click on "Appearances and Themes" (if it doesn't display, go on to the next step).
  • Click on "Fonts."
  • Click on "File."
  • Click on "Install New Fonts."
  • Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the font.  Find the font, click on it, and click OK.

For Windows Vista:

  • Click on "Start."
  • Click on "Control Panel."
  • Click on "Appearances and Personalization."
  • Click on "Install or remove a font" under "Fonts."
  • Right click and select "Install New Fonts."
  • Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the font.  Find the font, click on it, and click OK.

The font will be installed.

One rule for the proper use of fonts in a document:  Never use too many. Generally stick with two fonts, one for the main text and a different font for headings and titles.  Use fancy display fonts sparingly; what looks good in a six-word headline can be unreadable if used for a paragraph of text.