by Susan Ives, Alamo PC

All that changed in 1992. With the release of Windows 3.1, Microsoft introduced True Type Fonts. The implementation was a bit buggy. True Type was developed for a 32-bit engine and Win 3.1 was a measly 16 bits. The compromises scared off many of the established type foundries, and True Type attracted bootleggers and corner cutters. When the 32-bit Windows 95 was released, this hurdle was overcome and True Type reached it’s potential.

True Type fonts are scalable. Install one and you can manipulate it from one point to 1,000 points. Fake a bold look. Emulate italic. Best of all, loyal to its renegade origins, there are a zillion free fonts ripe for the downloading. 

Before purists start looking down their noses at me, I admit that many free True Type fonts are not suitable for professional print projects. It might take a trained eye to tell the difference, but they aren’t crisp and elegant. Professional designers rely on PostScript fonts and those purchased from font design houses, called type foundries. For most of us, though, True Type is fine. 

True Type Fonts have a file extension of .ttf. Extract the .ttf file from it’s zip package and stick it in your WINDOWS/FONTS file folder. If the new font doesn’t immediately show up in the font selection drop down box on a program you may need to shut down and reopen the program to activate it. 

Many True Type fonts do not come with a full compliment of doo-dads. For example, you might not get numbers or punctuation marks. Some True Type Fonts are display fonts, not meant to be used for long passages of text. These typically come only with capital letters. Ornamental type should only be used as fancy drop cap. If some critical letters are completely missing, or if one letter (typically a “e”) is rendered backwards, the font is shareware and you must pay a small fee to get an intact alphabet. Instructions on how to do this are usually included in a text file bundled in the zip download.

If you have never installed downloaded fonts before, start with the Microsoft Font Pack. 
 These are very high quality free fonts that include a 652 character set for multiple writing systems including Western, Central, and Eastern European, Greek and Turkish. Contrary to the instructions I provided earlier, these are provided as executable and automatically dump into your WINDOWS/FONT folder. You will need to reboot after installation. Some of the fonts are:
. 

This is important for Internet users. If I design a Web site and specify <FONT FACE=”Verdana”> you will see the Verdana font on your screen when you visit my site, but only if you have it installed on your computer. If you don’t, you will see Times New Roman. At Microsoft’s altruistic urging, more and more designers are incorporating these fonts into their pages. If you want to see the sites as they were intended to be seen, it behooves you to install the font pack. 

All of the other fonts have been remade in the last year or so to include the 652-character set, so even if you have them installed, it won’t hurt to update them. They will work fine with all of your old documents. 

Once you have the basic load installed it’s time to get creative. There are hundreds of sites on the Internet offering free fonts. The font names themselves are worth the visit. I’ve installed one called “Punker Chicks in Leather Jackets” and another named “Cheap Motel.” Start looking for free fonts at:

• <www.larabiefonts.com/>
• <www.1001freefonts.com/>
• <rover.wiesbaden.netsurf.de/~kikita/index2.htm>

Most of these fonts are display fonts, so use restraint. I would not typeset War and Peace in Good Dog or Taco Salad.

If type intrigues you as a design tool, there are many sites on the Internet to inspire you to better design. Among them are:

• Daniel Will-Harris is opinionated but he knows his type. See especially his sections called Design, Typofile and Esperfonto.
• About.Com has an excellent section on typography, some of it original, some of it links to other sites.

One final tip. If you are taking a file to a printer, haul along a copy of any True Type fonts you used. The safest way to do this is through “My Computer.” Go to the WINDOWS/FONT folder, point to the font, EDIT/COPY, then EDIT/PASTE it on a floppy. It’s also a good idea to archive copies of crucial fonts; for example, ones you used in your company’s letterhead or logo.

Susan Ives a past president of Alamo PC, is a fontaholic. She last wrote about fonts in April, 1997.