Web Font

Have you ever tried to design your web site with a beautifully
selected fancy font, only to realize that most folks don't have it
installed on their computer? 

This means your web page won't look great to the majority of
your viewers. They will only see the font they have on their own
computers. 

The Problem 

Most computers come with only a certain number of fonts. An
older computer will contain different fonts from newer ones. ie
if you include a font from your Windows XP operating system for
your web site design, it may not show up for folks that use the
Windows 98 operating system. 

The fancy font on your web page will default to what is on the
person's computer, creating a distorted looking font. 

The Solution 

Create an image of the fancy font. 

1. Locate the fancy font you want to use for your web site
design. Do a search for "free downloadable fonts" or go to
http://www.fontfile.com to select the font you want. 

2. Download the fancy font to a folder on your computer - you will
receive the font as a zip file. Extract it to a new folder on
your desktop (you can use the free utility at WinZip.com if you
don't already have it installed). 

3. Install the fancy font on your computer - go to your Start button -
Settings/Control Panel. 

With the control panel window opened, scroll down to the Fonts
icon. 

Click on the Fonts icon to open it. This contains all the fonts
on your computer. 

Copy the font (right click on mouse) from the folder on your
desktop and paste (left click on mouse) it into the font's
folder. 

4. Create the image for your font - open your graphic's software
(ie Fireworks, Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro). 

Make the canvas size a little larger than the size of your font. 

Choose the same background color as your web page so your canvas
will blend in perfectly with it. 

Write the words on the canvas using the new font you installed
(it should now appear in your choice of fonts). 

Optimize your font image so it has a small file size (make sure
it has a resolution of 72dpi and save it as a gif file). This
means it won't significantly affect the download time of your
web page. 

5. Insert the image of the new fancy font on your web page. 

Now you don't have to stick with the plain looking fonts that
come with your computer. This will help make your web site stand
out from your competitors and enhance your design capabilities.