Resident and Soft Fonts

Lesson 1: Windows Font Basics for New Font Users

Before we start downloading, installing, and using fonts from the Web we need to cover a few font basics. I promise not to go off on a tangent and overload you with typographic history, oddball trivia, or terribly technical mumbo-jumbo. I'll save that for a future class for veteran font fanatics.

The first step in understanding and using digital fonts is learning just a touch about font formats. There are two broad categories of digital fonts - resident and soft fonts.

Resident fonts
Some printers, such as dot matrix (remember those?) and laser printers have resident or built-in fonts in the printers. Font cartridges design for the printer enable the user to add additional fonts.

Soft fonts
Also called downloadable fonts, these digital fonts live on your hard drive. Usually installed with the Operating System or with specific software programs such as word processors, graphics programs, or desktop publishing software, many types of soft fonts exist. Some proprietary font formats only work with the programs that installed them. However, most Windows users today use TrueType and OpenType fonts. They work with just about any Windows software program. The other font format you may encounter is PostScript Type 1 fonts. This class covers digital fonts in TrueType, OpenType, and PostScript Type 1 font formats for Windows.

This lesson is part of a free e-course on Windows Font Basics for New Font Users