Windows Font Basics
One of the free e-courses available on this site is Windows Font Basics for New Font Users. The free 5-day course covers the bare basics of font formats, how to download and install fonts, and how to troubleshoot font installation issues. Plus the Windows Font Basics for New Font Users class introduces font management and fun ways to use fonts. For those who prefer not to enroll in the email class but want the same information... here are the five lessons.
Lesson 1: Resident and Soft Fonts
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.
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.
Lesson 2: Digital Font Formats
Digital fonts are like mini-programs. Each font file contains information that describes what characters are in the font and how they should look on-screen and when printed.
Digital fonts are like mini-programs. Each font file contains information that describes what characters are in the font and how they should look on-screen and when printed.
Leson 3: Font Installation
This series of Font FAQs addresses downloading, installation, and troubleshooting issues for Windows fonts.
This series of Font FAQs addresses downloading, installation, and troubleshooting issues for Windows fonts.
Lesson 4: Font Management for New Font Fanatics
Before your new-found interest in fonts overwhelms you and your hard drive, find out how many fonts is too many, which fonts are safe to delete (and which fonts you should never delete), and learn about software that can help with installing and managing your new font collections.
Before your new-found interest in fonts overwhelms you and your hard drive, find out how many fonts is too many, which fonts are safe to delete (and which fonts you should never delete), and learn about software that can help with installing and managing your new font collections.
Lesson 5: Font Fun and a Few "Rules"
Before going hogwild with those newly acquired fonts, I'd like to tease you with just a taste of the typographical niceties that designers and veteran font fanatics swear by.
Before going hogwild with those newly acquired fonts, I'd like to tease you with just a taste of the typographical niceties that designers and veteran font fanatics swear by.