I want to use a unusual and non standard font on my site as html text.
My query is, how can I force any browser on any pc/mac to display this unusual font and not let it be replaced by arial or whichever default font is setup on the viewer browser settings even if the font is not installed on the viewers pc/mac?
I dont want the font to be a graphic text item as I want google or any other search engine to be able to read the text.
If the font isn’t on the client computer, you can’t currently* make a browser use a font it does not have.
If you’re talking about a headline or small amounts of text, you could use graphic text for those sections and use things like alt text and other techniques to make it work with search engines.
*I say currently because I believe there has been talk of being able to send fonts to browsers as needed, sort of like embedding fonts in PDF. But that’s in the future, if ever.
I want to use a unusual and non standard font on my site as html text.
My query is, how can I force any browser on any pc/mac to display
this unusual font and not let it be replaced by arial or whichever
default font is setup on the viewer browser settings even if the
font is not installed on the viewers pc/mac?
Short answer: you can’t. If you want to be sure that your viewer will
see what you see, you must use a Web-safe font, one that you know will
be installed on their computer. There are technologies coming that
purport to allow this but I don’t think they’re with us yet.
Better if you realise the constraints of designing for the Web and
work within them.
I want to use a unusual and non standard font on my site as html text.
My query is, how can I force any browser on any pc/mac to display
this unusual font and not let it be replaced by arial or whichever
default font is setup on the viewer browser settings even if the
font is not installed on the viewers pc/mac?
Short answer: you can’t. If you want to be sure that your viewer will
see what you see, you must use a Web-safe font, one that you know will
be installed on their computer. There are technologies coming that
purport to allow this but I don’t think they’re with us yet.
Better if you realise the constraints of designing for the Web and
work within them.
Coming from a print based design background with hardly no technical restrictions and migrating over to web is certainly a challenge.
Im adapting to the restrictions of the web and will be designing my processes towards that.
Currently I use mainly adobe illustrator and photoshop to design my websites, but im thinking now of just going into Freeway and by passing those apps - at least then whatever I design I know is practical for web use (all be it very restrictive).
The other alternative is Flash, but that to me is the wrong way to design websites, it’s ok to create an occassional graphic for a website but not in my opinion for a total website.
