What Makes a Good Web Font

SitePoint writes "We've published an article on the way in which fonts are used on the Web. We found that a large "x-height" (the height of a lowercase 'x' in relation to the total height of the font) makes fonts more readable on a computer screen, as does a wide "punch width" (the width of the hole inside letters such as 'o' and 'b'). Helvetica is a good font to use online. The designer's choice of fonts is usually limited by the user's OS, but techniques such as SIFr (example) are allowing Web designers to provide their own fonts."

Comments

The user doesn't KNOW

[notthepainter]

The user often doesn't know that they can change fonts. My wife occasionally does web design for her clients. It isn't her main line of work but sometimes a client wants that as part of the package. Invariably they want pretty fonts. Usually "pretty" is defined as what they personally like. It takes a fair bit of education to convince the client that they should not be specifying fonts, that the viewer should do that. And then it takes a bit of education to show the client how to set the font preference on their browser.

Re:Let the user choose

[LnxAddct]

Ha thats not even the worst part! You can provide your own font face src according to CSS2. Read here for more info. Its absurd using javascript and flash when custom fonts are already handled by CSS.
Regards,
Steve

Verdana

[behindthewall]

One thing that Microsoft -- or the people they hired -- got right.

Microsoft used to have some web pages for 'Internet/Web fonts'. These included both a collection of TrueType fonts (including Verdana) and some history and other stuff (e.g. a history of Verdana). The pages were up until a year or two ago.

Then, shortly after I commented to a business analyst (read: specifications author) on the suitability of Verdana, including both the high appeal of the font but also the potential risk of using MS intellectual property and the potential for sharing to cease, I found those MS web pages had been removed. I don't know whether they've since been restored or placed elsewhere.

Regarding the history and intent, translating into suitability, of Verdana, a quick google turns up:

http://www.fonts.com/AboutFonts/Verdana.htm

Re: Works for handwriting too!

[gidds]

Yep, that's important too. I always cross 'Z's and '7's; I also put a little hook on '1's (continental European style, to distinguish from capital 'I' and lower-case 'l') and use rounded 't's (to stop them looking too much like '+'s). All part of clarity and safe degradability. The most awkward are zeroes and 'O's; I put a slash through zero when it's important, but I don't usually bother.