More than 30 of the most successful FontFont families are now available as Web FontFonts.This article will walk you through everything you need to know about this new web-optimized format on FontShop.com.
Why Use Web Fonts?
Most fonts are designed to be used in desktop applications for design that will be printed or output as an image file or PDF. Web fonts are an entirely new category of fonts optimized for use on web pages using the @font-face rule. This fairly new addition to CSS allows fonts to be linked in web pages and downloaded by browsers so that anyone who visits the page can view the fonts declared by the page’s designer. This means your website can display indexable, editable, resizable, dynamic HTML text in a font other than the handful of “web safe” options we’ve had to rely on for years. Read more about the benefits of web fonts in our newsletter.
How Are Web Fonts Different from Desktop Fonts?
Mileage may vary … but not much. These examples of FF Meta Web as rendered by Internet Explorer on Windows, Firefox on Windows, and Firefox on Mac OS X show how the same font can look slightly different in each environment. Despite these unavoidable inconsistencies, Web FontFonts are designed to look their best on all modern systems.
Web Fonts are indicated by the “Web” icon 
throughout FontShop.com. They are designed to work exclusively on web pages and cannot be installed on a desktop OS for use in applications like Word, Photoshop, or QuarkXpress. Most web fonts are also optimized to download and display quickly because they include only the glyphs recognized by web browsers. That said, many Web FontFonts come in Pro versions with support for Eastern European, Greek, and/or Cyrillic character sets. Web FontFonts are also optimized for screen display and look especially crisp and clean on Mac OS X and Windows versions with ClearType enabled.
How Are Web FontFonts Sold?
All Web FontFonts are available as full families, Basic Sets (Regular, Italic, Bold, Bold Italic), and individual styles. While standard desktop fonts are licensed by the number of users or workstations using the fonts, Web FontFonts are licensed by the average pageviews per month of all the domains within the licensing organization. There are three simple license levels: up to 500,000; up to 5 million; and up to 50 million pageviews per month.
Contact us for enterprise licensing beyond this amount.
What Do I Get in My Web FontFont Download?
Web FontFonts come in two DRM-free formats: EOT Lite, supported by Internet Explorer 5-8, and WOFF, supported by Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer 9. We expect WOFF to be supported by Safari and other browsers soon, but currently IE, Firefox, and Chrome cover over 90% of all web visitors. Both formats are delivered with every Web FontFont purchase and can be used without relying on any third-party service. The Web FontFont downloads also come with a User Guide [229K PDF] full of helpful information for web developers, system administrators, and website visitors. HTML test pages for each of the downloaded fonts are also included.
How Do I Use Web FontFonts?
Because Web FontFonts work using basic CSS, using them is pretty straightforward. If you are even vaguely familiar with CSS you can make Web FontFonts work on your website. The simple instructions in the Web FontFont User Guide [229K PDF] make it easy. Also be sure to read the End User License Agreement for Web FontFonts.
Optionally, you can skip self-hosting and coding altogether and host the Web FontFonts you purchased with a free Typekit account.
We’ll continue to post more information and tips about Web FontFonts in the coming weeks. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us. In the meantime, the fonts are ready to roll! Go have a look.
24 Comments
I would like to buy one of your typeface for web. FF Clan web..Would you please give me more information about Turkish charecters of this font. Are they available?
Isik, Turkish and Central European language characters are included in FF Clan Web Pro. You can find them here: http://font.me/gVMAR0
It would have been great if you have FF Amman Sans Arabic Regular.
Do you have any examples of FF Good Web in use? Will you introduce a feature to preview or test all your web fonts? Thanks.
Alex, one example of FF Good Web in use that I’ve found is Scale.ie.
As for a preview tool, you may want to check out FontFonter.com. Although it has not been updated with FF Good Web, you can use it to try out a number of Web FontFonts on any site you like.
Hi – I’m a bit confused – how do I use Unit Slab Web Pro as a webfont? Do I need to buy the whole regular font? It doesn’t seem to be on Typekit, is that right? but it has a webfont link on the font page. It seems to be the same cost as a full font rather than just for use on the web, which I would assume would be cheaper? Confused.
Dave – There are a couple of ways to use FF Unit Slab Web Pro on your website. Upon purchasing, you’ll be able to download the WOFF and EOT files and host them yourself, using the Web FontFont User Guide for instructions. You’ll also be given the option to import your Web FontFont purchases into Typekit: on your order download page, a voucher link to Typekit will be available.
The basic license (covering 500,000 pageviews per month) for Web FontFonts does cost the same as the basic license (covering five users) for their Offc equivalents.
Can I use Web FontFonts on an internal website hosted on an Intranet?
@modus Yes, that should not be a problem.
I am considering using FF Clan Web in a project and would like to see how it renders (different weights and sizes) in Internet Explorer before purchasing. How do I do that?
@Cameron – You can try out the look of webfonts at http://www.fontfonter.com
I have the same concern as Cameron. I would like to see how it renders in Explorer, but fontfonter is not compatible with Explorer.
I would like to use Avenir as a webfont. Is that possible, or is it not included under the Webfonts licenses?
@Dag – You can purchase a web license for Avenir from Fonts.com.
My client has purchased a webfont. I need to show them this font in my design, which is set up in Photoshop. How do I approach this?
@Johan
If your client purchased a Web FontFont, there are Comp fonts in TrueType included with the license that you can use to Comp a design in Photoshop.
Are these web fonts also legible on iPad and iPhone Safari browsers?
@Warren McL Since the release of OS X Lion, yes. Safari, including Safari for iOS, supports .woff files.
What happens if my client purchases a web font license for up to 500,000 page views per month, but their business and site eventually grows to the point of surpassing this? Can the license be renegotiated and will they receive credit for the initial licensing purchased?
@Ian FontShop can always extend a previously purchased web font license to support additional seats and the initial purchase would count towards the license extension.
We have purchased the DIN webfont. Is the usage limited to one particular domain or is it possible to use the purchased font on different domains?
@Thomas You may only use the font on a single domain. For your convenience, I have included a link to the EULA for you to look over. https://www.fontshop.com/licenses/fontfont/ff_din_web/
Is the licencing of a webfont is a recurring payment ?
@Ben
No. If you license a webfont from FontShop it is a perpetual license that is valid for the number of pageviews per month you’ve licensed the font for. If you go over the number of pageviews, then you can always extend the license to support additional views.
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