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Type Selection: Beyond the Look of the Letter

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Type Selection Beyond the Look of the Letter

How do I know which font is right for the job?
Why do some fonts cost more than others? Why are there so many versions of the same typeface? These are good questions. Fortunately, we have answers. Introducing the first edition of FontShop Fundamentals,an educational series dedicated to type tips and design ideas. Let’s go beyond form and dig into font function. Below are four main ways fonts can differ, even if most of their letters look the same. Save, bookmark, or print this document and ask yourself these questions the next time you’re choosing type.

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1. The font has theright form. What about the function?
A few years ago, you had to make a decision between TrueType or PostScript and Mac or Windows. Today, the choice is usually fairly simple: OpenType is the most convenient and full-featured font format, compatible with all modern screen and print workflows. All the extras that are commonly spread across multiple PostScript or TrueType files can live in one OpenTypefile. Best of all, OpenType is a truly cross-platform format. You can use the same font on Mac or Windows machines without converting the font or fearing reflow.

Cyrillic Expert
Fractions Superscript Subscript

Greek Regular Swashes Mac & Windows Oldstyle Figures Small Caps Regular Ligatures Alternate Glyphs Swashes Figures Regular for Windows Ornaments Small Caps Central European Ornaments& Borders
Oldstyle/Lining Proportional/Tabular Fractions Ordinals Superscript Subscript

postscript font

opentype font

OpenType is the best choice for graphic designers working in updated versions of Adobe® CS and QuarkXPress®. It’s often the best choice for non-designers as well, such as users in the corporate environment who want cross-platform compatibility or who set type in Greek,Russian, or other Eastern European languages.

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toll free at 888 ff fonts

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If you use applications like Microsoft® Office® and QuarkXPress® 6.5 (or older) which don’t support OpenType’s advanced features, and you need access to extras like small caps and alternate glyphs, you may need to stick with legacy formats for now. Or check out Office FontFonts whichare OpenType fonts created specifically for MS Office.

2. Does it include all the features I need?
Most fonts contain the basic characters you need for setting a line of text, but often it’s the extras that set one version of a typeface apart from the others. Additional glyphs have the power to save you time, or make your work look great, and read well. Here’s how.

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Typographic Features. Some fonts come with one style of capitals and one kind of figure set (numbers). That will work fine for most headlines and display work. But if you’re setting body copy or columns of data you may need small caps and appropriate figures such as oldstyle figures for text, tabular figures for tables, and proper fractions. Most professional fonts have all these extras.www.fontshop.com

toll free at 888 ff fonts

415.252.1003

Written by Seamus Smith
berranger script Natural Ligatures Avoids duplicate letterforms

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Authentic letter connections

Ligatures and Contextual Alternates. Sometimes you can get by with a basic handwriting font, but to truly replicate the natural flow and variation of a pen on paper, an advancedscript employs ligatures and glyphs that change according to their position in a word.

ff unit

Stylistic Alternates. A single typeface can take on a completely different flavor simply by using alternate letterforms. When you buy a font like FF Unit that has a large set of alts it’s almost like you’re getting several typefaces in one.

3. Does it speak my language?
Nearly every commercial...