Enter Style Sheets

Cascading Style Sheets 2.0 changed everything. The specification, which was released in May 1998, gives web designers the ability to download fonts to their web site visitors and to control some of the sizing differences between fonts. The browser makers Microsoft and Netscape each have different ways of handling downloadable fonts. Netscape, in partnership with Bitstream, uses a process that maps the appearance of a particular font into a file that's used to generate the effect of the original font on the web page. The font can be viewed and printed, but since it's really an image of the font and not the font itself, the user will not be able to steal the font (either for use on their computer or as a font to be used on another web page). Microsoft, in partnership with Adobe, has developed a program called Weft (Web Embedding Fonts Tool) that processes fonts on your computer into a format more compatible for downloading on the web. Significantly, you (using Weft) can control the availability of the font for both web pages and users.

Since May, both Netscape and Microsoft have been working to make their respective font systems work in the other's browser. Netscape's font system (called TrueDoc) apparently works in IE 4.0 or better. As of today, I don't believe Microsoft has been able to make their font system (called OpenType) work in Netscape. In the longer term, I'm hoping that Microsoft wins, since their font system is based on a conversion tool you can get for free (you have to purchase a program to create fonts for Netscape's system). I'm also happier with fonts being streamlined for web delivery than with images of fonts being sent to the user. The fonts I've seen on the TrueDoc web site look fuzzy - a sign that the images have been anti-aliased to removed jagged edges.

It is apparently possible to simply use the font files that come with your computer. The problem in using the font file as the source for the font is that it takes longer to download than either Netscape's or Microsoft's systems, and users might not want to wait for the font to load.

Finally, a legal word of advice: be careful if you choose to use either the fonts on your computer directly or through the Microsoft system. Since it's possible in both cases for the end user to gain access to the font, you could potentially violate the license for that particular typeface. Microsoft's Weft is kind enough to tell you if a font can be shared legally with others. If the font you're using cannot legally be shared, be sure to protect the font as Weft encodes it for the web. If you're not using Weft, but making fonts directly available, you better be sure they're free for all.