A web font is a font that has been specially developed for use on websites and in web applications. Unlike the standard fonts that come pre-installed on most operating systems, web fonts allow for a greater variety of fonts and styles to enhance the design and aesthetics of websites. Web fonts are downloaded from a web server over the Internet and rendered in users' browsers to display the desired text in the selected font.
Some important features and aspects of web fonts are:
- Variety: Web fonts offer a wide range of fonts, styles and character sets that are available on the Internet. This allows web designers to select the exact fonts that best suit the look and brand identity of a website.
- Scalability: Web fonts are scalable and retain their quality at different text sizes and resolutions. This ensures that the text on a website is sharp and easy to read at any size.
- Licenses: The use of web fonts often requires compliance with license conditions set by font providers. These licenses regulate how and where the font can be used and may be subject to a charge.
- Integration: Web fonts are integrated into websites via CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). The integration takes place via the link to the fonts via the Internet or by uploading the font files to your own server.
- Performance: When using web fonts, attention should be paid to the loading time and server performance. Font files can influence the page load time, so optimum load performance is important.
- Usability: It is important to ensure that the selected web fonts are legible and accessible to ensure a positive user experience.
Web fonts are widely used in web development and help to make websites more visually appealing and unique. They are available in various formats such as WOFF (Web Open Font Format), EOT (Embedded OpenType), and TTF (TrueType Font). Popular font libraries and services, such as Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts (formerly known as Typekit) and many others, offer a wide range of web fonts to choose from and integrate into web projects.
