Out of Curiosity, what is the Full Range of Fonts...

[Roc Ness]

Out of curiosity, what is the full range of fonts available on this board? The list under the "fonts" box always stops about halfway and won't scroll, and I've noted that such fonts as Papyrus, Bradley Hand ITC and Viner Hand ITC are available if you stick their names into the little [FONT="(font)"] code.

[Trixie]

All of them. That is the short answer.

The long one? Any font your audience has on their PCs. Papyrus or Times New Roman are everywhere, so they're pretty solid. The rarer the font is, the less people will see it.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

As Trixie alluded to, available fonts aren’t so much a feature of the boards as they are other user’s browsers. The list in the editor is simply a bunch of fonts that are likely to be on pretty much any computer.

You can really put any font you need up, but if it is not Web Safe (http://www.fonttester.com/help/list_of_web_safe_fonts.html), you cannot expect anyone else to see it. However, if you want to give folks that do have a particular font a bonus, the font code does support font lists. This lets you specify a list of fonts instead of one font. A web browser will first try to use the first font in the list; if that font is not available, it will try the second in the list. If the second is not available, it will try the third, and so on, until it either finds an available font or is forced to use the browser default.

For example, in a PbP game, I once had an NPC speak with a font called “Sand.” Sand is not web-safe. The nearest web-safe alternative to Sand is Comic Sans MS, so I would use the following code:


“I will crush you!”

Viewers that have Sand will see the following:


https://img.skitch.com/20101220-qeap9imjqti14tgikw4nf9qxh5.png

Browsers without Sand, but with Comic Sans MS will see:


https://img.skitch.com/20101220-jxerem87h8pn485h9d3yb91ufy.png

Viewers without either will see some browser default.

What do you see?


“I will crush you!”

[Flickerdart]

Please don't actually use either Comic Sans or Papyrus though.

[arguskos]

Please don't actually use either Comic Sans or Papyrus though.
Racist. For understanding. (http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/393)

Also, on a more serious note, why does everyone hate Papyrus? It's not actually a bad font when used properly.

[Claudius Maximus]

I just think it's ugly. And let me tell you, everyone in classics seems to use it...

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Please don't actually use either Comic Sans or Papyrus though.
Care to name some web-safe alternatives that portray the same ideas?

(Hm. Papyrus is actually closer to Sand. Didn’t think about that.)


Also, on a more serious note, why does everyone hate Papyrus? It's not actually a bad font when used properly.
To my understanding, it’s been subject to a flood of abuse where it isn’t used properly. And typographers don’t like using fonts that have been subject to large-scale abuse. Guess it’s supposed to dilute the font’s impact or something.

Of course, the fonts that get abused are the fonts that come pre-installed on most systems. After all, unless you’re a designer with a huge collection of other fonts, those are likely the only fonts you have available. So the commonly available fonts are subject to the most abuse.

So what does that leave people that must restrict themselves to web-safe fonts only? (Even if we want to make “proper” use of the abused font?)

[Roc Ness]

I see. So the board range of fonts is limited only to what you (and others) can see.

Also, I can't see Sand. :smallfrown: Also I don't find anything wrong with Papyrus or Comic Sans.

[John Cribati]

I wonder if you guys have the "Manga Temple" Font...

Looks Like I do.

[Trixie]

If the second is not available, it will try the third, and so on, until it either finds an available font or is forced to use the browser default.

Nitpick - Windrider is pretty much correct, I'll only say some browsers fall to the OS default, not browser one, in some cases :smallsmile:


So what does that leave people that must restrict themselves to web-safe fonts only? (Even if we want to make “proper” use of the abused font?)

Restrict? sans-serif, serif, cursive, fantasy and monospace should be always safe.

EDIT: Out of these, cursive and fantasy are the closest to what you asked. The second one's name is especially appropriate :smallwink:


I see. So the board range of fonts is limited only to what you (and others) can see.

Well... you can ask people to install the font you want them to see, if you provide them with the link. It's pretty easy, actually, all you need is to double-click a font.

Don't expect many will do that, 'tho.

[Gralamin]

If you want some standard fonts This is a good resource (http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html). Most Linux system will have some version of these.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Nitpick - Windrider is pretty much correct, I'll only say some browsers fall to the OS default, not browser one, in some cases :smallsmile:
In that case, the browser default is the same as the OS default. Usually, that can be changed in browser preferences.


Restrict? sans-serif, serif, cursive, fantasy and monospace should be always safe.
Those are font categories, not individual fonts themselves. They are subject to the browser defaults. I can’t be sure if Serif will give me Times New Roman, Georgia, or some other font.


EDIT: Out of these, cursive and fantasy are the closest to what you asked. The second one's name is especially appropriate :smallwink:
Cursive and Fantasy are particularly bad. They have particularly dramatic variance.

Scriptina (http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/Scriptina.htm) looks nothing like Snell Roundhand (http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/snell-roundhand-script/) looks nothing like Zapfino (http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/zapfino/). All cursive fonts. (For reference: Your cursive font)

And Beyond Wonderland (http://www.dafont.com/beyond-wonderland.font) looks nothing like Party LET (http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/letraset/party/party/) looks nothing likd Herculanum (http://www.identifont.com/similar?N0). None of which look like Sand All Fantasy fonts. (For reference: Your fantasy font)


Well... you can ask people to install the font you want them to see, if you provide them with the link. It's pretty easy, actually, all you need is to double-click a font.
First, as the Internet is a system-independent medium, one should not be required to download anything to view a website.

Second, that could end you up on the wrong side of copyright law, depending on the license of the font you want to use.

[InaVegt]

First, as the Internet is a system-independent medium, one should not be required to download anything to view a website.

And that's why we have CSS 3 that allows you to embed a font into a website.

(Minor nitpick, yes, you should be required to download loads of things to view a website, but your browser should be taking care of that for you.)

[Shhalahr Windrider]

And that's why we have CSS 3 that allows you to embed a font into a website.
Well, I’m not allowed to change the GiantITP stylesheets. :smalltongue:

And, of course, some people have reasons to support older browsers.


(Minor nitpick, yes, you should be required to download loads of things to view a website, but your browser should be taking care of that for you.)
Okay, “download things beyond standard web functionality.” Of course, as you point out, web fonts are moving in that direction. To a certain extent.

[Gralamin]

Well, I’m not allowed to change the GiantITP stylesheets. :smalltongue:

And, of course, some people have reasons to support older browsers.


Actually you are allowed to - just on your side. One of the entire points of Style Sheets is to allow users to switch them out on their own.

[enigmatime]

If you want some standard fonts This is a good resource (http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html). Most Linux system will have some version of these.

Sigh... Didn't see the Lord of the Rings or the Gnomish style font... By the way, does anyone have that one? The one with all of the swirls and Shire type letters?
The Shire



Happy Birthday, Gralamin!

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Actually you are allowed to - just on your side. One of the entire points of Style Sheets is to allow users to switch them out on their own.
And how does my user stylesheet allow me to use non-websafe fonts for other users to see?

[Flickerdart]

Care to name some web-safe alternatives that portray the same ideas?

(Hm. Papyrus is actually closer to Sand. Didn’t think about that.)


To my understanding, it’s been subject to a flood of abuse where it isn’t used properly. And typographers don’t like using fonts that have been subject to large-scale abuse. Guess it’s supposed to dilute the font’s impact or something.

Of course, the fonts that get abused are the fonts that come pre-installed on most systems. After all, unless you’re a designer with a huge collection of other fonts, those are likely the only fonts you have available. So the commonly available fonts are subject to the most abuse.

So what does that leave people that must restrict themselves to web-safe fonts only? (Even if we want to make “proper” use of the abused font?)
There's no "properly" for Papyrus. It's an ugly display font like any other, exacerbated by its being standard for computers. If you're after an old-timey feel, Garamond should do the job (and is good in all sizes, too). If you're after specifically ugly faux-aged fonts, then you should rethink what you're doing with your life, instead.
Being common has nothing to do with the quality of a font. Helvetica is common. Futura is common. Univers is common. They're just not hideous.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

There's no "properly" for Papyrus. It's an ugly display font like any other, exacerbated by its being standard for computers.
Well, it’s a good thing “ugly” so objective, then. :smallyuk:

A short search for people explaining their distaste for Papyrus, and I only found one place (http://www.typophile.com/node/17051) where people actually stated why they found it ugly. Though most of the folks on that blog still just blamed over-use rather.


If you're after an old-timey feel, Garamond should do the job (and is good in all sizes, too).
What? No convient link to an example? No matter. I don’t have Garamond on my system, so I had to look it up on my own anyway (http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/agfa/adobe-garamond/).

Anyway, can’t say that would be appropriate in the few contexts where I would use Papyrus myself. If I were so inclined to use it, that is.

[Gralamin]

And how does my user stylesheet allow me to use non-websafe fonts for other users to see?

It doesn't, but what you were saying was factually untrue :smalltongue:


Happy Birthday, Gralamin!

Thanks :smallwink:

[Shhalahr Windrider]

It doesn't, but what you were saying was factually untrue :smalltongue:
When talking to a non-technical audience, one can be too-specific, you know. Will it really help matters to go into a lecture on Author versus User stylesheets after that?

And, really, I think of the user stylesheet I use on GiantITP as my stylesheet, not GiantITP’s. (Yes, I do use one. Those code boxes stretch the screen too much otherwise.)

[Rawhide]

As has been stated, there are absolutely no fonts available on this site whatsoever, the fonts you can use are only limited by what fonts are installed on the end user systems. It is suggested that you stick to web friendly fonts unless you don't mind that not everyone will see the same font as you.

Question asked, question answered, thread closed.