Fun With Fonts
By Cate Eales
Appeared February 19, 2009 on castanet.net
Are you tired of Times New Roman? Are you bored with
Arial? Have I got some fonts for you!
Save some ink
A little over a year ago I wrote about
printing less, and included a
link to
GreenPrint. Sometimes, though, you really do want to print --- a
letter, a greeting card, a banner, a CD label. When you just can't stop
yourself from printing, try a font that uses less ink!
Ecofont has holes in it. It looks best at 9 or 10 points, but if you
look at
this page, you'll see Ecofont in large type, and the holes will be
more apparent. You can
download Ecofont here.
(click here to enlarge picture)
Once downloaded, you have to install the font in order
for all your programs to find and use it. The
instructions for Windows XP are here. If you are
using Vista, follows these instructions.
DIY fonts!
YourFonts.com lets
you create a font from your own handwriting. It's free and it's very easy.
All you have to do is browse to
http://www.yourfonts.com/, and follow the step by step instructions
there. In less time than it takes to open version 3.0.1 of OpenOffice,
your font will be ready to download and install. You need a scanner, and a
black fine point Sharpie.
(click here to enlarge picture)
Remember that this font lives on YOUR computer. You can use it and get the
results you're expecting on documents that you print out, like letters,
greeting cards, labels, and posters. If you use a font that only you have
in email, it will look the way you expect when you compose and send the
message, but the person reading it won't see it in that font unless it's
on that computer, too.
See all your fonts
You might have more fonts on your computer than you know about. And
wouldn't it be great to see what they look like when you're ready to make
a greeting card or poster? There are several programs that will let you do
this, but
FontList is the one I like the best. Download and install the program.
When you run FontList you'll see what all your fonts look like, and you
can print out the list if you like. You might be surprised to see how many
fonts you already have.
Do you need help with your computer? With your printer/camera/music
player? Do you have a virus or a spyware problem? Do you have
a new computer and now you're wondering how to get the files from the old
one over to the new one? I'm here to help you and your computer get along!
To ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or schedule a visit,
email
cate@rlis.com. You can read previous columns
here. If you'd like to
subscribe to this column by email,
please visit this link. It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the
RSS Feed, click here.
Links
Print Less
http://rlis.com/columns/column132.htm
GreenPrint
http://www.printgreener.com/index.html
Ecofont
http://www.ecofont.eu/look_at_ecofont_en.html
Download Ecofont
http://www.ecofont.eu/downloads_en.html
How to install a font in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B314960&x=12&y=12
How to install a font in Windows Vista
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-us/help/f144ad40-bc63-43f1-a06e-4cc6b22bde301033.mspx
YourFonts.com
http://www.yourfonts.com/
Sharpie
http://www.sharpie.com/
FontList
http://www.bitstorm.org/fontlist/
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives
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---
Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible
and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric,
and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions,
helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware
eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image
management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management.
Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your
comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit
the Real Life Internet Solutions website at
www.rlis.com.
©
Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved
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