fonts

Safari in OS X Lion replacing text with 'block A' characters

A few people are noticing after installing Lion that Safari may render fonts in Web sites incorrectly, and show some or all of the text as a series of square blocks with the capital letter A in them. When testing the problem in other browsers, such as Firefox, the sites appear fine. The problem does not happen to all Web sites, but instead seems to crop up only for specific ones, indicating an issue with how the rendering of specific HTML or styling code is being interpreted for those sites.

Users who have had this problem have tried resetting Safari … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week readers wrote in asking questions on optical media no longer working, the OS requirements for installing OS X 10.7 Lion, how to determine SATA controller link speed, and Keynote crashing because of font problems. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: CDs and DVDs no longer working MacFixIt reader "mikart" asks:

My mac rarely reads … Read more

How to change the default font in Gmail

Composing electronic correspondence can lack the personal touch that handwritten notes and letters possess. As a substitute, you can still change the font style on letters to friends and family--revealing just a small piece of your personality compared to your own handwriting. However, it adds just enough to make it seem less robotic and more "you." Here's how to change the default font in your Gmail, so you don't have to manually choose it every time:

Step 1: Log in to Gmail from your Web browser.

Step 2: Open the settings menu in the upper right-hand … Read more

How to fix blurry Firefox 5 fonts

Do fonts look blurry to you in Firefox 5? Some users have been reporting issues with fonts looking blurry in Firefox since version 4. Here are a couple of things you can try to improve the quality of font rendering.

Turn on ClearType in Windows Vista/Windows 7 Step 1: Click the Start button, then enter "cleartype" in the "Search programs and files" box and select "Adjust ClearType text."

Step 2: Make sure that the check box for "Turn on ClearType" is checked and click Next to go through the ClearType tuner.… Read more

Monotype Imaging releases 500 new Web fonts

Monotype Imaging has opened up a batch of 500 more typefaces for use on the Web and announced a partnership under which those publishing on Acquia's Drupal Gardens can use the service.

Web fonts, after languishing for years, are giving typeface makers a new business opportunity with the arrival of new abilities in the formatting technology called CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) in modern browsers. With it, Web publishers can employ downloadable fonts to give their Web sites a more memorable look or to add some pizazz not possible with the limited number of "Web-safe" fonts that can be expected to already be installed on a browser's computer.

It's not that such typography wasn't possible before on the Web. It's just that it likely was done with graphics rather than type. Graphics, though, can be bulky to download, don't scale well to different screen sizes, aren't noticeable as text to search engines, and can't be copied and pasted as text.

Monotype Imaging now licenses hundreds of its fonts for online use through its Fonts.com site. Among the new arrivals to the online service is ITC Avant Garde Gothic, a widely used sans-serif typeface.

It seems likely that budget-minded publishers might steer clear of fonts with a fee, opting instead for free options such as Google's Web-font options. But Drupal Gardens also is used by corporations and others that might be more concerned about a refined look or proper brand identity.

Drupal Gardens also announced recently that it's now hosting more than 50,000 sites and that it's improved several publishing tools. … Read more

Apple releases Snow Leopard font update

Apple has released an update for OS X that addresses font-rendering problems that cropped up for users who had upgraded to OS X 10.6.7. We initially reported on this issue in late March, where a number of people who had upgraded to OS X 10.6.7 were not able to read PDFs that were created in the latest version of the Mac OS. The issue was narrowed to how OS X was managing OpenType PostScript fonts.

If you check Software Update from within OS X 10.6.7 you should be able to apply the update there; … Read more

Why it's hard to create nicely styled documents

Awhile back a former colleague noted that certain online word processors didn't do a good job with styles. Some commenters noted that this was a moot point as few people use styles anyway. That's true. But I'm going to blame the vendors at least a bit. I'll pick on Microsoft Word but, in truth, it's no worse in this regard than most other products.

Do people tend to follow the path of least resistance with their tools? Sure. I'm as guilty as anyone of having wasted way too much time over the years for … Read more

Google's joking, but Monotype isn't: Comic Sans Pro

Comic Sans, the Windows font reviled by font snobs everywhere, has joined the big leagues.

Monotype Imaging released the oxymoronic but definitely real Comic Sans Pro, taking advantage of April Fools' Day to bring some humor to the occasion. The new typeface combines a script style geared for typographically clumsy children's birthday invitations with high-end font features more commonly used on wedding invitations.

"Comic Sans Pro contains a versatile range of typographic features including swashes, small caps, ornaments, old-style figures, and stylistic alternates," Monotype said, referring to a variety of ways designers extend beyond the standard character … Read more

MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer e-mailed questions from our readers. This week we have questions on enlarging an application's graphical interface elements, zooming keyboard shortcuts not working, increasing Mail font sizes, and recovering a missing System Preferences application. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Enlarging appliction's graphical interface elements

MacFixIt reader Bill asks:

I am a new convert [to] Apple on a new macbook pro and while … Read more