Installing New Fonts


One of the most common formatting changes people make is changing appearance of the text by using a different font. You can select from business fonts to calligraphy fonts and from fancy fonts to silly fonts. The fonts that are listed within the program are the fonts you have installed in Windows XP. How do they get there, and what fonts do you have? This section answers these questions.

Where Do Fonts Come From?

Most people have no idea how they get the fonts that are listed within a program. They also don't realize that not all computers have the same fonts, and if they have used a font that the computer does not recognize, they'll most likely see gibberish.

Fonts come from several sources, and the first source is the printer itself. Every printer comes with built-in fonts that it can print, and these are usually indicated with a printer icon in font lists.

In addition to the fonts, Windows itself includes some built-in fonts; these fonts are actually TrueType files that tell the printer how to print particular fonts. Other TrueType fonts are installed when you install some programs. The programs themselves also include fonts, and when you install the program, you also install the fonts.

As another source, you can purchase fonts and install them within Windows. Once installed, they become available to all programs. Some sites, such as www.1001fonts.com, provide free fonts. You can download these fonts from the site and add them to your font list. This section covers how to view the fonts you already have on your system, as well as how to add new fonts.

Viewing Your Installed Fonts

Windows XP lets you view which fonts you have, as well as install new fonts. You complete these tasks by using the Fonts Control Panel. Follow these steps:

1.

Click Start and then select Control Panel.

tip

You'll have to look pretty hard to find fonts in Windows XP. They aren't listed in the category view of the Control Panel. You find them in the See Also area of the task pane for other Control Panel options (as covered here). Alternatively, you can switch to Classic View and use the regular Font Control Panel icon.

2.

In the Control Panel window, select Appearance and Themes.

3.

In the See Also area, click Fonts. You'll see the Fonts folder, which displays file icons for all the installed fonts (see Figure 19.10).

Figure 19.10. Fonts are stored as files on your computer and are indicated with a font icon.


4.

To view a font, double-click the file. You'll see a sample of the font in various sizes, as well as information about the font (including its name, type, version, and file size). Figure 19.11, for instance, shows the information for Bauhaus 93. When you are finished viewing the font, click the Done button or the Close button for the font window.

Figure 19.11. You can see how each letter of the alphabet appears in the font, as well as a sample sentence in various sizes.


5.

Click the Close button to close the Font Control Panel.

If you purchase new fonts, you can install them in Windows. To do so, follow these steps:

1.

Click Start and then select Control Panel.

2.

In the Control Panel window, select Appearance and Themes.

3.

In the See Also area, click Fonts.

4.

Open the File menu and select Install New Font. You'll see the Add Fonts dialog box.

5.

Select the drive that contains your font files from the Drives drop-down list.

6.

If the files are stored within folders, select the folder from the Folders list. When you open the drive and the folder, all the available fonts are listed in the List of fonts (see Figure 19.12).

Figure 19.12. Many font collections include so many fonts that you probably don't want to install them all. Instead, select the fonts from the collection that you do want to install from this dialog box.


7.

Select the font(s) to install. To select multiple fonts, Ctrl+click each font you want to select. To select all fonts, click the Select All button.

8.

Click OK to install the selected fonts. The files are then copied to the Fonts folder and are available in all Windows programs.

9.

Click the Close button to close the Fonts window.

tip

It can be overwhelming to see all the fonts and each variation (including bold, italic, and bold italic). You can select different views from the View menu. For instance, to group similar types of fonts together, click View and then click List Fonts by Similarity. To hide all variations of a font (bold, italic, and so on), click View and then click Hide Variations.




    Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP
    Absolute Beginners Guide to Windows XP (2nd Edition)
    ISBN: 078973432X
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 176
    Authors: Shelley OHara

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