Font Formats Demystified: Which One Should You Use?

typographyweb designperformance

Font Formats Demystified: Which One Should You Use?

In the world of web typography, choosing the right font format can significantly impact your site’s performance and appearance. Let’s break down the most common font formats and when to use them.

1. TTF/OTF (TrueType Font/OpenType Font)

  • Pros: High quality, widely supported
  • Cons: Large file size
  • Best for: Desktop applications, print design

2. WOFF (Web Open Font Format)

  • Pros: Compressed, faster loading times
  • Cons: Not supported in older browsers
  • Best for: Modern websites targeting up-to-date browsers

3. WOFF2

  • Pros: Even better compression than WOFF
  • Cons: Less browser support than WOFF
  • Best for: Cutting-edge web projects prioritizing performance

4. EOT (Embedded OpenType)

  • Pros: Supported by older versions of Internet Explorer
  • Cons: Only supported by IE
  • Best for: Websites that need to support legacy IE browsers

5. SVG Font

  • Pros: Resolution independent
  • Cons: Large file size, limited support
  • Best for: Specialized use cases, like logos or icons

When choosing a font format, consider your target audience, browser support requirements, and performance needs. For most modern web projects, WOFF2 with WOFF as a fallback is an excellent choice, offering a good balance of performance and compatibility.

Remember, you can use multiple formats in your @font-face rule to ensure wide compatibility:

@font-face {
  font-family: 'MyWebFont';
  src: url('myfont.woff2') format('woff2'), url('myfont.woff') format('woff'),
    url('myfont.ttf') format('truetype');
}