TrueType FAQ

The free fonts

Q What is a 'self-extracting archive'?
A An archive file is a computer file that contains other computer files (in this case font files) in a compressed form, making them quicker and more convenient to download. The ZIP files produced by the PKZIP utility are perhaps the most common type of compressed archive file. However, ZIP files require the PKUNZIP utility to extract their contents. Our files are self extracting EXEs (executable files), to extract the fonts contained in each one you simply 'run' the file.
   To download the archive files and extract the fonts follow these instructions;

1. To download each file click on it's link
2. From the dialog box choose 'Save As...'
3. Choose a folder and select 'Save'
4. The file will download
5. In Windows 95 select 'Run...' from the 'Start' button, then locate the file using 'Browse...', click on 'Open' to extract the font files
6. In Windows 3.x select 'Run...' from the Program Manager 'File' menu, then locate the file using 'Browse...', click on 'Open' to extract the font files
7. To install the fonts follow these instructions for Windows 95, Windows 3.1x or Windows NT

Q Will I be able to use the TrueType fonts provided on your site in applications other than HTML authoring, such as correspondence (i.e. letter writing)?
A Absolutely. The fonts will work in just the same way as all the other TrueType fonts you may have installed on your system. Just because we've optimised them for on-screen display doesn't mean that you can't use them in other programs. And they'll still look great when you print them out!

Q Will there be a noticeable change in appearance of my previous Windows fonts (Arial, Times New Roman) if I download and install the versions supplied on your site?
A No. We've maintained backwards compatibility by ensuring that the widths, heights and shapes of the characters remains the same, so that if you download and install these new versions, the formatting of all your old documents will remain exactly the same.

Q So if everything will look the same when I download the Windows fonts, why should I bother?
A The principal reason for downloading these new versions from our site is for the enlarged character sets they contain. Depending on which version of Windows 95 you have, and whether you installed Multi Language support, you may or may not have the enlarged character sets.

Q Why are the Windows font files so large?
A The files are large because they contain more characters than ordinary fonts. All of the fonts provided, with the exception of MS Comic Sans and MS Comic Sans Bold, include the full Windows Glyph List 4 (WGL4) character set. This character set contains 652 characters and covers multiple writing systems including Western, Central, and Eastern European, as well as characters required by Greek and Turkish.
    For detailed technical information about character sets and codepages please see our Character sets document. The WGL4 character set is listed in Chapter 4 of the TrueType 1.0 Font File Specification.

Q Your TrueType fonts on the Web press release mentions fonts by eminent British type designer Matthew Carter. When will these be available?
A These fonts are still in production. We hope to publish more news about them in our Typography on the Web section in the near future.

Q Can I use the fonts with other Web browsers?
A You can use any of the free fonts as your default font. However, Microsoft Internet Explorer is the only browser that currently supports designer specified font choice through the FONT FACE extension to HTML. Any Internet browser that implements the proposed hypertext markup language (HTML) stylesheet standard from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) should be able to use these fonts immediately.

Q When I last visited your site I saw a 'Web Font Pack' logo at the bottom of certain pages. Where has it gone?
A Our feeling is that many Web sites home pages are spoilt by the overuse of such logos. We would prefer sites who use the fonts to provide their readers with a text link to http://www.microsoft.com/truetype/ such as...

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this document last updated 16 April 1996
© 1996 Microsoft Corporation. all rights reserved.