Web fonts

Web fonts are a font format with a specific license that permits web designers and developers to use real typography online without losing the advantages of live text — dynamic, searchable, accessible content. Until recently, typography on the Web was very limited font-wise. Most websites could only display text using the small selection of common system fonts already installed on the user’s computer.

Formats and browsers. Bringing type to the web has meant the creation of a new standard format, WOFF, or Web Open Font Format. This isn’t a new font format however, but a compressed file that, as well as the font data itself, contains instructions on how the end user’s particular browser should display the font, effectively neutralizing various cross-browser compatibility issues. Read more about web fonts

Font server

Schools and Divisions can use the TTS fonts server to store and serve "self-hosted" web fonts. Each group is responsible for licensing their own fonts. As the use of web fonts grows, we can explore purchasing enterprise licenses to avoid redundant licenses, and determine a way to share costs.

As of late 2019, the server is now a Git repo: https://gitlab.it.tufts.edu/WebComm/fonts. The website is hosted via Kubernetes. Contact ESAI with questions.

TTS Style Guide

The 2013 TTS Branding and Style Guide specifies DIN as the new TTS typeface. In order to serve DIN over the web, TTS purchased "self-hosted" licenses to DIN. The fonts are hosted in-house on the fonts server.

Contact

If you would like to learn more about the web fonts server, please email ESTS: ests-dus@tufts.edu.

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