Dafont.com's custom preview fonts, includes many free fonts
DaFont Website - Cool Website (English or Français)
reviewed by Respect2Glory, Nov 2005
Comments
The Dafont.com homepage updates the total number of fonts (and dingbats) listed at their website. There were 6168 fonts at this writing. I think the most impressive angle of this website is being able to preview your own text (or name) and it encourages downloading. I started with 'ClifNotes', thinking how he could change the mood of his webpage. When I changed the text to 'Respect2Glory.150m.com', I was quickly reminded that not all fonts have 'numbers, periods, or italics' added to each new set. Most often new sets are not complete. Seeing my preview (of letters and numbers) helped me slow down a bit from downloading every font I thought I would use. Like, if I haven't already collected enough fonts to last me a lifetime!
NOTE: Pay attention to the maximum font loading allowance in your particular Operating System, because I've noticed some serious system lags in the past and I had to remove some fonts. Also, the font box, or pull-down display (found in Outlook Express, when using Rich Text (HTML)) can lengthen that list when you add to many fonts at once.
Maximum Fonts Allowed
Win95 : http://www.microsoft.com/typography/faq/faq1a.htm
The Windows 95 Resource Kit incorrectly states that there is no limit to the number of TrueType fonts you can install in Windows 95. You can install a maximum of approximately 1000 TrueType fonts in Windows 95. The exact number of TrueType fonts you can install varies, depending on the length of the TrueType font names and filenames. Installed TrueType fonts are listed in the registry and in the Graphics Device Interface (GDI).
All font files are registered under a single key in the registry, and a registry key cannot exceed 64K. If font names average 20 characters in length and font filenames average 10 characters in length, the maximum number of TrueType fonts you can install falls between 1000 and 1500. If a TrueType font file is located in a folder other than the Fonts or the System folder, the full path to the font is included in the registry, using up more space in the key and reducing the number of fonts you can install.
The GDI contains an internal list of fonts, with 10K reserved for font filenames. If font filenames average 10 characters in length, the maximum number of TrueType fonts you can install is approximately one thousand.
WinNT : http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/ntwrkstn/reskit/fonts.mspx
With TrueType fonts, you can specify any desired size; you're not limited to a list of raster or vector font sizes.
Troubleshooting Font Problems:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/prork/prdo_fon_rcei.asp
Performance is slow:
If you are working with an unusually large number of fonts, system performance degrades. Keeping fewer than 1,000 fonts installed on your computer at one time helps to maintain performance.
The first time you restart your computer after installing new fonts, they are added, slowing the startup process. When the computer is restarted in the future, this process is completed more quickly, due to font caching, but the process might still be slow. Enumeration of fonts can also slow your system. Font enumeration can occur when an application starts up, or when all the available fonts must be listed, such as when you select a font or open the Fonts folder.
Microsoft Free Font Properties Extension Utility allows you to determine the licensing status of a font. For more information about the utility, go to the Microsoft Font Properties Extension Utility:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/prork/prdo_fon_eixg.asp
SEE ALSO FontList : list and view all your installed fonts (Old Review) This is a very nice way to see all your fonts. It make the font list into a webpage on your PC and shows you how they look.
Screenshot
click to expand
Quote from DaFont.com
The fonts presented on this website are their authors' property, and are either freeware, shareware, demo versions or public domain. The licence mentioned above the download button is just an indication. Please look at the readme-files in the archives or check the indicated author's website for details, and contact him if in doubt. If no author/licence is indicated that's because we don't have information, that doesn't mean it's free.
