Press Release
Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: TYPE), a leading global provider of text imaging solutions, today launched the public beta of Fonts.com Web Fonts, the company’s new Web font solution on webfonts.fonts.com. The cloud-based service allows Web page designers, content creators, brand holders and others to access a wide range of fonts for designing Web communications, such as branded sites, blogs, Web content and advertising, as well as personal sites, postings and other materials created for online consumption.
Highlights of Monotype Imaging’s Fonts.com Web Fonts solution:
– Over 2,000 high-quality fonts available now for free public beta
– Approximately 7,000 fonts expected by commercial launch later in 2010
– Helvetica, Frutiger and Univers typefaces among several popular designs, available for the first time as Web fonts
More than 40 languages supported using patent-pending Monotype Imaging technology
– Subscription-based solution to include a free, entry-level tier with ability to use more than 2,000 fonts
The public beta debuts with more than 2,000 high-quality fonts and is intended to grow to approximately 7,000 prior to the solution’s commercial launch, providing Web developers and content creators access to the world’s largest selection of Web fonts. When launched commercially, the service will also include some of the best selling and widely used typefaces of all time, including the Helvetica, Frutiger and Univers typefaces, commonly used in brand identities and exclusive to Monotype Imaging’s Web collection.
“Type is now center stage in the evolution of the World Wide Web,” said Doug Shaw, president and chief executive officer of Monotype Imaging. “Our new service introduces an unprecedented selection of some of the world’s most in-demand typefaces. As we enter our public beta phase, we’re now able to welcome feedback and involve customers across the globe to bring forward a world class solution.”
In addition to expanding typographic creative freedom, Monotype Imaging’s new service enables brand holders and design agencies to deploy branded content and advertising using a Web font solution that supports more than 40 languages, which cover the majority of languages used on the Internet. A wide range of world language typefaces are available, including fonts that support major Asian languages that contain thousands of characters. New patent-pending Web technology from Monotype Imaging is used to speed the delivery of languages that contain large character sets, such as Chinese and Japanese.
“Web fonts dramatically improve how text is handled on the Web,” said Allan Haley, director of words and letters at Monotype Imaging. “Design is transformed whether you’re a Web page designer or an individual seeking to easily and affordably stylize Web sites and blogs with type.” Before Web fonts, designers traditionally faced a frustrating trade-off, according to Haley. “They could design with only a handful of system fonts that reside on most computers. Alternatively, designers could use any fonts, as long as they were embedded in graphics. However, text is more difficult to edit and is not searchable, scalable or selectable when embedded in graphics,” he said.
Web sites are also able to facilitate a more functional user experience using Web fonts. For example, search engine optimization can be improved because unlike text embedded in graphics, Web fonts enable text to be search engine discoverable. Jill Whalen, search engine optimization expert and chief executive officer of Boston SEO agency High Rankings, said, “We advise our clients to always try to use text instead of images to display important headlines and navigation, as search engines don’t recognize text contained in images. Fonts.com Web Fonts clearly supports this SEO strategy and is a great new tool for SEO experts and their clients.”
Sites designed with Web fonts also provide flexibility to more readily meet accessibility standards for the visually impaired. “Web accessibility is an increasingly important usability requirement for our customers,” said Lynn Pausic, Web usability expert and founder and president of Expero, Inc.
Hosted on a cloud-based, global distribution network of servers, Monotype Imaging’s Web font solution downloads fonts dynamically to Internet browsers, resulting in fonts that are displayed on connected client machines. The service complies with W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) specifications for deploying server-based fonts and supports all major Internet browsers, including the Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome and Opera platforms.
In addition to a fee-based subscription model, an entry level tier with access to more than 2,000 fonts will be offered at the conclusion of the public beta with no payment required, when Fonts.com Web Fonts launches commercially. At that time, beta participants will have the option to upgrade to a higher tier or continue at the free level. Further information on the subscription model will become available at the commercial launch, which is targeted for later in 2010.
Web developers, content creators and others worldwide may request an invitation to join the public beta and gain free access to the solution by visiting webfonts.fonts.com, or by following the Web fonts link from the homepage of Fonts.com.
This article was last modified on January 18, 2023
This article was first published on May 4, 2010
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