As many HomeSite users will know by now, HomeSite 2.5+ uses a new editor control that requires fixed-width fonts. Since many users have found none of the fixed-width fonts available on their systems pleasing, some of the participants in the HomeSite Forum have been looking for better alternatives. I am providing information on these in the table below, and welcome additional ideas from others - please send the information by e-mail or post it in the HomeSite Forum.
| Some Important Notes | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
|
If you're looking for a really nice fixed-width font, try downloading Japanese or Chinese Simplified language support for Internet Explorer Japanese support installs MS Gothic, a very nice fixed-width font. Chinese Simplified installs MS Hei. Extremely readable. Note: You don't need the Japanese version of Internet Explorer. You only need the multi-language add-on for your English version of IE.
|
||
| font name | URL / status / cost | comments |
| Commnet | Commnet Home Page / included in Commnet32 (telnet client) / $29.95 (for the application) | Very nice, clear, Arial-like font |
| Dactylographe/ Orolon Bordo/ Norma |
Matchfonts / pay / Each pair is $19.95, available now by mail, soon by on-line order | I haven't used these; the samples look very good, allowing for distortion in the graphics |
| HyperFont Lt & Dk | HyperAccess Page / Included in HyperAccess for Win95/NT (general comm. client) / $69.95 (for the application), but the fonts can be downloaded separately from ftp://ftp.hilgraeve.com/pub/vendor/hilgraeve/hyprfont.zip | My own favorite: very clear and scalable. HyperAccess is a good communication package, but not worth buying just for the fonts. There is a demo version available for download -I don't know whether it installs the fonts, or un-installs them when you un-install the demo. |
| Lucida Console | supplied with various microsoft products (winNT, MS Plus for Win95, distributed by Y&Y, included in many Microsoft products, see lists below / not free / ??? | very nice non-serif font |
| Lucida Sans Typewriter | distributed by Y&Y, included in the Microsoft TT font pack 1 / not free / ??? | very nice font, similar to Lucida console, but slightly taller |
| Arial Alternative | supplied by Microsoft especially for use with HyperTerminal. / It is located in the \OTHER\MINITEL folder on the Win95 CD, or at the official download site, or at this a direct link to the file itself: / free of charge | Nice Arial substitute (some users find that HomeSite does not recognize this a fixed-width font -- appears to be a Windows problem) |
| Courier New | included in many microsoft products / free at this site | new Courier, but still Courier |
| Scriptorium Master Monospaced Text Fonts Collection | includes 3 fonts, see Cincinnatus & Vidilex; purchase here / collection of 3 is $30, individual fonts $12 each | No comments available |
| Elfring Soft fonts | a pack of 28 monospaced fonts purchase here / The set costs $39.50 | Nick was looking into licensing on these (see SansMono) |
| r_FTP font | comes with Reflections One ver 4.2x; would need to be licensed through Walker Richer & Quinn. | looks like a MS Sans Serif in bold). |
| VT100 | installed with CRT telnet available through Tucows licensing status unknown | reportedly looks pretty good |
| Terminal | installed with NetTerm (www.tucows.com in telnet section) licensing status unknown | no comments available |
| Wincommfont | included with The Delrina Communications Suite, possibly with Winfax Pro / not free | reported to be nice |
|
Monospac 821 BT Orator 10 BT Orator 15 BT Pica 10 BT Prestige 12 BT |
Corel Draw 6 CD-ROM / not free | truetype fonts; look good; no missing characters |
| Letter Gothic | installs with HP DeskJet 870CXi (may be the case for other HPs), | no missing characters |
| DM Fixed Fonts | Contributed by Daniel Marcial, a collection of fixed-width fonts for use with HomeSite. | Not scalable TrueType fonts, but you may like these |
| Other useful information: | ||
| Quick reference table of Microsoft's free fonts for the Web (note: these are nice fonts, but only Courier and Monotype.com are fixed-width) | ||
| Fonts supplied with other products including Internet Explorer 3, Microsoft Windows 3.x, Win95, WinNT, Microsoft Plus!, Office, Adobe Type Manager 3.8, 3.9 and Deluxe 4.0, Apple Macintosh OS and UNIX. (Note: most of the fonts listed here are not fixed-width) | ||
| Free Truetype fonts from Microsoft (Note: most of the fonts listed here are not fixed-width) | ||
If you go to the Internet Font Archives
and search on "Monospace", you will see some very nice professional
monospaced fonts listed. However, they are all on either:
|
||
(Thanks to Jeff Wilkinson for invaluable help in compiling this information.)
Page originally created by Robert Crooks, English Department, Bentley College, rcrooks@bentley.edu