Accessing Non-Standard Fonts on the Web

It has become common to encounter websites employing fonts that aren't typically available on users' computers, such as the "ff-tisa-web-pro-1" font referenced in the example provided. This raises the question of how such fonts can be rendered on web pages.

The answer lies in the CSS @font-face declaration. This declaration allows web developers to define a custom font and specify how it should be downloaded and used on the page. By employing this technique, designers can incorporate fonts that were previously considered non-web-safe.

To implement @font-face effectively, it's recommended to utilize Paul Irish's bulletproof font face implementation, which is supported across major browsers. However, it's important to note that licensing restrictions may apply to certain fonts.

Additionally, font hosting services like Typekit and Google's Font API offer convenient solutions for serving custom fonts to websites. These services take care of hosting and file delivery, simplifying the implementation process.

Alternative non-native techniques for embedding fonts have also existed, such as cufon and sIFR, providing a way to display non-native fonts on websites before the widespread adoption of @font-face.