Troubleshooting Google Fonts Rendering Issues in Chrome

It is not uncommon to encounter rendering difficulties when using Google Fonts in web development. A specific issue that has arisen lately affects websites using Roboto Slab in Chrome. While the font appears as expected in other browsers, it remains invisible upon initial page load in Chrome.

Upon investigation, this appears to be a known bug in Chrome. The cause of the problem is that Chrome can sometimes fail to render custom fonts correctly during the initial page load. However, once a CSS property is retriggered (e.g., by hovering over a styled link), the font becomes visible.

To resolve this, a workaround has been developed that relies solely on CSS. By adding the following code to your stylesheet, you can ensure that Chrome renders the font correctly:

body {
    -webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s;
    -webkit-animation-name: fontfix;
    -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s;
    -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1;
    -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear;
}

@-webkit-keyframes fontfix {
    from { opacity: 1; }
    to   { opacity: 1; }
}

This workaround essentially forces Chrome to repaint the text, resolving the issue. It is worth noting that this is a CSS-only solution and may not be suitable for all situations. Nevertheless, it provides an effective means of addressing the Google Fonts rendering problem in Chrome.