# Font sampler **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 27, 2005, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387 "2005-07-27T09:30:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/1 "2005-07-27T09:30:41Z")
Arial Arial Black Arial Narrow Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Fixedsys Franklin Gothic Medium Garamond Georgia Impact Lucinda Console Lucinda Sans Unicode Microsoft Sans Serif Palatino Linotype System Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/2 "2005-07-27T17:20:26Z")
You’re trying to torture me, aren’t you? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Pythian\_Habenero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Pythian\_Habenero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythian_Habenero)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/3 "2005-07-27T17:48:07Z")
Lucida Blackletter Applesauce10 I \<3 obscure fonts! [sub]sorry for the large sizes[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/4 "2005-07-27T17:52:19Z")
Dang it how do you get ones that aren’t on the dropdown? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/5 "2005-07-27T18:50:41Z")
Font=\ (text) /font. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/6 "2005-07-27T19:27:40Z")
If you really wanted to toy with our heads, you’d displace the names, like this Ariel Ariel Black Ariel Narrow Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Fixedsys Franklin Gothic Medium … Verdana ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/7 "2005-07-27T22:27:05Z")
Interesting. They all look like Helvetica (or some other very vanilla sans serif font) to me. Browser=Shiira, OS= OS X 10.3.8 Same with iCab Firefox makes more of an attempt: Arial is Arial, Courier New is Courier New, Verdana is _probably_ Verdana…everything else looks like Times New Roman or some other very vanilla serif font. Wonder if it’s a platform issue? Hmm, let’s see what happens if I input the names of fonts I do specifically have? American Typewriter Helvetica Apple Chancery Monaco Optima Geeza Pro ::goes to preview:: Well, I’ll be damned, that works! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/8 "2005-07-28T00:59:08Z")
What determines what I can see for fonts? What my browser has? What the SDMB server has? What my software at home has? What if the font doesn’t exist? If I try “Turdblossom” for a font, I see this: Turdblossom. How are non-existing font names resolved? ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/9 "2005-07-28T01:36:37Z")
text here? ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/10 "2005-07-28T04:49:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If you really wanted to toy with our heads, you’d displace the names, like this > > Ariel > Ariel Black > Ariel Narrow > Book Antiqua > Century Gothic > Comic Sans MS > Courier New > Fixedsys > Franklin Gothic Medium > … > Verdana That hurt me. Blue Red Green Yellow Purple Now I feel better. 😛 **BobLibDem** , I believe it is dependent on what fonts are contained in the font folder in the system file on whatever computer you are using. I could be wrong. Although not as wrong as what **Chronos** did. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/11 "2005-07-28T12:50:06Z")
Yup. Torture. Yup, yupyupyupyup. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/12 "2005-07-28T20:56:29Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Yup. > Torture. > Yup, yupyupyupyup. Uh, why? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/13 "2005-07-28T21:30:21Z")
I beleive that any font specified that you don’t have on your computer reverts to your browser’s default. So Turdblossom woill just look like normal text on everyone’s computer, and Arial will revert to the default font on Macs (which generally don’t have Arial). ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/14 "2005-07-28T21:36:35Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Uh, why? Bosda posts from a secret government keyboard that won’t allow fonts? Bosda has an unrequited love affair with a font maker? Got me. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/15 "2005-07-28T22:16:02Z")
> [@](#): > > I beleive that any font specified that you don’t have on your computer reverts to your browser’s default. EGJM\> Interesting. I had been thinking that the specified font had to be installed on the webserver, but that’s not the case. A more considered reflection would have told me my initial assumption was quite absurd. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/16 "2005-07-29T00:33:22Z")
Just for chuckles: Webdings enabled? Bookman Old Style Garamond Century Gothic Eras Bold Helvetica Goudy Stout Georgia Impact ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/17 "2005-07-29T02:21:06Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > … Macs (which generally don’t have Arial). Now that I’m back on my iBook, I see I’m wrong. I dunno, \*\* AHunter3\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/18 "2005-07-29T16:33:10Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Yup. > Torture. > Yup, yupyupyupyup. Uh-huh, uh-huh. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/19 "2005-07-29T17:13:29Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Yup. > Torture. > Yup, yupyupyupyup. Stop that, **Bosda**. We never said you can’t use splashy fonts. It was just pointed out to you that frilly fonts, billboard sizing and eye-bleeder colors all used together made your sigs 1. nearly unreadable and 2. annoying. Play with the toys. Just use 'em with a little discretion, y’know? You don’t have to use every crayon in the box just because they’re there. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387/20 "2005-07-29T20:06:17Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > Stop that, **Bosda**. We never said you can’t use splashy fonts. It was just pointed out to you that frilly fonts, billboard sizing and eye-bleeder colors all used together made your sigs 1. nearly unreadable and 2. annoying. > > Play with the toys. Just use 'em with a little discretion, y’know? You don’t have to use every crayon in the box just because they’re there. > > Sheesh. Actually, I’m fine with him not doing it at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-sampler/314387.md?page=2)