# Serif and san-serif type in posts. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 2, 2001, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069 "2001-05-02T11:47:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/1 "2001-05-02T11:47:36Z")
Here’s a little something I’ve noticed lately. Sometimes my posts will be in the normal san-serif typeface, but some times it’ll be in a slightly larger, heavier serif face. An example is [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=69059). In my last post the “quote” is in the regular s.s. typeface, but my post is in the serif. While this is definitely No Big Deal, is it just a hiccup in the system, or am I going to bring about the downfall of the Message Board through my non-computer-savvy-tude? I don’t change the system font on my computer. Sometimes it happens, but usually it doesn’t. Composing this message, the type in the “Message:” box is a serif face, but not the same one that occasionally shows up on the boards. ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/2 "2001-05-02T11:50:00Z")
That last post is in the san-serif face. I did nothing to my computer since the previous post (the linked one) that was both serif for my reply and san-serif for the quote. If there is some way for me to control this, I’d rather have the serif face. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/3 "2001-05-02T13:04:30Z")
\*\ ***Rue DeDay** , it is a little glich in Netscape. It is caused by having mismatched tags, such as bold ([**b]/[**/b]). When you quote something and remove the opening bold tag and forget to remove the closing bold tag, Netscape assumes it’s a close all font tags which leaves it in it’s default font, which is normally Times New Roman. If you want to use the Times font all the time just start out with a closing bold tag ([\*\*/b]) like I did for this post. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/4 "2001-05-02T15:43:13Z")
Oh. Well that cleared it right up. Thanks so much. ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/5 "2001-05-02T15:46:33Z")
[\b]Now I’m just playing with the tags. It looked no different in “Preview”, so I’ll actually have to post to see it. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/6 "2001-05-02T15:50:55Z")
\*\ ***Nope** , but let me check this… ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/7 "2001-05-02T16:05:24Z")
\*\*Used the wrong way slash two posts previous.(“Duh” on me). I’m really done messing with this code stuff. Thank you for your forebearance. **A few more questions…** Can anyone NOT using Netscape see the change in type fonts? Can anyone NOT using Netscape CHANGE the type fonts? What’s the difference between: bracket, “big B”, bracket and bracket, “little B”, bracket of course both have the closing with the appropriate sized “B” And I swear I WILL NOT continue to play with bolding as a result of the answer (except in appropriate thread posts). ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/8 "2001-05-02T17:02:14Z")
The fonts look the same in IE. upper or lower case for the “b” doesn’t matter. Can I change the appearance via IE? \*\*let’s see. ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serif-and-san-serif-type-in-posts/64069/9 "2001-05-02T17:14:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 2nd Law \* > \*\*The fonts look the same in IE. > upper or lower case for the “b” doesn’t matter. > Can I change the appearance via IE? > \*\*let’s see. \*\* Yup. The fonts change when viewing through Netscape. Wacky computers.