With this week's
release of the first beta of Windows Vista, a guy named ZoRoNaX quickly put up
a zip file with the six new typefaces that were commissioned for Longhorn Vista. I am sure there is some kind of copyright violation by offering those fonts for download, so it's only a matter of time before the zip will disappear. Of course I went ahead and installed them on my handheld
See attached
screenshots displaying each font when used with iSilo. The fonts can also be installed on Windows XP AND Mac systems.
Calibri, Cambria, Candara, Consolas, Constantia and Corbel -
according to Poynter Online,
the new ClearType Font Collection incorporates improved ClearType and OpenType technologies, and a boatload of research, to improve the structure and the clarity of the letter forms. Basically, that means a story will be easier to read because the letters and words won't be as soft and mushy looking.
- Calibri - sans serif, suitable for documents, e-mail, Web design, and magazines
- Cambria - serif, a formal type for business documents, e-mail, and Web design
- Candara - sans serif, with vertical strokes not as reader-friendly perhaps
- Consolas - monospaced, suitable for displaying programming code
- Constantina - serif, very clean and readable, created for use in print or on the screen
- Corbel - sans serif, clean and works as an alternative to Arial, Trebuchet or Verdana
Reading comfort on e-book readers is a big issue, and whatever your opinions about Microsoft, I think you have to acknowledge that the company has done a great job here in making on-screen reading more enjoyable!