Fonts and Background Color

Font or Type Style

You can choose any font (typeface) style you wish from the selection you have on your computer, however you should be aware that if this typeface is not on a visitor's computer the browser will substitute a default font instead. This often significantly changes the look of your page.

To ensure that your page maintains a consistent look on a majority of computers your best bet is to stay with the basic fonts that ship with all Windows 95 and Macintosh operating systems. They are:

Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000	Macintosh
Sans Serif	Sans Serif
Arial	Geneva
Verdana	Chicago
MS Sans Serif	Monaco
	Charcoal
*Serif*	*Serif*
Times New Roman	Times
MS Serif	Palatino
Courier	Courier
Courier New

Readability

For readability, sans serif typefaces are easier to read on a computer screen because the serifs on some fonts tend to run together and make differentiating words difficult. This is especially true of smaller sizes. A good rule of thumb is the opposite to that of printed documents - use a serif type for the larger headings and a sans serif type for your body type. An exception to the rule is if your intention for the document is to be printed by the students and read in paper form. In that case, use a sans serif typeface for the headings and a serif typeface for the body text.

To change the typeface of your text:

Select the text by dragging over it with your mouse so that it looks highlighted
Click on Format - Font... from the menu bar
Scroll down the list and click on the desired font
Click on the OK button

Minimize the use of text that is sized below 10 point as it can be difficult for many users to read. One additional consideration when choosing the size of your text is accommodating screen readers used by visually disabled visitors to your web page. The screen readers will read commands as well as text and will emphasize text that is designated as a heading over body text if it can be determined. This gives a blind person some idea of the structure of your content.

There are built-in heading and text size designators within FrontPage that can be applied to text that specify the relationships between lines of text for screen readers and automatically codes it in the html. These designators identify the importance of lines by their relative increase or decrease from the average text size.

These commands specify that any text marked Heading 1 is the biggest and most important on the page. Heading 2 is the next most important, Heading 3, the next most important, etc. Each level is smaller than the last and will provide some style differences, like italics, as well.

To apply these designations to your headings:

Select your text to be changed by dragging over it with the mouse until it is highlighted
Click on the down pointing arrow next to Normal in the far left side of the formatting toolbar.
Select Heading 1 for your main heading or other levels as you differentiate importance.

Note: If you don't see the Normal drop-down choice on your menu bar, go to View-Toolbars and choose Formatting.