Implementing Custom Fonts in WordPress Themes
Posted on 19th June 2023
Themes are a great way to change the look and feel of your WordPress site. But if you want to really stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to go beyond the default font choices. In this article, we’ll show you how to implement custom fonts in WordPress themes.
Why Use Custom Fonts?
There are a few reasons you might want to use custom fonts in your WordPress theme. First, custom fonts can help you create a unique and recognizable brand for your site. Second, custom fonts can make your site more accessible by using fonts that are easy to read for people with different visual impairments. Finally, custom fonts can simply make your site look more stylish and modern.
How to Implement Custom Fonts in WordPress Themes
There are a few different ways to implement custom fonts in WordPress themes. The easiest way is to use the WordPress Customizer. Simply go to Appearance > Customize and click on the “Typography” tab. From here, you can select a custom font for your site’s headings, body text, and even your sidebar.
If you want more control over your fonts, you can use the CSS @font-face rule. This rule allows you to specify which font file you want to use and where it is located. For example, you could specify a font that is located on your server or a font that is located on a third-party service like Google Fonts.
Finally, you can also use a plugin like Easy Google Fonts to easily add custom fonts to your WordPress site.
Which Method Should You Use?
If you’re just getting started with custom fonts, we recommend using the WordPress Customizer. It’s the easiest way to add custom fonts to your WordPress site. However, if you need more control over your fonts, you can use the CSS @font-face rule or a plugin like Easy Google Fonts.
We hope this article helped you learn how to implement custom fonts in WordPress themes.
If you want to learn more about customizing your WordPress site, we recommend checking out our article on how to customize a WordPress theme.
When self-hosting fonts, you need to take care of a few things:
1. Make sure you have the proper licenses for the fonts you’re using. Just because you found a font online doesn’t mean you can use it on your website.
2. Host the font files on a fast, reliable server.
3. Use a font management system to keep your fonts organized and up-to-date.
4. Use font-face declarations in your CSS to call the font files.
5. Use the correct font file formats.
6. Use font subsetting to reduce the file size of your font files.
7. Use CSS3 @font-face rules to further optimize your font delivery.
When it comes to self-hosting fonts, the most important thing is to make sure you have the proper licenses for the fonts you’re using. Just because you found a font online doesn’t mean you can use it on your website.
There are two types of font licenses: free and paid. Free fonts are just that – free to use. However, paid fonts come with a fee. The price of a font license can range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.
When it comes to free fonts, there are two main types: open source and closed source. Open source fonts are free to use, modify, and distribute. Closed source fonts are free to use but cannot be modified or distributed.
Once you’ve purchased or found the perfect font, you need to host the font files on a fast, reliable server. The last thing you want is for your visitors to wait for a slow server to load your font files.
A good way to ensure fast loading times is to use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN is a network of servers that deliver content to users based on their geographic location. By using a CDN, you can ensure that your font files are delivered quickly and efficiently to your visitors, no matter where they are in the world.
In addition to using a CDN, you should also use a font management system to keep your fonts organized and up-to-date. A font management system is a software application that helps you install, activate, and deactivate fonts.
When it comes to font management systems, there are two main types: desktop and web-based. Desktop font managers are installed on your computer and allow you to manage your fonts locally. Web-based font managers are hosted on a remote server and allow you to manage your fonts from anywhere in the world.
Once you’ve chosen a font management system, you need to use font-face declarations in your CSS to call the font files. Font-face declarations tell the browser where to find the font files and how to display them.
The syntax for a font-face declaration is as follows:
@font-face {
font-family: “font name”;
src: url(“font url”);
}
Replace “font name” with the name of the font you’re using and “font url” with the URL of the font file.
In addition to using font-face declarations, you should also use the correct font file formats. The three most common font file formats are TrueType (.ttf), OpenType (.otf), and Web Open Font Format (.woff).
TrueType and OpenType are the most widely used font file formats. They both work on all major operating systems and browsers. Web Open Font Format is a newer font file format that’s specifically designed for use on the web. It’s supported by all major browsers but isn’t as widely used as TrueType and OpenType.
When it comes to font file formats, you should use TrueType or OpenType for most of your font needs. However, if you need to use a specific font file format for a particular browser or operating system, you can use the following code to specify the format:
@font-face {
font-family: “font name”;
src: url(“font url”) format(“format”);
}
Replace “font name” with the name of the font you’re using, “font url” with the URL of the font file, and “format” with the font file format you’re using.
In addition to using the correct font file formats, you should also use font subsetting to reduce the file size of your font files. Font subsetting is the process of removing unnecessary characters from a font file.
By removing unnecessary characters, you can reduce the file size of your font files by up to 90%. This can help speed up the loading time of your website, especially for visitors with slow internet connections.
To subset a font, you need to use a font editing program such as FontForge, Glyphr Studio, or Google Fonts. Once you’ve subsetted your font, you need to use the following code to specify the subsetted font file:
@font-face {
font-family: “font name”;
src: url(“font url”) format(“format”);
unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2212, U+2215;
}
Replace “font name” with the name of the font you’re using, “font url” with the URL of the font file, and “format” with the font file format you’re using.
In addition to using font subsetting, you should also use CSS3 @font-face rules to further optimize your font delivery. CSS3 @font-face rules allow you to load fonts from a remote server. This can help reduce the file size of your font files and speed up the loading time of your website.
To use CSS3 @font-face rules, you need to use the following code:
@font-face {
font-family: “font name”;
src: url(“font url”) format(“format”);
}
Replace “font name” with the name of the font you’re using, “font url” with the URL of the font file, and “format” with the font file format you’re using.
Self-hosting fonts can be a bit of a hassle, but it’s worth it for the performance benefits. By following the tips in this article, you can ensure that your fonts are properly licensed, hosted on a fast server, and delivered quickly and efficiently to your visitors.
