Which are the most Readable Webpage Fonts?

Which are the most Readable Webpage Fonts?

2023 Update: I'm presently trying to think as to how to solve the 'font' issue with all of the pages. The font directory wasn't copied over and I'm not interested in rebuilding it. The best solution will be to simply inject open source fonts onto all of the pages for the different things; the amount of time this will take will be substantial so it won't be immediate.

In website writing, I pick Biblically-significant fonts whenever I can. You can download them from this webpage, if you choose.
There should be no copyright violation, since these are all fonts which come with the various Windows versions, mostly prior to XP, so there's no one to pay for the fonts (no support). I'm sure if we could know who to pay for fonts no one supports, we'd want to do that. Pending someone giving me that answer, I can't link to any place of purchase. Indirectly or directly, any Windows computer has 'paid' for these fonts, it seems. They come pre-installed. All the files here come FROM pre-installed fonts my Windows computers.
For the problem was, as Windows upgraded from '95 onward, they sometimes discarded some prior good fonts (aarrggh) in their service packs(?). By the time XP came out, they must have realized that error and inserted them again, for many of the fonts below are all standard in XP Professional (on my Sams' Club-purchased copy, anyway).
BibleWorks has given permission to download its Greek and Hebrew fonts: Click here to go to their download-font page, follow instructions.
The following webpages use BibleWorks' fonts:
Isa53.rtf, an adjunct to Isa53.htm and Isa53trans.htm. Isa53.rtf will be unreadable to you apart from you downloading the fonts yourself.
1JnTransandExegNotes.doc (Kinda hard to follow comments on the Greek, without the Greek in front of you!)
Eph411-16Grk.doc, a companion piece to Eph41216.htm, which severally has the Greek text. (You might find it easier to have the .doc side-by-side instead of just the Greek in the webpage.)
In all these pages, the idea is to show the reader where I 'get' something in Bible, so he can better refute or confirm, what's said.
So if you right-click on your bottom task bar and select "Tile Windows" (either horizontally or vertically, to taste) you can easily view whatever webpage references the text, with another page containing the text itself. In Print Preview of Word, you can select "Two Pages" (bottom of the list where the percentage appears) and see multiple verses all on the same screen. Marvelous help, these two Windows functions.
Font testing: In browser "View", experiment with Medium, Smaller, and Smallest to see if readability remains. Need good white space between lines for eye ease. Fuzziness of characters is a no-no. Flat panel versus older klunky monitors read each font very differently. The smaller the flat panel monitor, the worse the text appears. Color background seems to matter more with some fonts, than others. Bulletted fonts below looked the best after this testing, on my Dell 8400 19" flat panel monitor.
This is in Arial font, the Windows default which I can't stand (too light). The font of the next sentence is "Courier New" (like a typewriter); if you see this font repeated below, it means your browser doesn't have the font name listed, so reverts to "Courier New" ==> This is Courier New font's sample text, should be boringly spread-out.

Favorites, so far

Click here to download Gill Sans MT font. In Win98 fontsets, you see "Gill Sans". I like this font best, given its use of white space. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. Click here to download Gill Sans MT Italic font.This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Century font; in Win98fontsets, it should be "Century Schoolbook". Most versions of Windows have this font; good use of white space, for a serif. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Palatino Linotype font; some older versions of Windows have it also, I forget which ones. On colored backgrounds, due to the wider difference between lines, Palatino does a better job than Century, even though Century is a darker font. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Sylfaen font; I love this font, but only XP has it. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

Click here to download Folio Md BT font (should include bold and italic); then copy it to your Windows/Fonts subdirectory.This is in Folio Md BT font. Nice clean font. Win95 in origin. Not all Win98SE fontsets have it, but it was standard on Win98. Reminds me of what my pastor calls "The Portfolio of Our Invisible Assets", his term for the meaning of Eph Chap 1; he spent 7 years almost-daily exegeting Ephesians, taking us all around Bible, tying Eph everywhere to other Scripture. So this font matters to me. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Rockwell font; it works best in View Smaller, seems easier to read than most serifs, good use of white space. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
Click here to download Trebuchet MS regular font; then copy it to your Windows/Fonts directory. It was standard on older versions of Windows. This is in Trebuchet MS font, used to be Win95 and 98 standard font, but now is hard to find (unless you keep good backups) -- until Windows XP (where it is again, standard). "Trebuchet" is French for "catapult" (to break through castle walls in a siege); that's what Paul's saying about how God's plan for our lives works, due to the Cross (2Cor10:3-5): functionally catapulting us up to His Level, never mind the 'castle' of our finiteness/sin nature. So I use this font a lot. It looks better on klunky monitors, not as good on flat-panel. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. Click here to download Trebuchet MS italic font, and then copy, as before. Click here to download Trebuchet MS bold italic font. This is how Trebuchet looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. Click here to download Trebuchet MS bold font. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Franklin Gothic Medium font, works best in View Smaller. Darker base than most, but maybe too uniform. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Franklin Gothic Medium Cond font, used often in webpage links. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Comic Sans MS font. All versions of Windows have this font; it doesn't handle bold well. Wish I could use it, but it's too politically-incorrect for Bible writing? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Kristen ITC font. Too bad it's so politically-incorrect. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Eras Demi ITC font. Good readability, but a tad too dark. The "Light" version is way too light. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
Click here to download Lithograph font; then copy to your Windows/Fonts subdirectory. It was standard in Win98 (and probably 95) but is not in XP. God says He writes on us 'stones'; it was the main promise of the Word in Writing, in Jer31:31-34, which passage is endlessly referenced in the NT. All the 'building' terms in the NT refer back to that passage, for example. So the Lord, Paul, and Peter, the writer of Hebrews, and even John, play on the 'stone' meaning a lot in the Greek (you can't always see the wordplay in English). So lithography seems an apt font to use: but sparingly. This is in Lithograph font. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. Its chisled appearance resembles the original-language texts (which have no spaces between words, or punctuation).
Click here to download Matura Script Capitals font; then copy to your Windows/Fonts subdirectory. It was standard in Win98 (and probably 95) and is standard again in XP. In my pages, it's only used in SatStrat.htm, but the usage is important: to show how Satan's plan makes Bible pretty but unintelligible, just like uncials and miniscules in the 4th-9th centuries AD. This is in Matura Script Capitals font. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
Click here to download Ruach LET font; then copy to your Windows/Fonts subdirectory. It was standard in Win98 (and probably 95) and is standard again in XP. In my pages, it's used sparingly, for it must be large, to be readable (kinda like God, huh). In Hebrew, "ruach" means "Spirit" (as in Holy Spirit); so the font shows God's Love succinctly, at dramatic moments in webpage text. This is in Ruach LET.

Serif Fonts (harder to read when small, but more politically-correct)

This is in Bookman Old Style font. Some Win98 fontsets include it, too. Use of white space is superior to Georgia, Georgia Ref, MS Ref Serif -- but do older versions of Windows have this font? It looks REALLY GOOD in the Thinking series pages, much crisper in Medium, but much worse in Smaller View (versus Georgia family). THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Century font. Most versions of Windows have this font; good use of white space. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Georgia font. It is in Win98 fontsets as well; I don't like its use of white space. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Georgia Ref font, used in Thinking series; Its use of white space is way better than mere Georgia. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in MS Reference Serif font (MS Serif for Win98), used in Thinking series; it's a warmed-over Georgia, but not compatible with earlier versions of Windows, lol. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Rockwell font, and it seems one of easier fonts to read, thus far, good use of white space; but is it too rounded, informal? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Book Antiqua font. Win98 fontsets include it, too. Seems too fuzzy on a flat panel monitor. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Palatino Linotype font; some older versions of Windows have it also, I forget which ones. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Sylfaen font; it's in the same family as Palatino and Antiqua, but is crisper in Medium (Palatino is crisper in Smaller). I love this font, but only XP has it. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Perpetua font. All Win98 font sets have this font. It's a bit too small to qualify as a main font. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Garamond font. It is in Win98 fontsets as well. Way too fuzzy on a flat panel monitor. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Lucida Sans font. Only looks good in View Smaller/Smallest. Clearer than Tahoma or Verdana (below). Win 98 font sets have Lucida Sans. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Lucida Sans Unicode font. Better than plain 'Sans'. Win98 fontsets include it as well? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Tahoma font. Too big, too light; but it's a Windows XP and Excel default. It seems to be good only in View Smaller size, but is it too light? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Verdana Ref font. Too big, too light. It has the same problem as Tahoma, right? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?

This is in Kartika font. It would be good for top-page weblinks or small-font notes so you wouldn't need to say font size. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Franklin Gothic Demi Cond font. It's a better font for top page weblinks than Gill Sans MT Condensed? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Gill Sans MT Condensed font. In Win98SE fontsets, it's Gill Sans Condensed. THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Abadi MT Condensed font. It's a better font for top page weblinks than Gill Sans MT Condensed? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?
This is in Vrinda font. It seems somewhat better than Kartika? THIS IS HOW IT DISPLAYS CAPITAL LETTERS. This is how it looks if you turn on the italicized version of the font in a longer sentence to test readability. If you bold the sentence AND STICK IN CAPITALS and turn on italics and drive yourself crazy picking fonts wondering if only you can't stand reading Windows too-light, too-small default Arial fonts, this is how it looks. This is font size 1 for footnotes. Is it good to read, bad, a pain, who-cares?