Field Guide to Fonts for Ebooks

Updated for 2022!

Book designers have been leveraging the power of typefaces for printed books for more than 500 years to convey mood, message, and branding—purposes that are no less applicable on-screen. The introduction of typesetting for digital books has demanded a shift in the roles, processes, and skill sets needed by book designers, no less dramatic than the transition to desktop publishing in the 1980s.

The use of custom fonts in digital books has begun to show promise, but as this guide explains, ensuring your custom fonts will display correctly on the myriad of devices and reading systems available to consumers takes thought and careful planning. BISG's Workflow Committee updated the Field Guide to Fonts for Ebooks to help designers make the best choices when selecting and styling type for digital publications. Topics include:

• How to select the best font for your purposes
• Guidelines for embedding, obfuscating, and subsetting fonts
• Styling and special characters
• Using fonts legally: font licenses and protection
• Best Practices for quality assurance testing
• Troubleshooting common problems
• Reading system standards and how they apply to fonts
• Resources, training, and more...