Windows 7: Fonts - Preview

   Information

A font is a collection of numbers, symbols, and characters. A font describes a certain typeface, along with other qualities, such as size, spacing, and pitch. This will show you how to see a preview of a font that is installed in Windows 7 of you choice.

For a list of all default fonts that come supplied with Windows 7, see: Fonts supplied with Windows 7

   Note

Windows 7 comes with TrueType fonts and OpenType fonts. They work with a variety of computers, printers, and programs.

• TrueType fonts can be scaled to any size and are clear and readable in all sizes. They can be sent to any printer or other output device supported by Windows.
• OpenType fonts are related to TrueType fonts, but typically incorporate a greater extension of the basic character set, such as small capitalization, old-style numerals, and more detailed shapes, such as glyph and ligatures. OpenType fonts are also clear and readable in all sizes and can be sent to any printer or other output device supported by Windows.
• PostScript fonts are fonts created by Adobe Systems that are smooth, detailed, and of high quality. They are often used for printing, especially professional-quality printing, such as books or magazines.

   Tip

Typically, the higher the dots per inch (DPI), the better the fonts will look. If you set the DPI higher than 96, and you are running a Windows Aero theme, the text and other items on the screen might appear blurry in some programs that are not designed for high–DPI display in this version of Windows. You can avoid this issue by using legacy DPI scaling (Windows XP style DPI scaling) for these programs.

1. Open the Control Panel (All items View).

2. Click on the Fonts icon.

3. Select a individual font or font family that you want to see a preview of. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: A individual font only has a single page on it's icon. A font family has more than one page stacked on it's icon. It means that it has more individual fonts included in that font family. You will need to click on the font family to see the individual fonts inside the font family.

4. Click on the Preview button on the toolbar. (See screenshot above)
NOTE: You can also right click on the font and click on Preview. If you do this on a font family, then you will see a preview of all the individual fonts in that font family instead a single font.

5. You will now see a preview of the font or font family. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: The screenshot is of just a individual font. If you selected to preview a font family, you would have a one of these displayed per individual font in that font family.