Webfont Handbook, A Book Apart

foreword by Indra Kupferschmid

From selection to optimization, learn how to make the web a more visually diverse, efficient, and readable environment.

Note: Briefs are available in paperback via our print-on-demand service, so they ship separately from Standard paperbacks.

Select an Option

There’s more to choosing a webfont than aesthetics—rendering, language support, hosting, and licensing are equally crucial to communicating your message. Think of webfonts as progressive enhancement, and learn how to harness CSS and browser features to improve performance. From selection to optimization, Bram Stein’s primer shows you how webfonts can make the web a more visually diverse, efficient, and readable environment.

Topics Covered

Selecting Webfonts
Using Webfonts
Optimizing Performance
Looking Ahead

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Typography conveys authenticity, secures brand value, and helps people grasp ideas—but those benefits are wasted unless fonts load quickly and completely. Bram Stein explains font licensing, hosting, formats, features, and loading strategies clearly and with expert guidance. Bram provides a timeless philosophical foundation, a sneak peek at the future, and essential tips for solid performance today. Read this and do fonts right.

Tim Brown

Head of typography for Adobe Type and Typekit

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Over the years, Bram has become a definitive source for making sense of the intricacies of handling type online. This book organizes all of that information to help you avoid egregious pitfalls and consider the right trade-offs given you or your client’s situation.

Allen Tan

Editorial experience designer at ProPublica

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If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, then a copy of Bram Stein’s Webfont Handbook is a handheld aviary. It is the best, most complete resource for responsibly navigating the tricky world of webfonts.

Zach Leatherman

Builder for the web at Netlify

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About the Author

Bram Stein is a developer and product manager. He cares a lot about typography and is happiest working at the intersection between design and technology. In his spare time, he maintains Font Face Observer, Type Inspector, and several other tools for improving web typography.

Bram writes for several magazines and is a contributing author to Smashing Book 5. He also speaks about typography and web performance at conferences around the world.