I was curious if anyone knew how to utilize a .ttf file? I would like to create an image with a particular font but I am not sure exactly how to use it.

E

.ttf files are basically just fonts.

In order to be able to use them, what you need to do is install the font on your system and then you should be able to use the font in any application that uses system fonts to display text, be they office/openoffice applications or desktop publishing/graphics applications (word, photoshop, flash..whatever!)

To install the font on windows XP (and probably almost any other version of windows), you can do either it via the control panel...by selecting the fonts link and then follow the instructions for installing your .ttf file.

Alternatively, via windows explorer, open two instances of windows explorer, in the first window, navigate to wherever your new .ttf file is. In the other explorer window, navigate into the system fonts directory, (typically C:\WINDOWS\Fonts\).

Now you have two options, you can either:
Copy the .ttf file in the first window and paste it into the 2nd window.
OR:
drag the .ttf file from the first window to the 2nd window.

Whatever of these actions you choose, the outcome will be more or less the same. The .ttf file will be moved/copied into the system fonts directory and windows will automatically register it as a system font.

Next fire up an application and you can select the font from the list of fonts.
i.e. open a word processor like word and click on the font drop-down list and you should be able to see the new font in the list of fonts.
Select it, and away you go...

Likewise, in a graphics application like Photoshop or Paint.NET or Gimp, or whatever, you'd select the text tool, click somewhere on you image to place some text. Type your text and somewhere onscreen, you should see some kind of controls to alter the properties of the text (font, size, colour, formatting etc). Typically the control to edit the texts font property will be a standard drop-down list of all system fonts. Click on this and go through the drop-down and you should find your new font. Select it, and your text will now be displayed in your new font.

And that's about it really!

If you're on linux or mac, the process will be more or less the same. You need to find your system fonts folder and copy the new font into the folder and you should then be able to use the font in any application that uses the system fonts dropdown.

Cheers for now,
Jas.

Jas,

Thanks!!! I am on it now!

Erek

Ok, last question.

Thanks by the way, it worked great and I am now an expert in getting fonts to work on my computer.

I want to turn my new font into a jpg and put it on my web page. Is there anyway I can just get the font and not the white background from the original word document, so when I put the just the text it will match my existing background?

At your convenience,

Erek

You will either have to use .gif instead of .jpg, and set a transparent color, or match the background color in the background of the image.