More rapid load times for webfonts thanks to WOFF 2.0

An update to the most popular webfont format, WOFF, has just been released. All webfonts on Linotype.com are now WOFF 2.0-compatible. Our existing customers can access a free update.
The Web Open Font Format (WOFF) developed by type designers Erik van Blokland and Tal Leming in collaboration with Mozilla creator Jonathan Kew in 2009 has been supported by all standard web browsers since mid-2011 and been recognized as a web standard since late 2012. This generalized use of WOFF has put an end to the chaos that reigned for years in the world of web typography and has helped webfonts achieve greater penetration.
With the recent release of the latest update, WOFF 2.0, the format has been further improved. For users, the optimized compression provided is of particular relevance: The files supplied by a web server are now 20–30% smaller and can thus be more rapidly transmitted (see Figure 1). The result is that the time required for a web page to be displayed with the correct fonts is markedly reduced.


Fig. 1. Size of a selection of font files in comparison. WOFF 2.0 provides for a greater compression rate, meaning that most WOFF 2.0 files are smaller. As a result, browsers that support WOFF 2.0 can more rapidly construct web pages than other browsers (however, please note that load times can be influenced by other factors, such as the quality of the internet connection, the rate of utilization of the web server etc.).


The files of all webfonts for which our customers can acquire a license through Linotype.com are now WOFF 2.0-compatible. All our existing clients need to do to benefit from the new format is to simply re-download our webfont kit. Please also make sure that you copy the new, updated CSS font file code to the correct place.
Although only Google Chrome currently supports the new format, the other browsers will very soon be compatible. With this improved webfont format, you can make your websites fit for the future and ensure that your webfonts are more rapidly transmitted and displayed.