W3C

WOFF Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is WOFF?
  2. Do you have demos or examples that show WOFF?
  3. What are the benefits of using WOFF?
  4. When can I start using WOFF? How do I use it?
  5. Are there WOFF fonts I can use?
  6. How do I design my own font in WOFF?
  7. How close is WOFF to becoming a W3C standard?
  8. How long has WOFF been around?
  9. How does WOFF relate to other formats (HTML, CSS, SVG, ...)?
  10. Will users have to pay to use fonts?
  11. Will downloading fonts slow page loads?
  12. Will WOFF replace other formats?
  13. Will WOFF work on mobile devices?
  14. Where can I learn more about WOFF?

What is WOFF?

Web Open Font Format (WOFF) is an open format for using fonts on the Web. People design fonts, save or convert them to WOFF and use other technologies (like HTML, CSS, SVG) to tell browsers and other software which fonts to download and apply. Until now, downloadable fonts have not been common on the Web due to the lack of an interoperable font format.

Do you have demos or examples that show WOFF?

The text of page you are reading is formatted using WOFF (if your browser supports it).

There are several pages by Jonathan Kew and John Daggett of Mozilla, and by Sylvain Galineau and others of Microsoft, which demonstrate WOFF fonts. Although they are designed to showcase that company's browser (Firefox 3.6+ and IE9 preview 3, respectively), the demos work the same with other browsers that support WOFF.

What are the benefits of using WOFF?

When can I start using WOFF? How do I use it?

Today! Adding a few lines to your CSS stylesheet links in a WOFF font and says where on your page to use it. Browsers that don't yet support WOFF will use the next font on your list which they have installed. So there is graceful fallback. Over time, other browsers will support WOFF as well (several are in process of adding support, or have stated they will add it) and your stylesheets will continue to work as that support grows. Learn more about WOFF implementations.

Are there WOFF fonts I can use?

WOFF fonts are already available from some commercial foundries, including FontShop and FontFont. Fonts which are free to use can be found on FontSquirrel, or the Open Font Library.

How do I design my own font in WOFF?

You can use a font editor that already supports WOFF, like Fontforge. Or, you can use another tool that supports OpenType, then convert to WOFF with a utility such as sfnt2woff. If you know how to design a font already, you can start adding WOFF to your repertoire immediately.

How close is WOFF to becoming a W3C standard?

WOFF has been published on the W3C Standards Track; this means that it is on its way to becoming a Royalty-Free standard. The next step is to assemble a test suite, and to formally request review by interested parties (Last Call). Once there are implementations that pass the test suite, WOFF will move to being a W3C Recommendation (Web Standard).

How long has WOFF been around?

Nine months elapsed between the first appearance of WOFF and its publication as a first public Working Draft at W3C in July 2010. Efforts to deploy fonts on the Web are much older, however. Half of the solution, CSS @font-face, has been a standard for a decade, but was hampered by the lack of an interoperable font format. Until 2010, it has been difficult for multiple stakeholders (browser implementers, font designers, foundries, web designers) to reach an agreement, but W3C has been able to bring them to the table. The WebFonts Working Group is now making good progress.

How does WOFF relate to other formats (HTML, CSS, SVG, …)?

CSS and SVG already have ways to point to downloadable fonts, so those specifications don't have to change to use WOFF. As implementations pick up, content will start to refer to WOFF for fonts.

Will users have to pay to use fonts?

No. End users do not pay to read text displayed with WOFF. If the fonts used are commercial, a license fee is paid by the content providers.

Will downloading fonts slow page loads?

A combination of font subsetting and WOFF compression means that the impact on page load is minimal. Users may expect reasonable speeds.

Will WOFF replace other formats?

WOFF is not expected to replace other formats such as TrueType/OpenType/Open Font Format or SVG fonts, but provides an alternative. Some foundries offer the same font in OpenType for desktop/print use, and in WOFF for Web use; each with the appropriate license.

Will WOFF work on mobile devices?

Mobile devices use the same technology stack (HTML, CSS, SVG, JavaScript) as desktop devices so the benefits will apply to mobile as well. Many mobile devices ships with very few fonts, perhaps making WOFF even more interesting for those platforms.

Where can I learn more about WOFF?

See W3C's page about fonts on the Web as well as the home page of the WebFonts Working Group for more information. The current status of specifications related to fonts is also available.


Chris Lilley, Fonts Activity Lead
Comments or questions? www-font@w3.org (public archive)
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