Microsoft is providing users of its operating system, including of the latest version of the platform Windows 7, with a free font, in addition to the items shipping by default with the operating system. In this regard, end users running Windows 7, but also Windows Vista and Windows XP can grab the Ibero-American cultural font IbarraReal from the Microsoft Download Center free of charge. The Redmond company has chosen the IbarraReal font for its intimate connection with the Spanish culture, namely to Don Quixote.

“IbarraReal is a public-domain font of Ibero-American character, created in 2005 as a revival of the types cast by Jerónimo Gil for the Royal Spanish Academy's edition of Don Quixote, printed in Madrid by Joaquín Ibarra in 1780. Its elegant design mixes tradition and modernity and is a genuine badge of Spanish culture,” Microsoft stated.

Originally designed by Francisco Javier de Santiago Palomares, the IbarraReal typeface was chosen by Joaquín Ibarra for his edition of Don Quixote published in 1780, after being commissioned by the Royal Spanish Academy. The Redmond company has essentially managed to bring back to life the font which was at the heart of the 1780 edition of the Don Quixote classic story. As of February 2010, Microsoft has made the font available for free to all users of Windows.

“There are several ways to install fonts on Windows 7. The easiest way to install a font is to double-click on a font file to open the font preview and select 'Install'. You can also right-click on a font file, and then select 'Install'. Another option is to install fonts with the Fonts Control Panel. Follow these steps to open the Fonts Control Panel. Select 'Control Panel' from the 'Start' menu, then select the 'Appearance and Personalization' category. Select 'Fonts'. Drag a font file and drop it into the Fonts Control Panel,” Microsoft revealed.

There are no less than four downloads in OTF format: IbarraReal-Bold, IbarraReal-BoldItalic, IbarraReal-Italic and IbarraReal-Regular.