14 DAY TRIAL // Google is putting the Fonts API it unveiled a few months ago to good use and has now introduced six new fonts for Google Docs using the API. The fonts are designed to make documents a bit more visually appealing and, in some cases, easier to convert to other formats.
"Documents without font choices are like photographs without colors. Just as shades of color can add depth to a picture, smart font choices give your text another dimension," Jeremie Lenfant-Engelmann, Software Engineer at Google, wrote.
"In May, we launched the Google Font API, which makes it easy for website developers to include any one of an ever-growing list of web fonts on their pages. We’re already using the new API for the latest themes in Google forms," he said.
"As of today, Google documents supports web fonts (using the Google Font API) and we’re excited to announce six new fonts," he announced.
Thanks to modern web technologies and modern browsers, websites can now use embedded fonts to allow them more flexibility in the typography department.
Among the fonts now available in Google Docs are Droid Serif and Droid Sans. These fonts have been especially designed to look good on mobile devices, the "Droid" in the name stands for Android, and there's a very good reason why Google is introducing them.
Google plans to launch a Docs version for mobile devices and these two fonts should come in rather handy.
The Calibri and Cambria fonts are two popular fonts used in Microsoft Office. Since Docs users often import Office documents, these fonts ensure that the cloud version looks as close to the original as possible.
Finally, Docs added a couple of specialized fonts. Consolas is the second monospace font available in Docs, along with Courier New. Corsiva on the other hand is the first italic font, designed especially for those who value the style of their documents.
Google plans to add a lot more font options using the Fonts API.