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Using custom fonts (web fonts) on websites can significantly enhance the visual appeal and user experience of a website. However, ensuring proper loading and utilization of these fonts can pose a technical challenge. In this article, we will explore the most common problems associated with loading web fonts in CSS and offer solutions to overcome them.

1. Optimizing Performance When Loading Fonts

One of the main issues with using web fonts is the negative impact on page loading performance. To improve performance, it is recommended to:

• Use the WOFF2 format: This font format offers better compression and faster loading times. In your CSS code, prioritize the use of WOFF2 over other formats.

  @font-face {
    font-family: 'MyFont';
    src: url('myfont.woff2') format('woff2'),
         url('myfont.woff') format('woff');
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: normal;
  }
  ​

• Preload Fonts: Using the rel="preload" attribute in the <link> tag, you can instruct the browser to start loading the font as early as possible.

  <link rel="preload" href="/myfont.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin>
  ​

2. Ensuring Browser Compatibility

Different browsers support different font formats. To ensure that your fonts work across all major browsers, it is important to provide multiple font formats.

• Include Multiple Formats: In addition to WOFF2, include WOFF, TTF, and EOT (for older versions of Internet Explorer).

3. Maintaining Performance with font-display

The font-display property in CSS allows you to influence how fonts are displayed while they are loading. By using swap or fallback, you can improve the user experience by ensuring that text remains readable even while fonts are still loading.

@font-face {
  font-family: 'MyFont';
  src: url('myfont.woff2') format('woff2');
  font-display: swap;
}

4. Resolving CORS Issues

When attempting to load fonts from another domain, CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) issues may arise. To ensure proper font loading, add appropriate HTTP headers to the server from which you are loading fonts.

• Allow Resource Sharing: On the server hosting the fonts, set the Access-Control-Allow-Origin HTTP header to allow font loading from your domain.

Proper use of web fonts can greatly contribute to the visual identity and overall impression of your website. By following the best practices outlined above, you can ensure that your fonts are loaded efficiently and without issues, leading to a better user experience on your website.