Does file size matter in 2020?

Alex Visi

Hi everybody! I was wondering to hear your opinion on web font file size — does it still matter these days? Do you compromise on anything to reduce the file size?

Thomas Phinney

Yes, it matters.

Foundries don’t need to compromise on anything, but they DO need to do the things they can to avoid unneeded size bloat. Making good use of TrueType components for example.

Users are happy to subset things they don’t need (including particular sections of language support).

Downstream from the foundry, either the foundry needs to give the user the rights to process and self-host the fonts, or they need to make it available through a service that allows various size-optimizing strategies.

Ray Larabie

I have some textured fonts which have a web version available with simplified outlines. Check out the web version of Pound.

Thomas Phinney

Ha, Ray proves me wrong! (Although arguably a corner case, at least for most of us.)

Thomas Phinney

I am assuming good practices in other areas. For example, in outline construction, avoiding unnecessary points. But that is just good vector hygiene.