Jontracation
October 2016
You've Been Lied To!
I learned something new. Did you know that fonts are a really big deal? They're also big business. There are actual companies that own the license to particular fonts. Case in point, the font Times New Roman is owned by Monotype Imaging. Why is this important? In order for a company like Microsoft to make Times New Roman available for you to use in Word, it had to pay Monotype Imaging a licensing fee. And it wasn't cheap.
If you remember, the only computers we have in the high school library are Chromeboxes. These Chromeboxes do not have any Microsoft products on them, rather they only have Google products, which is now called G-Suite. These Chromeboxes run the Chrome Operating System which is an open source system. Open source and licensed software do not play together. So, guess what? The Times New Roman that appears on Chromebox is not truly Times New Roman, and it never will be. Shocking, I know.
What Does the MLA Handbook Say About Fonts?
Times New Roman is only a suggested font according to the MLA Handbook.
Is 809 Enough?
- Open a Google Doc
- Tap the down arrow next to the font (Arial is the default)
- Tap More fonts
- From the list of 809, click to select the ones you want
- Tap OK
The fonts you select will be available to you no matter where you connect with Google Docs, even on your iPad.
The font that appears to be closest to Times New Roman is called Tinos.
No Times New Roman font was used in the production of this Jontracation.
Christina Jontra
Grace Community School
Email: cjontra@gracetyler.org
Website: gracetyler.org
Phone: 903.566.5661
Twitter: @jontracation