Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2008/12/23/spranq_ecofont/
Free eco-friendly font saves ink and toner
Holey Vera Sans, Batman!
Posted in Bootnotes, 23rd December 2008 00:16 GMT
Ecological consciousness is taking a leap forward with the release of Ecofont, a TrueType font designed to save ink and toner, by the Utrect-based Spranq creative communications agency
Spranq achieved Ecofont's resource-saving magic by shooting the open-source Vera Sans font full of holes. As the company's website claimed: "After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well."
Saving the earth, one hole at a time
According to Spranq, the Ecofont can cut your ink or toner usage by "up to 20 per cent" - although the company warned that "the smaller the fontsize, the lower the saving."
Our testing showed this to definitely be the case. When used for standard text, Ecofont's holey nature is invisible. It's only when used in headline-sized type that the holes - and their concomitant toneriffic savings - become apparent.
Not content with their fontastic foray into saving the earth, Spranq also offers additional eco-friendly printing tips ranging from the obvious "print only when necessary" to the less apparent "use modern color separation techniques." Rich black (overlays of C, M, or Y on dour ol' K) appears to be a Spranqian no-no.
Ecofont is available via a free download, and is compatible with Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X, and Linux. Look for it in your next mailing from Greenpeace ®.