Setting A Font Family

Now let's change the default page font using styles. We are going to assign a font-family which starts by calling for a specific font, like Verdana. If Verdana is not installed on a users computer, the browser will assign a font totally out of our control. Therefore, web designers will list a second and third specific font preference, like Arial and Helvetica. Just in case none of those specific fonts are installed on a user's machine, the web designer may then call for a general font category, like sans-serif (I do hope you know that all three of the specific fonts listed above are sans-serif fonts!).

Have a look at how the font-family property is added to the body selector:

As you can see, each font preference is separated by a comma. Oh, and don't forget to close EACH property group with a semi-colon!

Have a look at the screenshot below. Your page should change fonts, from top to bottom, just like this one:

Remember that, in general, HTML ignores carriage returns and whitespace. You don't have to put each property/value declaration on it's own line unless it helps you to keep things organized. You DO have to separate each group with a semicolon, though. Many designers prefer to string the properties and values together into one long line: