Downloading and Installing Fonts and Keyboards

Several years ago I was taught how to install and use the biblical fonts in Microsoft Word.  It has made the use of these fonts in papers and articles very fluid and easy.  The point of this blog is to offer up how to do the same for others who want to use these fonts in their own work and research.

One caveat, I am using a PC with Windows 7 installed on it.  I know that the biblical fonts are a bit different for those using a Mac OS, so sorry I can't be of any help there.  And don't ask me if I can help, I cannot.  And frankly, I have no need to learn, so I'm not going to research it for you either.  So, unless by some magical coincidence these instructions work for a Mac, they are only intended for PC users.

Step One:  Downloading Necessary Fonts

The first step in using the biblical fonts is downloading them and installing them.  This is very straightforward and easy on a PC.  The font package I have enjoyed the most is the one made available by SBL.  They have three biblical fonts available for use: SBL Greek, SBL Hebrew, and SBL BibLit (containing both Hebrew and Greek).

The SBL Greek font package is available here.
The SBL Hebrew font package is available here.
The SBL BibLit font package is available here.

Another set of popular Greek and Hebrew fonts are from SIL.  The SIL Hebrew font is called Ezra SIL, and can be found here.  The SIL Greek font is called Galatia SIL, and can be found here.

When you go to each of these websites, download the fonts following the directions on the website.  I typically save straight to my desktop

Step Two:  Installing Necessary Fonts

The second step is installing the necessary fonts.  Once downloaded, go to your desktop and find the icons for the three (or five) fonts you downloaded.  For each font, right-click and choose "Install."  It will take a few seconds for each font.  That's it.  Your fonts are installed.


Step Three: Installing the Necessary Keyboards

Now that you have the fonts installed, it is important to install the keyboards for which the fonts were designed to be used.  The two keyboard drivers you will need to install are the Hebrew and English Transliteration keyboards.  The Hebrew one is found at the SBL Hebrew site above, and the English Transliteration at the SBL BibLit site above.

Installing Hebrew Keyboards

If you have not downloaded the Hebrew keyboard file yet, go back to the link above and download either the SBL or Tiro keyboard packages.  Go to the place you downloaded the file to, and unzip it.  Once unzipped, open up the PDF file for the Manual (should be included in the ZIP file).  Once opened, simply follow the directions in the manual for installing the keyboard.  Looking quickly over the manual, all you have to do is double-click on "Setup.exe" and it will automatically install the correct keyboard to your computer.

Installing Greek Keyboards

You have probably noticed that no Greek keyboards were available from the SBL website.  Don't freak out, it is already installed on your PC.  To make it available for use, all you have to do is turn it on.  Here's the instructions for doing that:

1. Open your Control Panel
2. Click on "Clock, Language, and Region"
3. Click on "Change keyboards or other input methods"
4. Under the "Keyboards and Languages" tab, click on "Change Keyboards..."
5. Under the "General" tab, click on the "Add..." button
6. Scroll down until you find "Greek" and then click on the "+" button
7. If it isn't already expanded, also click on the "+" button for "Keyboards"
8. Put a check in the "Greek Polytonic" box, then click "OK"

 This will bring you back to "Text Services and Input Languages" window.  While there, make sure that your Language Bar is docked in the taskbar.  To do this, click on the "Language Bar" tab, and make sure that the radio button is set to "Docked in the taskbar".

Installing Transliteration Keyboards

There is one more keyboard to install, and that is the transliteration keyboard for English.  Go to the link above for the SBL BibLit font, and download the ZIP package for the transliteration keyboard.    Unzip the file and, just like the Hebrew font above, click on "Setup.exe" to install the keyboard package.