What is a font? (back to top)
A font is a particular style of printed lettering, also known as a typeface. The specific meaning of the term has evolved since the days of metal type, sometimes including or excluding different sizes; weights (light, bold); and styles (roman, italics, small caps). Of course what we have here are computer fonts. Such a font is small piece of software that creates, on screen and in print output, lettering of a particular design. The fonts are fully scalable and many come with companion fonts of related styles. A font can contain symbols and pictures along with letterforms.
What are they for and who can use them? (back to top)
Anyone with a computer--Mac or Windows--can use my fonts. You don't need special programs or purposes; after properly installed, the fonts will appear in your fonts menu and can be selected and used as any other font. They fonts can also be used for anything from enlivening word-processing documents to creating high quality print and web graphics.
What am I downloading? (back to top)
Click on the link to download the font you want, copying it from my server to your computer. (Take note of where your downloaded files go so you can find them to work with them!) That is a compressed file--.sit for Mac and .zip for PC--that contains multiple parts compacted together to facilitate transfer.
How do I open and use a compressed file? (back to top)
You need a little program designed for this purpose, such as WinZip for Windows or Stuffit Expander for Mac. You may already have this and not know it; look around. Attempting to open the compressed file may automatically launch the expander if you have it. Or you can get expanded programs easily; just search online for the program you need. Download and install the program. Then you either launch the program, locate the compressed file and expand it (watch where it goes then!); or drag and drop the file onto the program icon or window. This may seem like a big annoyance but you'll find this technique useful for more than just fonts. If you really can't do this, I will e-mail you the fonts uncompressed upon request.
How do I install a font? (back to top)
To use a font, you must install it. To install Windows fonts. To install Mac fonts. The next time you launch a program it will appear in the font menu.
How do I remove a font? (back to top)
Now why would you want to do that? :-) To remove, check the links above.
What's that other thing in the compressed file? (back to top)
The other thing is a text file, called Read Me or .txt. Read it and save it; there's information about the font and its design, my contact information, and the shareware or freeware status of that font.
What is shareware? (back to top)
Some of my fonts are free, and others are "shareware." Shareware is available for free trial; one is honor-bound to pay only if the item is kept and used. For more about this.
How do I pay? (back to top)
I ask a modest $5 US per font family. You can use PayPal which is free and (relatively) easy, but which requires a Mastercard or Visa. Or you can e-mail me for my mailing address and send me a check, money order, or even cash.
Do I own the font? How may I use it? (back to top)
After purchase or free download, each font is yours to use in any way you want to, with one exception: you may not copy, sell or redistribute the font itself. Like other copyrighted works--books, CDs, software--you purchase one copy which is yours to use, not to copy.
Is there another way to get your fonts? (back to top)
Yes! I now have 4 collections of my fonts on CD. (Volume 3, Voilume 4 , Volume 5 and Best of Vols. 1 & 2) Each contains over 60 fonts for Mac and Windows, in TrueType and Postscript Type 1 formats.
What are TrueType and Postscript Type 1? (back to top)
These are competing yet not incompatible nor dissimilar font formats. (Both come in Mac and PC varieties.) If you don't know which you want, you probably want TrueType. All but one of my download fonts are TrueType, as this seems to be the most common way of providing them online and they can be used more easily by more people. Some design professionals are insistent upon Type 1, but I've had a couple service bureaus tell me they prefer TrueType, so it doesn't hurt to have both on hand, but not installed. The most important differences to remember: Each Type 1 font requires two files (Mac: .suit and .bmap; Win: .pfb and .pfm; corresponding to the printer and screen fonts respectively) which must both be installed and removed. Type 1 requires a Postscript enabled printer or ATM; otherwise jagged bitmap letterforms appear. If you want PostScript Type 1 versions of my fonts, buy my CDs which contain both formats or request it when purchasing individual fonts.
How do I access international characters, etc? (back to top)
In addition to the letters, numbers, and other things you see plainly on your keyboard, most fonts contain other characters that are "hidden" and must be accessed another way. These include bullets, long dashes, currency signs, degrees, plus accented letters and other useful and unexpected goodies. Most of my fonts contain full punctuation and accented letters for the languages listed below, but e-mail me if you want to know about a specific font's contents. I like to get it right and will try to modify a font to meet your needs on request.
Use your Key Caps (Mac) or Character Map (Windows) utility to check out the contents of any of your fonts, and how to type them. For Mac, it's usually an option + letter sequence; for Windows, it's an alt + number key sequence. You get used to them after a while, like a cashier learning the code for "cucumber". They are (dia)critical in writing French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and Italian and they make your English look smarter too. To use accents is easy in handwriting, traditional in typesetting, nearly impossible in typewriting, but accessible again through digital typography.
How do you make fonts? (back to top)
Since you asked, it's a process of drawing, compiling, and refining. The drawing part is first a drawing together of ideas and resources.Then a literal drawing, some times made on paper , other times made directly at the computer ,where I use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Each character in a font is simply outlines (or paths) which are either filled (black) or unfilled (white). I compile these outlines in Macromedia Fontographer, where I also tinker with the weight, proportion, spacing, and kerning of each character and of the font as a whole.
What do you mean by original? (back to top)
I advertise my computer fonts as "original" because I make all the digital fonts myself by hand. Throughout my website and other materials, I am quite clear about the inspirations for my fonts, which may be the earlier creations of others. To me, this sort of "learned borrowing" is an important aspect of the history and practice of art. It is not my intention to rip-off the work of any individual or company; I put my own stamp on my work and fully acknowledge the artists and designers in whose shadows I stand.
Where do you get your ideas? (back to top)
...Which is the same as the preceding question but with a less defensive answer :-) Like many artists, my greatest inspiration is the art that came before. I look at type everywhere I can find it--books, magazines, flea markets, online--and collect examples which I study, imagine, and draw.
Who are you and why do you do this? (back to top)
I distribute my fonts online because I like knowing that they are out there being used. I enjoy the notes and examples of my fonts in action that people send me and I answer all my e-mail (eventually). I appreciate the money I receive because it is an encouragement to keep playing. As a professor, I enjoy gathering and sharing information.
How can I get a font made? (back to top)
You can hire me to ma ke a custom font (letters and/or symbols) for your company's distinctive needs. (I have made a number of fonts for special projects.) If you've found an interesting candidate for revival, and want to share a scan with me, send it along; a couple of my fonts started with such suggestions. If you want a font made of your own handwriting, I suggest you get one from Signature Software. I did; it's really good, and came with software that allows the natural linking of script letters.
How do I use color with fonts? (back to top)
Color is not a property of the font, but is chosen in the program in which you are using it. Even in word-processing programs you can avoid the default color black. The details vary but first you select the text, then you select its color. You can make each letter a different color, but you are limited to one color per letter. If you want to work with textures, shadows, outlines, gradients and other color effects, you'll need some kind of image program.
Another way to include multiple colors within letters is to use a font such as my versions of Bifur or Le Film. Such fonts include multiple fonts, each containing different aspects of each letter. In a program that allows layering, such as a DTP program like Quark XPress or Adobe PageMaker, create a bit of your text in one of the component fonts and color it. Position a copy of that text directly over the first, then change it to the other component font and change the color. You can experiment with the order of the layers and the colors or percentages, but if you change the text you must do so in all layers for proper alignment.
How can I learn more about typography? (back to top)
Here are some typography books (in no order) that I especially like and refer to again and again.
What fonts are used on your site? (back to top)
Using this page as an example, at the top, "Harold's" is Easter Parade, "FONTS" is Pub Gothic, the letter buttons are Radio. "Frequently Asked Questions" is Screwball.