• Request Samples
  • Create Account
  • Popular Products
    ▼
    • Announcement Cards
    • Booklets
    • Bookmarks
    • Brochures
    • Business Cards
    • Catalogs
    • CD Packages
    • Club Flyers
    • Door Hangers
    • DVD Packages
    • Envelopes
    • Flyers
    • Greeting Cards
    • Hang Tags
    • Letter Heads
    • NCR Forms
    • Notepads
    • Painted Edge Cards
    • Plastic Cards
    • Postcards
    • Posters
    • Presentation Folders
    • Rack Cards
    • Roll Labels
    • Sell Sheets
    • Stickers
    • Tear Off Cards
    • Trading Cards
  • Services
    ▼
    • F.A.Q
    • Tutorials
    • Print Specs
    • Printing 101
    • Customer Service
  • Ordering
    ▼
    • Place Order
    • Order Tracking
    • Request Samples
    • My Profile
    • Login / Create Account
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Login

Detroit Print Shop :: The Nation's Online Printing AuthorityDetroit Print Shop :: The Nation's Online Printing Authority

  • Request Samples
  • Create Account
  • Help
    • F.A.Q
    • Tutorials
    • Print Specs
    • Printing 101
    • Customer Service
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Login
Business Card Products
  • Business Cards
  • Painted Edge Cards
  • Plastic Cards
Marketing Products
  • Booklets
  • CD and DVD
  • Catalogs
  • Presentation Folders
  • Door Hangers
  • Flyers and Brochures
  • Hang Tags
  • Postcards
  • Rack Cards
  • Roll Labels
  • Sell Sheets
  • Stickers
  • Tear Off Cards
  • Trading Cards
Stationery Products
  • Announcement Cards
  • Envelopes
  • Greeting Cards
  • Letterhead
  • NCR Forms
  • Notepads
Signs & Posters
  • Posters
Displays
Specialty Products
Promotional Items
Card Stock Products
Services
Booklet Products
Mailing Products
Signage
Merchandise

Are “Free” Fonts Really Free?

By detroitprintshop

Are "Free" Fonts Really Free?While this may not come as a shock to many people, not everything on the internet is accurate, and that goes double when talking about things advertised as “free”. Free can mean different things to different people, so while some font foundries release their fonts as “free”, there may be limitations on what can and can’t be done with them. Even worse, some commercial fonts are listed as “free” on some sites when in fact, they are being, either intentionally or unintentionally, pirated.

What are the true costs of “free” fonts?

Font designers may place a number of conditions and licensing restrictions on their fonts. In some instances, the conditions are relatively easy to comply with, such as paying a small fee, or crediting the font when used. Some designers attach moral values to their list of conditions, granting free use for charitable and personal uses, but requesting a fee when used by corporations, or for certain types of industries.

Font “piracy” is another problem. It’s quite easy to download a collection of fonts with a commercial font, one that should not be redistributed without paying an additional license, and it’s even easier to unintentionally forward that font to others. Licensing terms and conditions that may have been originally included in a read-me file, or as part of the original software collection may have been lost along the way, resulting in unintentional piracy.

What’s wrong with using a less-than-free font?

You may unintentionally open yourself up to lawsuits, or worse, bad publicity. Even an unintentional infringement can earn the wrath of a font designer that has discovered someone using their font without permission. These misunderstandings can, at best, result in brief online commotion, however if you have used this font as part of a logo, promotional materials, or an advertising campaign, then the costs of redesigning these materials using a new font can be staggering.

Resources for free fonts.

There are several resources for free fonts available. http://www.dafont.com/ has an archive of free fonts, and explains whether the font is for personal or commercial use. http://www.fontspace.com/popular/fonts boasts over 15,000 free fonts, over 7,000 of which are available for commercial use.

Filed Under: Printing Tips Tagged With: Fonts, Graphic Design

  • Popular Products
  • Announcement Cards
  • Booklets
  • Bookmarks
  • Brochures
  • Business Cards
  • Catalogs
  • CD Packages
  • Club Flyers
  • Door Hangers
  • DVD Packages
  • Envelopes
  • Flyers
  • Greeting Cards
  • Hang Tags
  • Letterhead
  • NCR Forms
  • Notepads
  • Painted Edge Cards
  • Plastic Cards
  • Postcards
  • Posters
  • Presentation Folders
  • Rack Cards
  • Roll Labels
  • Sell Sheets
  • Stickers
  • Tear Off Cards
  • Trading Cards
  • View All Products
  • Services
  • F.A.Q.
  • Tutorials
  • Print Specs
  • Printing 101
  • Customer Service
  • Ordering
  • Place Order
  • Order Tracking
  • Request Samples
  • My Profile
  • Login / Create Account

Sign-Up for Offers & Discounts

E-mail:

Printing

  • Product Catalog
  • Printing Services
  • Request Samples
  • Place Order

Support

  • F.A.Q.
  • Glossary
  • Print Specifications
  • Tutorials

Ordering

  • Login/Create Profile
  • Request Samples
  • Place Order
  • My Profile

Resources

  • Sitemap
  • Customer Feedback
  • Employment
  • Terms & Conditions
Connect with Us:
Wholesale Printing | Business Printing | Printing Services | Printing | Print Shops | Printers | Printing Companies | Printing in Detroit | Detroit Printers
Detroit Printing | Business Cards | Brochures | Club Flyers | Flyers | Postcards | Ann Arbor | Grand Rapids | Lansing | Royal Oak | Troy
Detroit Print Shop Provides Worldwide Printing Services!
In support of our great state of Michigan, we are proud to provide individual services to the following cities:
Adrian | Allen Park | Ann Arbor | Auburn Hills | Battle Creek | Bay City | Birmingham | Bloomfield Hills | Canton | Clinton Township | Commerce
Dearborn | Detroit | East Pointe | Farmington Hills | Ferndale | Flint | Garden City | Gaylord | Grand Blanc | Grand Haven
Grand Rapids | Grayling | Holland | Houghton | Inkster | Kalamazoo | Lansing | Lincoln Park | Livonia
Ludington | Macomb | Madison Heights | Marquette | Midland | Monroe | Mount Pleasant | Muskegon
Northville | Novi | Oak Park | Petoskey | Plymouth | Pontiac | Port Huron
Portage | Redford | Romulus | Roseville | Royal Oak | Saginaw | Sault Ste Marie
Southfield | Southgate | Sterling Heights | Taylor | Traverse City
Troy | Warren | Waterford | West Bloomfield
Westland | Ypsilanti
Copyright © . All rights reserved. Copyright & Privacy & Security Policy
615 Griswold Street, Detroit, MI 48226