Did you know the fonts you see don’t always come for free? Shocking right?
Typography is the heart of a project, as it adds to its visual appeal. It needs to look perfect with a perfect height, size, and design that should be consistent and aesthetic to grab the attention of the audience.
When you are working on a personal and commercial project, there is always some kind of typography that you will include. Usually, the typography you use will already be installed on your desktop unless you design it from scratch.
Now, when the font is used, you need to check if you are lawfully using them with proper licenses. Because you do not want a bunch of legal notices by font foundry and online font shops in the future forcing you to withdraw the project.
Understanding font licensing isn’t that difficult. What is font licensing? Do you need one for using the fonts, and what are the different types available? We will cover here in this post.
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What Is a Font License?
Font license are typically like any other license that allows you, as an owner, to make use of a typeface but in a particular way, as mentioned in the license.
A font license gives you the right to use a font on your computer with its set terms and conditions. Any font software that you see pre-installed on your desktop comes with a license. Using them means you are agreeing to the terms stated by the seller.
What makes font licenses unique is that each type foundry or designer can create their own custom license. When a typographer has a license to their fonts, it means they are making a living when you buy them.
If you are a graphic designer, it is important that you thoroughly check the licensing conditions associated with any font you want to use for commercial purposes. These rules are usually mentioned in the End-User License Agreement (EULA), which includes each font you download or purchase.
When you have a font license, you can easily avoid problems related to font licensing.
Still in doubt or don’t have access to a license agreement? Give a quick online search where you will find all the necessary information related to your font in a matter of seconds.
Different Types of Font Licenses
Fonts are just a part of computer software, and while installing them on your desktop, you need to have a license to use them. This, however, is necessary in the cases when used offline on a desktop. If using a font online, there are different sets of guidelines.
Fonts are protected by legal means; therefore, while getting one, you need to make sure you are obtaining the correct font to use it seamlessly. This makes sure that the rightful body is adequately compensated for their creative work and ensures that their intellectual property rights are valued.
Font licensing includes all types of devices and platforms where a font can be used. We’ve listed some of the type of license you can use commercially.
Desktop
This is the most common one, mostly for commercial font usage. Desktop font license allows you to use it for design purposes such as posters, signs, logos, collateral, etc. (both online and offline). You can do this for your clients and you as well. You can sell the final designs or products to make a profit if the letters are not the main selling point.
These usually cover the typefaces that are already installed on your desktop or come with any software you install. The license can be used only by a limited number of users.
Also, you should remember not to share your license with your clients. If they want a particular font, they must buy it for themselves on their own.
Webfonts
This is quite different from desktop licensing. Having a webfont license allows you to set the font files into the CSS of your site. This is designed specifically for online use and the web. So, if you properly embed the files, the web browser will render them accurately, and you will see the fonts correctly.
With webfont license, you can use fonts on a website flawlessly. When you employ it on your sites and users access your website, their browsers will automatically download the embedded fonts temporarily. It’s often referred to as a dynamic font because both the creator and the user must have the font for it to be displayed correctly.
If you are a designer, you can embed a font with the design. However, you need to be careful, as not many licenses permit you to do this. Alternatively, some webfont services offer hosted embedding, which is the more common method of using webfonts on websites.
Applications
If you and your client decide to develop an app along with a website, you’ll have to get a separate license, as a web font license will not allow the use of fonts in an application. While using app font license, you can embed the font in an application’s code, you’ll have to get a different one that goes with it.
Server
Do you have an online business for customizable products? If yes, then you might want to have a look at server font license. These licenses have a time limit and require a separate license for each CPU in your server bundle.
These are mostly used for print-on-demand platforms where users can customize products like mugs, t-shirts, bags, etc., with their own typeset with the available fonts.
Digital ads
If you are planning to design dynamic digital ads for your clients, fonts for these are installed on a third-party site for as long as your ad is working. Therefore, it is important that you buy a font with proper licensing. If you are creating a digital ad, such as a static banner, you don’t need this licensing; instead, a desktop license. You can also partner with a Google Ads agency to leverage their expertise in creating high-performing ad campaigns.
Free
You may be getting free fonts and will be happy knowing that you don’t have to spend any money. But not every free thing will be up to your standards. Many of the free fonts are not very good in quality and do not have the good finishing you could get with fonts from renowned foundries.
Also, there is always a risk of using free fonts because, many times, these fonts lack licenses. While you may use it for your personal projects, using it for your client’s work can be dicey. If you use free font license commercially and they are seen in your client’s work, commercial license rights may kick in.
Now, here, you should understand that free fonts are different than open-source fonts, as, for some free fonts, you do need license. You need open font license to use these fonts. The best part about these fonts are that it can be used, downloaded, shared and modified for personal use. These are the fonts that you can use commercially as well.
If you are still keen on using free fonts, there are plenty of outstanding fonts that are accessible on a completely open-source basis. You can explore Google Fonts, which offers nearly thousands of fonts available for download, installation, and use in a wide range of projects, including print, web, and apps, all under Google’s free Apache License.
What Do I Need a Font License For?
Font licenses can be used for multiple purposes. However, it’s necessary to examine the specific license for the font you’re using and how intend to use it. Here are some ways in which you may need the license.
Personal Work
If you are planning to use the fonts for personal work, a desktop license will work as long as you are using it on your personal system. You might also have attractive bundles of font pre-installed, or you could download it, which should help in most of your personal projects.
Client’s Work
Now, when you are working commercially or for a client, the safest way to work is to work on commercial fonts the clients already have a license for. You should also note that commercial projects may sometimes demand extended font licenses.
Also, some fonts that may be available for free might need payment if using them for commercial purposes. So, it’s always good to read the fine print of font licenses to avoid any legal and financial issues down the road.
Digital Projects
For your digital projects, you cannot rely on desktop licenses. You’ll have to look for one that can function seamlessly across different platforms.
For this, you can use subscription font services that offer attractive fonts. You just have to subscribe to a flexible font plan to use anywhere, and that holds the necessary licensing.
You can go for renowned Adobe’s Typekit, which offers multiple plan options with limited fonts for free. Google Fonts is also a good choice for these projects, as it offers a wide range of font options to use.
To Wrap Up
We hope that you now get the whole buzz around font licensing. Be it any work you do digitally, there’s some type of font license you’ll always need to stay away from any legal issues. Now, here’s the catch: just like all the fonts differ from each other, licenses differ, too.
The type of font license you are using can differ depending on the font you use, the creator of the font, and for what purpose you are using it. And while you may change your work with the fonts, the licenses might remain the same. Therefore, it’s essential to give it a check at least once a year to see if you are complying with the rules of the license.
Whenever you start working on any kind of project, remember to check the license. Also, try to keep fonts separate for commercial and private use. That way, you can filter out the fonts without any confusion and keep it organized.
FAQ
How can I get a license for a font?
You don’t have to pay anything if a font is free. However, if you get fonts for commercial use, you’ll have to pay a fee. But in whatever way you acquire it, every font comes with a license automatically that gives you permission to use it easily.
To license a font, you can go through the End User Licence Agreement (EULA) to learn more about the usage and rights of the fonts. Every font maker and font has different agreements, so it is good to carefully read and understand them before getting your license. Like, some may have limited users, some license may have a time limit, while some may have limited desktops to use the fonts on different devices.
How is a font different from a typeface?
The typeface is a family of fonts, whereas fonts are categorized by style, weight, size, boldness, etc. Fonts are a computer program or file that notifies a device how a letter should be displayed. On the other hand, a typeface is related to a certain design to create texts or other combinations of characters.
Who has control over font licenses?
When you buy retail fonts or install a font that’s free, you essentially become a licensee and are granted a specific license for a particular purpose. The ones holding the exclusive rights to the digital font are the primary creators of the software.
As for font licenses, these can be managed by multiple users, including the original creators, as well as font vendors like type foundries, independent type designers, and resellers. These parties collectively influence how the fonts can be used and shared.
