what fonts may I use?

[pdkoning]

I have a question concerning fonts in non-free pdf products.

Can I use the font 'arial'? or must I buy it somewhere? What about other 'free' fonts I can download from the internet? Can I use them, or can the author sue me, if I don't ask him permission? Can I use the default fonts that come with my Windows Installation? Does anybody know a site with royalty free fonts?

Any help on this matter would be appreciated.

 

[Dana_Jorgensen]

Well, I'll start by saying I have never heard of anyone bing sued by Microsoft for using the fonts they install with windows or internet explorer. So odds are they are safe to use in a commercial product.

As for free or shareware fonts, stay away from CD-ROM font collections. They frequently claim to be royalty free, but in the fine print define themselves as royalty free for personal use only. Same goes for clipart collections. When pulling a font off a font site (there are hundreds, most with the same fonts), the font should come with a text file detailing the rights to usage and any shareware costs. A fair amount of them include full rights to use.

 

[pdkoning]

Well, I'll start by saying I have never heard of anyone bing sued by Microsoft for using the fonts they install with windows or internet explorer. So odds are they are safe to use in a commercial product.

Thank you.

 

[Marius Delphus]

Any help on this matter would be appreciated.

AFAIK, you can use any font you *own* for any project, as long as the font itself cannot be extracted from the project and reused. If you own a copy of Windows, you also own copies of the fonts that come with Windows. Same with other OSes, I would think.

*Free* fonts generally come with no usage restrictions (you own it for free). *Shareware* fonts sometimes, but not always, have usage restrictions that persist until you pay the shareware fee (you don't own it until you pay for it). If some kind of license text came with a font you downloaded, examine it carefully. If you have questions about the license text, it can't hurt to email the author (if you can find the author) and ask directly.

Finally, here are some pretty good (IMHO) free font sites to get you started.
http://www.larabiefonts.com/fonts.html
http://www.jetler.com/jos_font_house/
http://moorstation.org/typoasis/typoasis1.htm

Sorry for the delay in responding.

 

[pdkoning]

Finally, here are some pretty good (IMHO) free font sites to get you started.
http://www.larabiefonts.com/fonts.html
http://www.jetler.com/jos_font_house/
http://moorstation.org/typoasis/typoasis1.htm

Sorry for the delay in responding.

These are truly wonderful sites, even free for commercial purposes! thanks a lot.

 

[Sledge]

IIRC the appearance of the fonts are not copyrightable/patentable. Only the coding of the font file can be construed as protected. From what I understand this means that any printed object is safe with regards to fonts, but a "copyrighted" font embedded in a pdf could be an issue potentially.