4 ms·

Genuine question. Aren't most fonts free?

• SamWhited 6y ago
  No, most [citation needed] fonts cost money (assuming you mean "free as in beer"). Also just because a font is free as in beer (ie maybe it's shipped with your OS or something) doesn't necessarily mean that it's free to use on your website: everything is still copyright by default in most jurisdictions. Some fonts provide you with a license just like open source software (which may or may not be an open source or free software license, there are plenty of fonts that license themselves specifically for webfonts and charge a fee, or something along those lines).
  • fmajid 6y ago
    Typefaces cannot be copyrighted. The actual font code can.
    • SamWhited 6y ago
      Yes, fair point, thanks. I don't know that the distinction matters for this discussion, but in case it does it's good to be precise. Mea culpa.
• chipotle_coyote 6y ago
  I think there's a good case to be made that most well-designed fonts, particularly for body text, still cost money. It takes a lot of time and effort to design a good body font. Having said that, the word "still" in my first sentence is doing a lot of work. :) I think over the last... oh, let's say 15 years, free fonts (both in the freedom and beer sense of "free") have really stepped up their game, and there's an increasing number of great ones out there. Having said that, though, if you're an organization looking for subtle branding through typography, you aren't gonna go for any font, commercial or otherwise, that's in wide use. For Goldman Sachs, the cost isn't the point -- it's not like they couldn't afford to license any font they wanted in perpetuity. The branding is.