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Is it less work to design and produce a good programming font? Or is there a larger target market at a lower price? In other words, what market forces would mak

Is it less work to design and produce a good programming font? Or is there a larger target market at a lower price? In other words, what market forces would make the price go down for this one category of fonts? Personally I doubt that a programmer who wouldn't spend $100 for a font would spend $5, and you have to sell 20x as many to make up the difference.

stupidcar 5y ago
Obviously, it's not less work. Given the need to develop complex additional ligatures, it's likely more. > I doubt that a programmer who wouldn't spend $100 for a font would spend $5 This is where we disagree then. I think there is a big psychological difference for most consumers, including devs, between spending $5 and $100. Even if you can afford both, the former falls into the range of impulse purchases, like getting a sandwich or a cup of coffee, where you spend without really thinking. On the other hand, I think a $100 price is far more likely to trigger a more analytical and skeptical response. Do I really need it? Is it worth it? Should I research alternatives? Maybe, I should think about it and decide tomorrow... Etc. And the consequence will be a huge drop in sales. Also, I also do think there are significant differences in the market for programming fonts vs. general desktop fonts. The market for a single font is likely a relatively small pool of designers / content creators who are spending their employers money, need it to complete a specific project, and who value achieving a unique look. The former is a larger market, who are spending their own money on a nice-to-have, and who don't particularly care about uniqueness.
- mprovost 5y ago
  All good points but I think at the $5 level you're also competing with "free". There are a lot of comments here suggesting fonts like Iosevka which are open source/free. In any case my point was that we don't really have to debate what the market "would do": there isn't a market for $5 fonts but there is for $100 fonts. It's possible that nobody has figured out there's a gap and therefore an opportunity. Or font makers have found that they make more money selling fewer licenses.
ivirshup 5y ago
I would spend $5 on a font, but would not spend $100. I would buy the font the author of this article likes for even $10, but it costs $200 (for just the monospaced variant). The price point for fonts is set for people who intend to use the font to make money – like graphic designers. One could imagine a lower price point for private use, similar to media.
deergomoo 5y ago
> In other words, what market forces would make the price go down for this one category of fonts? The font a programmer uses has absolutely no bearing on the products they produce or the money they make. Unlike graphic design, where a licensed font becomes a direct part of the sold product.

stupidcar 5y ago

Obviously, it's not less work. Given the need to develop complex additional ligatures, it's likely more. > I doubt that a programmer who wouldn't spend $100 for a font would spend $5 This is where we disagree then. I think there is a big psychological difference for most consumers, including devs, between spending $5 and $100. Even if you can afford both, the former falls into the range of impulse purchases, like getting a sandwich or a cup of coffee, where you spend without really thinking. On the other hand, I think a $100 price is far more likely to trigger a more analytical and skeptical response. Do I really need it? Is it worth it? Should I research alternatives? Maybe, I should think about it and decide tomorrow... Etc. And the consequence will be a huge drop in sales. Also, I also do think there are significant differences in the market for programming fonts vs. general desktop fonts. The market for a single font is likely a relatively small pool of designers / content creators who are spending their employers money, need it to complete a specific project, and who value achieving a unique look. The former is a larger market, who are spending their own money on a nice-to-have, and who don't particularly care about uniqueness.

mprovost 5y ago
All good points but I think at the $5 level you're also competing with "free". There are a lot of comments here suggesting fonts like Iosevka which are open source/free. In any case my point was that we don't really have to debate what the market "would do": there isn't a market for $5 fonts but there is for $100 fonts. It's possible that nobody has figured out there's a gap and therefore an opportunity. Or font makers have found that they make more money selling fewer licenses.

ivirshup 5y ago

I would spend $5 on a font, but would not spend $100. I would buy the font the author of this article likes for even $10, but it costs $200 (for just the monospaced variant). The price point for fonts is set for people who intend to use the font to make money – like graphic designers. One could imagine a lower price point for private use, similar to media.

deergomoo 5y ago

> In other words, what market forces would make the price go down for this one category of fonts? The font a programmer uses has absolutely no bearing on the products they produce or the money they make. Unlike graphic design, where a licensed font becomes a direct part of the sold product.