Fonts: Basic Guide to Font Licensing
Fonts are software for creating and displaying typefaces. As with any software, you need to license font software in order to use it. This document provides a simple guide to font licensing.
Unless it’s handwriting, everything you read and write – in print or onscreen – is conveyed using a specific typeface. Whether you’re reading a book, scrolling through a web page, looking at a poster, typing a letter, or texting a message, the characters you see are represented by particular type designs in the form of fonts.
There are hundreds of thousands of fonts and each design provides a different way to visually communicate the written word. Choosing one font over another can make or break your message, but just as important as selecting the right font is making sure you have the right licence to use it.