MyFonts Support

Descriptive key words. This is the best method if you do not have have a particular font name, designer, or foundry in mind. Key word search lets you enter any words you feel describe the font you're looking for, in everyday language. For instance, you might try “elegant formal,” “wedding invitation,” or “heavy serif” as examples of keyword searches. (We've put in lots of key words for you type experts too!)
Font names. If you know the name of the font, just enter it in the search box. To narrow your search, we also recommend you enter just the font family name (such as Garamond), not the font weight or style (Bold, Italic, etc.) You can also try browsing our entire list of fonts by their Names. Click on the first letter of the font name and just pick the font you want from the list.
Foundry names. If there’s a particular typeface design company you like, just enter it in the search box (for example, Astigmatic One Eye). You can also try browsing our entire list of Foundries.
People. If there’s a particular typeface designer you like or a notable typeface professional you want to find more about, just enter it in the search box (for example, Matthew Carter).
Categories. You can search for fonts by category, such as blackletter, engraved, or monospaced. Fonts can be in more than one category. (What are the different categories for fonts?)

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How do I find a font if I already know its name?

If you know the name of the font, enter it in the search box at the top of the page. To narrow your search, we also recommend you enter just the font family name (such as Garamond), not the font weight or style (Bold, Italic, etc.)

You can also try browsing our entire list of fonts by their Names. Click on the first letter of the font name and just pick the font from the list. (How do I search for fonts?)

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How can I find more information about a font designer?

If there’s a particular typeface designer you like or a notable typeface professional you want to find out more about, just enter it in the search box at the top of the page. (How do I search for fonts?)

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What languages do fonts support?

In the font display, next to the name, you will see small icons that show the languages that each font supports.

Select a font to go to the Purchase options screen for the font family, then move your mouse over one of these icons to display a tooltip that shows which language it supports.

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How can I store similar fonts or fonts I like but don't want to purchase yet?

You can store fonts that you like or that you want to purchase later in a font album. (What is a font album?)

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Can I type my own text and see what it looks like in a particular font?

Yes, you can test drive fonts to see how they different characters look in their format. (How do I test drive a font?)

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What are the different categories for fonts?

You can browse fonts in the following categories:

Blackletter. Blackletter type was a dominant letter shape of medieval typography. Today it is used for headlines and display purposes to create a medieval feeling.
Computer-related. These fonts can be used for computer-related purposes, such as when a machine must read the font or to give a computer look-and-feel to a document.
Decorative & Display. These fonts greatly vary in appearance and style. They are often used in headlines, newsletters, and invitations.
Engraved. Engraved fonts are based on letters carved in stone. They are similar to glyphic fonts except they are generally more formal. Engraved fonts look best when displayed at large sizes, and are often used in headlines.
Funny. Funny fonts have unique typefaces that often feature pictures or special effects on the characters.
Garalde. Garalde fonts include some of the most popular roman styles. Garalde fonts have a slightly greater contrast between thick and thin strokes than Venetian fonts, axis curves inclined to the left, and bracketed serifs.
Glyphic. Glyphic fonts are based on letters carved in stone. Some of these font sets are capital only.
Legible. Legible fonts generally have thin strokes and wide characters. They may or may not have serifs (“feet” or fine lines at the end of main or cross strokes). These fonts were designed to be very readable and clear at standard text sizes (9–12 points).
Mathematical. These fonts contain mathematical and symbol characters used in equations and formulas.
$[Examples: Symbol, Universal Math]$
Modern. These fonts have horizontal serifs ("feet"or fine lines at the end of main or cross strokes), great stroke contrast, and a vertical axis.
Monospaced. These fonts have characters that are all set on the same width. Monospaced sets are useful for documents that require exact spacing or tabular text.
Picture. These fonts entirely consist of pictures. There are no letter or number characters. Using picture fonts is a good way to add graphics to your documents without importing graphic files.
Sans Serif. These fonts have no serifs. A serif is a short line that finishes off the stroke of a letter.
Script. These fonts imitate a variety of handwriting styles.
Slab Serif. These fonts have heavy, square serifs with no brackets, and very little stroke contrast. A serif is a short line that finishes off the stroke of a letter. Slab serif fonts are good for posters, billboards, and other advertising.
Symbol. These fonts have pictures and symbols, and no letter or number characters. Using symbol fonts is a good way to add graphics to text without having to import graphic files.
Transitional. These fonts have thin serifs ("feet"or fine lines at the end of main or cross strokes), great stroke contrast, and a vertical (or near vertical) axis.
Venetian. Venetian typefaces were initially designed in 1470 to mimic the handwriting of Italian Renaissance scholars. These typefaces work well as book type because of their clarity and legibility.

For some general information on Typeface classification, take a look at Typography 1st.

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What is a font album?

A font album is a place to store fonts that you may want to purchase later. You can also share font albums with friends.

To add a font to a font album:

Click add to album from the Font Family, Test Drive, Character Map, or Font Style Details page for any font.

To access your font albums:

Click My Account.
Log in to your account if you haven't already.
Click My Font Albums in the User Options screen.
Click the font album you want to display.

To share a font album:

Click My Account, then click My Font Albums to go to your font albums page.
Select the font album you want to share.
Click Share this Album.
Enter the e-mail addresses of the friends you want to share your album with, as well as a personal message to them.
Click Share to share your album!

To change the default font album:

Click on one of the gray checkmarks; it will make that album the default and the checkmark will turn green.

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Common Font Abbreviations

Here are some common abbreviations that you may see in font names:

B		Body	Font design is optimized for use at text and body copy sizes
Com		Commercial OpenType	OpenType font category with extended character set to support virtually all languages that use the latin alphabet
CE		Central European	Supports the Central and Eastern European languages such as Polish.
Cond		Condensed	The font is narrower than the normal version
CY		Cyrillic	Supports the Cyrillic alphabet used for the Russian language.
D		Display	Font design is optimized for use at heading and display sizes
Exp		Expanded	The font is wider than the normal version
GR		Greek	Supports the Greek alphabet.
H		Heading	Font design is optimized for use at heading and display sizes
L		Laser font	Abbreviation used by URW for fonts donated for use with GhostScript
LF		Lining Figures	The figures all have the same height and sit on the baseline
OS		Old Style figures	The figures have variable height and some go below the baseline
OSF		Old Style figures	The figures have variable height and some go below the baseline
P		Poster	Font design is optimized for use at poster sizes
Plus		Plus OpenType	This OpenType font includes additional alphabets such as Cyrillic and Greek
Pro		Full-featured OpenType	This font contains OpenType features such as alternate characters and possibly more
SC		Small Caps	The lowercase letters are replaced by small versions of the caps
Std		Standard OpenType	OpenType font category with basic set of characters to provide support Western European languages
SX		Screen eXcellence	A term used by Bitstream to refer to fonts that have been optimized for lower resolutions such as screens
T		Text	Font design is optimized for use at text and body copy sizes
TF	Tabular Figures	Font with figures all having equal widths
XSF	eXcellent Screen Fonts	A term used by Linotype to refer to fonts that have been optimized for lower resolutions such as screens

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Searching the most popular fonts

The MyFonts Best Sellers list is a quick way to look at the current top 50.

For a longer list of popular fonts, try:

http://www.myfonts.com/browse/all

And for recent additions that are doing well, check out the MyFonts Starlets list.

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Why do some samples appear against a blue and white background?

Some participating foundries consider that the MyFonts test drive allows too much freedom to use a font online without actually buying it. Those foundries have asked us to obscure samples to discourage actual use of images created by test drive.

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How can I find fonts that are "similar" to the one I am looking at?

Let’s say you find a font family that you like, but want to see what else at MyFonts has a similar “feel.” That’s when you need the “More Fonts Like This” icon, located on most Font Family pages.

More Fonts
Like This

Click this icon on a Font Family page to see a list of fonts that have something in common with the font you clicked, with the best matches listed first.

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How do I test drive a font?

You can type your own text to see how it displays in fonts you are considering for purchase. Many pages include a tool for changing the sample text; just look for the button “Change Sample Text” and enter your own text in the box just left of it.

With most browsers, the sample text will update automatically. If that doesn't happen, just click on the Update Sample Text button.

The sample text you enter is “sticky”; it will be used on other pages until you change it to something else. To reset the sample text to the default “AaBb...”, just clear the sample text box.

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What is WhatTheFont?

Developed with the University of Birmingham in England, WhatTheFont accepts image files uploaded by you, then analyzes them and finds the closest match on our site. Images can be color or black & white, and they don't have to be very high quality (although that helps). Even a digital photograph of some lettering you like can be accepted. Accuracy of results is unprecedented by previous automatic systems.

WhatTheFont supports most common image formats, for example GIF, JPEG, TIFF, BMP. Most images should fit within a height and width of 360 x 275 pixels, but you can upload images with a greater width and lower height.

Tips

In the upload file dialog box, select files of type *.*
The ideal letter height for the best search result is 100 pixels. The minimum letter height is 40 pixels. Larger letters increase search time.
Horizontal text is preferable to vertical or skewed text.
WhatTheFont only requires a few letters of the alphabet to identify the font. Try to submit just one example of each character. More letters or duplicate characters will only increase search time, not accuracy. Do not try to scan an entire page of letters. Your search will either be rejected, or your Web browser will timeout before the search is complete.
Make sure letters are not touching. All touching letters will be treated as a single letter.
WhatTheFont will only recognize uppercase and lowercase letters. Other objects on the image (such as numbers or special characters) will either be rejected or confused with valid characters.
WhatTheFont accepts black-and-white images, color, and greyscale images. The letters can be dark on light, or light on dark. You may get the best results with grayscale images, this should also reduce upload time. Try setting your scanner to sample in grayscale and avoid scanning in just black-and-white.

Sample Image

The scanned image above is ideal for WhatTheFont. The characters are about 100 pixels in height and the baseline is horizontal.

If WhatTheFont cannot identify the font in your image, you can post your image to our What’s This Font? forum. This will make it available to many experts. There is a good chance someone will help you identify it.

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I saw a great font in a magazine, but I do not know the name. Can you help me identify it?

If you’ve ever wanted to have a font just like the one used by a specific publication, corporation, or ad campaign, now you can, using the WhatTheFont font recognition system. Upload a scanned image of the font and we'll show you the closest matches in our database! (What is WhatTheFont?)

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Buying Fonts

How to I get a quote for some fonts?

How do I buy fonts?

How does the shopping cart work?

Do I have to use a credit card to buy a font?

What are invoiced accounts?

Why can't I buy font "x"?

What if nothing happens when I click the "Add to Cart" button?

How to I get a quote for some fonts?

To get a quote for a set of fonts, please add the font packages to your shopping cart. You will then be able to click on the “Download PDF Quote” link near the top of the cart page to download a quote for your intended purchase.

If you need to license more than the default number of users (normally 1-5), you can enter the required number of users in the boxes provided in the shopping cart.

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How do I buy fonts?

Follow the steps below:

Click Purchase Options next to any font you want to purchase.
On the Purchase Options page select a check box next to the package you want to purchase and then click Add to Cart at the top or bottom of the list of fonts.
On the Shopping Cart page, make sure you have the correct number of licensed users entered. If you need to increase this number, enter it in the box provided and click Change.
Click Checkout.
If prompted to log in, enter your Username and Password, and click Login Now. If you don’t already have an account, click Create New Account.
On the Checkout page, confirm your cart contents and, if you have one, click “redeem a gift certificate” to enter an EGC (Electronic Gift Certificate) code to claim a redemption. Click Update Prices to update prices and return to the Checkout page.
Choose a payment method. You can pay with a Credit Card or Paypay. Click the appropriate link to enter your Credit Card or PayPal information, or, if you have already saved this information, select the option you would like to use for payment. (How do I add a new credit card to my virtual wallet? Can I pay with PayPal?)
Click Place This Order to complete your order. Do not click this button more than once on this page. After a few seconds, you can download your fonts! (How do I download a font?)

When you purchase fonts from MyFonts, you can come back at any time, free of charge, and download your fonts again from My Orders or My Library.

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How does the shopping cart work?

The shopping cart lets you store all the fonts you want to purchase. You are not billed for any items in your cart until you check out.

Simply click the shopping cart icon to view the contents. If you have already placed items in your cart, the icon will have a package in it:

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Do I have to use a credit card to buy a font?

Not necessarily. Over the internet, we accept credit card payments and PayPal payments. (Can I pay with PayPal?) By regular mail, we can take checks and credit card payments. By fax, we also take credit card payments. To make a payment, go to our MyFonts Payment Form page, print out the form, and follow the instructions.

You will need to log in to MyFonts to access the Payment Form page, so you may need to create a new account if you do not already have one. When we receive your payment, we will process it and credit your user account. You can then buy fonts online without a credit card until the credit in your account runs out.

We recommend you set up a virtual wallet with the credit cards you will use most often to purchase fonts. (How do I add a credit card to my virtual wallet?)

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What are invoiced accounts?

MyFonts also offers invoiced accounts. We will accept applications for creating such an account for U.S.-based organizations. Contact us to apply for an invoiced account.

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Why can't I buy font "x"?

MyFonts helps you find fonts by listing as many as possible fonts in one place. However, until all individual font designers and foundries decide to allow MyFonts to sell their fonts directly, there will be some fonts that you cannot add to your cart.

If a font is not available for sale at MyFonts, we provide “Related Links” at the bottom of each Font Family page, which point to Web sites where the font is for sale. You can also use Purchase Options by following the steps below.

Click the Purchase Options icon to the right of the listed font.

This brings up the Purchase Options page for the font.
Click the link on this page to go to the foundry’s website to purchase the font.

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What if nothing happens when I click the "Add to Cart" button?

MyFonts.com uses cookies to keep track of user sessions. If you do not have cookies enabled in your browser, you may not be able to add fonts to your cart. Please ensure that cookies are enabled in your browser. Follow the instructions below to enable cookies in the listed browsers:

Mozilla Firefox 2.x for Windows
Mozilla Firefox 2.x for Macintosh
Mozilla Firefox 1.x for Windows
Internet Explorer 7.x for Windows
Internet Explorer 6.x for Windows
Internet Explorer 5.x for Windows
Internet Explorer 5.x for Macintosh
Safari 3.x for Windows
Safari 3.x for Macintosh
Netscape Navigator 6.x for Windows
Netscape Navigator 6.x for Macintosh
Netscape Navigator 4.x for Windows

Instructions for Mozilla Firefox 2.x for Windows

Choose Tools > Options.
Click Privacy in the top pane.
Click Accept Cookies from Sites in the Cookies section of the main body.
Click OK.

Instructions for Mozilla Firefox 2.x for Macintosh

Choose Firefox > Preferences.
Click Privacy in the top row of icons.
In the Cookies section, click Accept Cookies from Sites.
Click the Red button to save the new choice.

Instructions for Mozilla Firefox 1.x for Windows

Choose Tools > Options.
Click Privacy in the left pane.
Click Cookies in the right pane.
Select the check box to Allow sites to set cookies.
Click OK.

Instructions for Internet Explorer 7.x for Windows

Choose Tools > Internet Options.
Click the Privacy tab.
Click the Sites... button in the Privacy tab.
In the “Address of Web site” section, enter www.myfonts.com, and click the Allow button.
Click OK twice.

Instructions for Internet Explorer 6.x for Windows

Choose Tools > Internet Options.
Click the Privacy tab.
Click the Sites... button in the Privacy tab.
In the “Address of Web site” section, enter www.myfonts.com, and click the Allow button.
Click OK twice.

Instructions for Internet Explorer 5.x for Windows

Choose Tools > Internet Options.
Click the Security tab.
Click Custom Level.
Scroll down to the Cookies section.
Make sure that Enable or Prompt is selected for each of the two Cookie options.
Click OK twice.

Instructions for Safari 3.x for Windows

Choose Edit > Preferences.
Click Security in the top row of icons.
In the Accept Cookies buttons, choose Always, or Only from Sites you navigate to.
Click the X button to save the new choice.

Instructions for Safari 3.x for Macintosh

Choose Safari > Preferences.
Click Security in the top row of icons.
In the Accept Cookies buttons, choose Always, or Only from Sites you navigate to.
Click the Red button to save the new choice.

Instructions for Internet Explorer 5.x for Macintosh

Choose Edit > Preferences.
Choose Receiving Files > Cookies from the left pane.
In the When receiving cookies drop-down box, choose Never ask, Ask for each site, or Ask for each cookie.
Click OK.

Instructions for Netscape Navigator 6.x for Windows

Choose Edit > Preferences.
Choose Privacy & Security > Cookies.
Make sure that the Enable all cookies or Enable cookies for the originating web site only button is checked.
Click OK.

Instructions for Netscape Navigator 6.x for Macintosh

Choose Edit > Preferences.
Choose Advanced > Scripts & Plugins.
Make sure that the Read Cookies button is checked.
Click OK.

Instructions for Netscape Navigator 4.x

Choose Edit > Preferences.
Choose Advanced in the left pane.
Under Cookies in the right pane, choose Accept all cookies or Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server.
Click OK.

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Billing and Payment

What shipping costs does MyFonts charge for font collections on CD?

Can I pay by check?

Can I pay with a credit card?

How do I add a new credit card to my virtual wallet?

Can I pay with PayPal?

Can I fax my credit card information to MyFonts?

Can I pay by purchase order or invoice?

Where is my invoice?

Can I send MyFonts a request for quote for a custom font?

How do I get a refund on my purchase?

How do I pay for fonts?

What shipping costs does MyFonts charge for font collections on CD?

Because CDs need to be shipped to your address, a shipping charge will be added to the cost of your order. The charge is dependent on where the CD is being shipped, and, in some cases, how quickly you want to receive it.

To find the shipping cost, add the CD to your cart and click Checkout. Proceed through the checkout process until you see the available shipping charges. If you don't wish to proceed further, close your browser, or press the back button until you return to your starting page.

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Can I pay by check?

Yes, you can pay by check or credit card through regular mail. To do this, print out the MyFonts Payment Form and mail it to:

MyFonts c/o Bitstream, Inc.
Attn: Payments
500 Nickerson Road, 2nd Floor
Marlborough, MA 01752 U.S.A.

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Can I pay with a credit card?

MyFonts accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards and other credit cards bearing these logos. We recommend that you enter your credit card information into your virtual wallet.

If you are located outside the US, we will charge your credit card in US dollars. This will be converted by your bank into the equivalent amount in your currency. The bank may add a service fee of about 2-3% for this conversion.

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How do I add a new credit card to my virtual wallet?

Your virtual wallet can keep track of credit cards you use to pay for fonts, so that you only have to enter the information once. This information is completely confidential and the data always passes through secure transactions.

To add a new card to your virtual wallet:

Go to My Account and click Create New Card.
Enter all the information on the page, including your MyFonts password.
Click Submit New Details.

You can use credit cards in your virtual wallet to easily purchase fonts. Your information is secure and safely stored for future purchases.

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Can I pay with PayPal?

Yes, MyFonts accepts payments by PayPal from verified PayPal users. Before using PayPal, ensure you have:

An account at MyFonts (if not, create one here)
An account at PayPal (if not, create one here)

Look for the PayPal payment option in the MyFonts checkout process. Clicking this option will take you to the PayPal site where you can confirm the payment. Once PayPal has notified us of your payment (which usually happens immediately), your order will be completed and you will receive email confirmations from both PayPal and MyFonts.

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Can I fax my credit card information to MyFonts?

Yes. Go to the MyFonts Payment Form, print and fill it out, then fax it to: 617-812-8123

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Can I pay by purchase order or invoice?

Yes. Contact us if you have a U.S.-based business and you want to use purchase orders and be invoiced monthly.

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Where is my invoice?

Your invoice is always sent to you by e-mail every time you buy a font. If you want to see what fonts you ordered, you can go to My Account and click My Orders or My Library under User Options.

In addition, you can download the official Invoice/Receipt for any order by clicking on My Account and then My Orders and then the order number. You will see an orange button to download a printable receipt in the form of a PDF.

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Can I send MyFonts a request for quote for a custom font?

Yes. Send your request to us and we will forward it to the applicable foundry.

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How do I get a refund on my purchase?

Downloadable fonts are not returnable with the following exceptions:

If a font is defective and you tell us within 21 days, we will either provide a replacement that works in your environment or refund your money.
If you purchase the wrong version of a font and tell us within 7 days, we will switch your order to the correct version at no charge. Versions include Mac/Windows/OpenType, TrueType/PostScript and Western/CE/Turkish/Greek.

Physical products such as CDs may be returned within 21 days if they are unopened and the original shrink wrap is intact. Please contact us for a RMA before returning such products.

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How do I pay for fonts?

You can use a credit card, check, or PayPal. (How do I buy fonts?) If you are a business located in the U.S., you can also pay through a purchase order. Contact us for details on how to pay through a purchase order.

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Downloading, Unpacking, and Installing Fonts

What shipping methods are available?

Can I request to receive the font I purchased on disk or CD?

What if I lose the font I purchased and downloaded?

How much do you charge for shipping?

How do I download a font?

How do I re-download a font I already purchased?

What do I do with the file I downloaded?

How do I unpack a font file?

The file I downloaded does not unpack. What do I do?

What if I installed my font correctly, but it's not available in my applications?

What if I installed the font, but the wrong font name shows up in the font menu?

How do I install a font?

What shipping methods are available?

MyFonts supplies most fonts by download or e-mail only. Since early 2003, MyFonts began offering a limited number of font collections on CD. You can see what is available by clicking on the CD tab near the top of any MyFonts page.

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Can I request to receive the font I purchased on disk or CD?

No. MyFonts supplies most fonts by download or e-mail only. With downloaded fonts, delivery is immediate and there are no shipping charges.

MyFonts will keep a copy in your order history of every downloadable font that you purchase. You may access your order history at any time and download a fresh copy of any font.

There is no charge for this backup service.

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What if I lose the font I purchased and downloaded?

MyFonts saves all of the fonts that you purchased on the My Orders page, so that if you lose them, you can always download them again, at no charge. To access this page, click the My Account tab, then My Orders in the User Options section.

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How much do you charge for shipping?

There are no shipping charges for fonts you receive by download or e-mail delivery. For CDs, shipping costs are listed during the checkout process after you add the CD to your shopping cart.

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How do I download a font?

After you buy your fonts, MyFonts displays a Downloads page to confirm that your order is completed. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Install Fonts In Windows to download and install fonts if you are using the Microsoft Windows operating system. Or, click Show Individual Download Files to display links to individually download each font package. Note that you must download each font package separately if you choose to install fonts without the MyFonts installer. (What is a font package? How do I install a font?)

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How do I re-download a font I already purchased?

After logging on to your account, click My Account then My Orders in the User Options section. You will see a list of all of the fonts you have ordered. You can download any font you have ordered from here at no extra charge!

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What do I do with the file I downloaded?

We send all font files in a compressed file format for easier downloading. Once you have downloaded the font files, you need to unpack them and then install them. Or, click Install Fonts In Windows to install fonts on the Microsoft Windows operating system using the MyFonts installer.

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How do I unpack a font file?

On Windows
Windows font files are zip file archives. Zip file archives have a file extension of .zip. Recent versions of Windows (XP and 2000) can unpack zip file archives and self-extracting zip files when you right click on the file, and select “Extract”. Otherwise, use software such as TurboZip, WinZip, or FreeZip to unpack these files. (How do I install a font?)

On Mac OS
Mac OS font files are compressed and encoded as either .hqx or .sit files. Usually, your browser will automatically unpack these files after downloading them. By default, these files appear on the Desktop. However, if you have problems unpacking them, you can download StuffIt Expander at no charge. Once you have installed the software, you can extract the files by dragging and dropping the HQX or SIT file onto the StuffIt Expander application (rather than double clicking on the file). This also works with .sea files. (How do I install a font?)

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The file I downloaded does not unpack. What do I do?

Make sure you have downloaded the latest version of WinZip, TurboZip, or FreeZip, or, for Mac OS, StuffIt Expander.

The file may not have downloaded properly. Go to My Orders under User Options in My Account and download the font package again.

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What if I installed my font correctly, but it's not available in my applications?

Some applications need to be restarted for changes to take effect. Exit the application and start it up again to see if the fonts are available.

Follow the steps below if you do not see fonts in the Font Menu:

Scan the entire font menu. The font may not be where you expect it to be. For example, Cezanne appears as P22 Cezanne. Also, particularly in Mac OS X, the order may not be strictly alphabetical; some fonts may appear at the end of the font list.
Make sure you have installed the fonts correctly. For Classic, Mac OS 9.x and earlier the font suitcase (and associated PostScript font file if any) must be loose in the Fonts folder. They will not work if they are inside a subfolder.
Close and restart the application. For most applications, if you install a font while it is running, it does not rebuild the font menu to show the new fonts you have added.
Restart the computer. It is amazing how often this fixes mysterious problems.
Check a simple application, such as Text Edit in Mac OS X, or WordPad in Windows. If the font works one of these applications, but not in your primary application, consult the documentation for the primary application. There may be special requirements for font installation.
For OpenType fonts on Mac OS 8.x and 9.x, try using Adobe OTF File Typer to correct the file type and creator codes for files with names ending in “.otf”. The utility is available as a free download from Adobe. This utility does not work in Mac OS X.
In Windows, if you are using Adobe Type Manager and the font does not appear in an Adobe product, such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe PhotoShop, search your computer for all copies of the file AdobeFnt.lst by following the steps below:
- Choose Start > Search (or Find depending on your Windows version) > For Files or Folders to launch the Find utility.
- Delete all copies of the AdobeFnt.lst file. Adobe applications recreate this file when you restart them.

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What if I installed the font, but the wrong font name shows up in the font menu?

You probably got the right font. Many of Linotype’s fonts on the Windows platform are arranged into four-style “Windows families” or “Macintosh familes”, regular, italic, bold, and bold italic. Sometimes, only the “regular” version will appear in your font menu, even if you only installed the bold or italic version. This is particularly true for bold and black styles. For example, Linotype tends to group light and bold styles as one family, and medium and black styles as another.

Some font packages contain multiple versions of the same font. If you save fonts on your hard disk, the following folders might be created:

<Name> TT, containing TrueType fonts
<Name> PS, containing PostScript fonts
..\Single, containing non-classified single fonts
..\Family, containing classified fonts

If you install fonts from the folders called “Single” or "~s", each style will appear as a separate item in your application’s font menu.

If you install fonts from the folders called “Family” or "~f", styles will be grouped into families. As a result, you may see different names in your application’s font menu. These are family names rather than style names. In any family, you should use the application’s bold or italic style selector to select the appropriate style.

Make sure that you are consistent in picking between family and single versions. Installing both versions, or a mixture of versions from the same family, will cause problems.

On Mac OS

One subtlety with Macintosh families is that PostScript Type 1 fonts are usually handled by a single bitmap suitcase that contains up to four styles. This results in two additional possibilities:

If you install one style as a family, you get pixilated fonts for styles you didn't buy.
If you install several family fonts from the same family, the bitmap suitcases are identical. As a result, they overwrite each other when copying them into the Fonts folder. This is intentional. However, if you have any applications open, you can't overwrite bitmap suitcases in the Fonts folder.

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How do I install a font?

The MyFonts installer makes it easy to install fonts on the Microsoft Windows operating system. If you use the Microsoft Windows operating system, after purchasing your fonts, click Install Fonts in Windows to download the font installer. Follow the instructions on screen to download and run the installer wizard and step through the wizard to install the fonts.

If you chose to download the zip file for the font, unpack it and follow the installation directions below to install the fonts onto your system.

We recommend installing only one format of a font, either OpenType, TrueType, or PostScript. Installing two or more formats of the same font may cause problems when you try to use, view, or print the font. If you use a font management utility to manage your fonts, follow the instructions for the utility to install and remove fonts. After installing fonts, you may need to restart an application or reselect the printer in the application to make the fonts appear in the font list.

Installing OpenType and TrueType fonts in Windows, and PostScript Type 1 fonts in Windows 2000+, XP, and Vista

In versions prior to Windows XP, Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel. In Windows XP and later, choose Start > Control Panel.
Double-click the Fonts folder. If you don't see a Fonts folder in Windows XP or Vista, please switch the control panel to Classic Mode
Choose File > Install New Font.
Locate the fonts you want to install. In the Drives list, select the drive and the folder containing the fonts you want to install. In the Folders list, select a folder that contains the fonts you want to install. (Make sure you have unzipped them first.) The fonts in the folder appear under List of Fonts.
Select the fonts to install. To select more than one font, hold down the CTRL key and select each font. To select a list of fonts to install, select the first font in the list, press the SHIFT key, then select the last font in the list. All of the fonts in between will be selected.
To copy the fonts to the Fonts folder, make sure the Copy fonts to the Fonts folder check box is selected. If you are installing fonts from a floppy disk or a CD-ROM, you should make sure this check box is selected. Otherwise, you will have to keep this disk or CD-ROM available to use the fonts in your applications.
Click OK to install the fonts.

Installing PostScript Type 1 Fonts in Windows Me/98/95 or Windows NT

Use ATM (Adobe Type Manager) to install PostScript Type 1 fonts. You can download Adobe’s freely distributable ATM Light for Windows from Adobe’s Web site.

Installing PostScript, OpenType, or TrueType Fonts in Mac OS X

Before installing fonts, you should close any open applications. For some applications, new fonts do not appear in the font menu if you install them while the application is open.
In the Finder, open the folder or disk that contains the fonts you want to install.
Select the font suitcases for the fonts you want to install. For PostScript Type 1 fonts, select the printer outline files as well.
Drag and drop the fonts into the Fonts folder in the Library folder. If you want fonts to be available to applications running in Classic mode, you must install fonts in Macintosh TrueType or Macintosh PostScript format into the Fonts folder inside the Classic System folder.

For a thorough in-depth description of all aspects of fonts on Mac OS X, we suggest the eBook Take Control of Fonts in Mac OS X published by TidBITS.

Installing PostScript or TrueType Fonts in Mac OS 9.x or 8.x

Macintosh System 9.x allows you to open 512 suitcases at once. Macintosh System 8.x and earlier only allow you to open 128 font suitcases at one time. If you exceed these limits, not all the fonts you install will work.

Before installing fonts, you should close any open applications. For some applications, new fonts do not appear in the font menu if you install them while the application is open.
In the Finder, open the folder or disk that contains the fonts you want to install.
Select the font suitcases for the fonts you want to install. For PostScript Type 1 fonts, select the printer outline files as well.
Drag and drop the fonts onto the closed System Folder icon.
Click OK to install the fonts.

Installing fonts on Unix/Linux

See the Myfonts.com Article for installing fonts on Unix/Linux.

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Using Fonts

How do I connect the font file names or numbers with the name of the font?

How do I use international fonts in Windows?

How do I use international fonts in Mac OS X?

How do I set bold or italics on fonts I have installed?

On Windows, I get an error message saying that the font is corrupt. How can I fix it?

On Windows, fonts do not install, or the Install Fonts option is missing in the Fonts folder. What do I do?

I tried installing a Macintosh TrueType file in OS X but it did not install. How do I install it?

How do I see all the characters in a font?

Fonts not available in Adobe applications

How do I connect the font file names or numbers with the name of the font?

When you look at the font files on your system, you may see some that have names consisting of a combination of letters and numbers, for example, TT121M0.TTF.

Double-click the file to open a character display of the font that shows the name and samples of the font. You can also use a font manager program to display, install, or uninstall fonts.

In Mac OS 10.3.x (Panther), double-click on a font to open it in the Font Book. The Font Book lists the font name and gives you details about the font as well as a sample.

In prior versions of Mac OS, you have to install the font to see its name. (How do I install a font?)

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How do I use international fonts in Windows?

Many MyFonts customers are surprised when they buy a Hebrew or Chinese font only to see regular English characters on the screen when they start typing. To get to the good stuff, you will need to turn on the appropriate language keyboard support in the Windows Control Panel.

The steps below look long and complicated, but don't worry! It’s not as hard as it looks.

Installing Language Support

Note: you may need to have your Windows installation CD handy.

Open the Control Panel from the Start Menu.
Choose Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options.
Choose Add other languages.
Depending on which language you want to use, you may need to turn on one of the checkboxes in the “Supplemental language support” section:
- use “complex script and right-to-left” for Hebrew, Hindi, Arabic, and Thai
- use “East Asian” for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
- after turning on the checkbox(es) and saying OK to the message window, click the Apply button to install the files from your Windows CD.
- Click No when prompted to reboot. You don't need to yet.
Click the Details... button in the “Text services and input languages” section.
Click the Add... button in the “Installed services” section.
Select your desired language from the top dropdown list.
Click OK and keep clicking OK on each remaining Control Panel window.
This time, you do need to reboot.

Using international fonts in your applications

Now that you have installed the language support, you should see the “Language Bar” at the bottom of your screen next to the clock area. It says EN for English. To start typing:

Open your favorite application (e.g. MS Word).
Click on the Language Bar (“EN”) and choose your desired language from the list.
In your application, select the font you purchased from MyFonts.
Start typing!

If you need help deciphering the exact method of inputting your particular language in Windows, we recommend a Google search, as we are not experts in exactly how the Windows international keyboards are laid out.

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How do I use international fonts in Mac OS X?

Enabling International Language Support

Note: you may need to have your Mac OS X installation DVD handy.

Open System Preferences from the Apple Menu.
Choose the International icon.
Choose the Input Menu tab.
Turn on the checkbox(es) for your desired language.
Turn on the Show input menu in menu bar checkbox at the bottom of the window.
That’s it! You can close System Preferences.

Using international fonts in your applications

Now that you have installed the language support, you should see the Input Menu in your menu bar. It looks like your country’s flag near the clock at the right side of the screen. You will use this Input Menu to choose which language you type in:

Open your favorite application (e.g. TextEdit).
Click on the Input Menu and choose your desired language from the list.
In your application, select the font you purchased from MyFonts.
Start typing!

If you need help deciphering the exact method of inputting your particular language, we recommend a Google search, as we are not experts in exactly how the Mac OS X international keyboards are laid out.

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How do I set bold or italics on fonts I have installed?

Make sure that you purchased these styles for the font, then set them normally using the application menu options. Consult the documentation for the application you are using for details on how to set font styles.

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On Windows, I get an error message saying that the font is corrupt. How can I fix it?

You can install a maximum of approximately 800 to 1,000 TrueType fonts in Windows ME, 98, or 95. This is due to a 64K limit on the size of the Registry area that Windows uses to store font names and font file paths.

When your list of fonts is near or over that limit, fonts have been known to disappear, or act in irregular ways.

To resolve this, remove some of your fonts from the Fonts folder, restart your system, and try the font(s) in question again. But do not remove the following fonts from the Fonts folder:

Arial
Courier New
Lucida
Symbol
Tahoma
Times New Roman
WingDings

This error may also occur because of a print driver error. To resolve this, re-select your printer from within your application.

You can also upgrade to Windows XP or later (e.g. Vista), which has a large enough limit that you should no longer see this problem.

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On Windows, fonts do not install, or the Install Fonts option is missing in the Fonts folder. What do I do?

If the Fonts folder loses its System attribute, the “Install New Font” option disappears from the File menu, and you cannot add new fonts. Microsoft describes this problem and the solutions in Article ID: Q133725. You can see the solution to this problem on this Microsoft Support page.

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I tried installing a Macintosh TrueType file in OS X but it did not install. How do I install it?

Macintosh TrueType fonts will not work if the file name ends with .ttf. To solve this, rename the fonts, removing the “.ttf” extension from the file names before installing the fonts.

Installing Macintosh TrueType Fonts in OS X

Rename Macintosh TrueType fonts you want to install, as described above.
Before installing fonts, you should close any open applications. For some applications, new fonts do not appear in the font menu if you install them while the application is open.
In the Finder, open the folder or disk with fonts to install.
Select the font suitcases for the fonts you want to install.
Drag and drop the fonts into the Fonts folder in the Library folder.

If you want fonts to be available to applications running in Classic mode, you must also install the fonts into the Fonts folder inside the Classic System folder.

For a detailed troubleshooting guide for fonts on Mac OS X, we suggest the eBook Take Control of Font Problems in Mac OS X published by TidBITS.

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How do I see all the characters in a font?

In Windows, you can use the Character Map tool to view the characters in a font.

To use Character Map:

In Windows operating systems prior to Windows 2000, choose Start > Accessories > Character Map. In Windows 2000 and above, choose Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map
In the Font box, choose a font to view.
Select a character in the chart and click Select. The character is added to the Characters to Copy box.
When you are finished selecting characters, click Copy to copy all the characters you selected.
In your application, use the Paste command to paste the characters into your document. Apply the font to the characters if necessary.

On the Mac OS, use Key Caps.

To use Key Caps:

On the Apple menu, choose Key Caps.
On the Font menu, choose a font to view.
Select the characters by clicking the key with the character on it. Hold down the SHIFT, OPTION, or SHIFT and OPTION keys to view additional characters.
When you are finished selecting characters, you can choose Edit > Copy to copy the characters you selected.
In your application, use the Paste command to paste the characters into your document. Apply the font to the characters if necessary.

You can also click character map below the font name on MyFonts to view the characters in a font.

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Fonts not available in Adobe applications

Sometimes, using Adobe applications such as InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, users get the message “fonts are not currently available”. Alternatively the fonts may simply not appear in the font menu.

This is a problem acknowledged by Adobe, and can be fixed by removing certain temporary “font cache” files from your system. (Adobe applications use Adobefnt.lst files to quickly gather and store information about available fonts.)

If you encounter this problem, you should remove all files named adobefnt*.lst (where the * is extra characters in the name). To find all such files: on Windows click Start, Search then look for all files with “adobefnt” in the name; on the Mac, use the Finder to look for “adobefnt” files.

More information:

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Font Formats

Which font format should I buy?

What are TrueType fonts?

I didn't receive the font format I thought I had selected

What are OpenType fonts?

What is a PostScript font?

How do I use PostScript fonts with older versions of Windows prior to Windows 2000 and Mac OS prior to Mac OS X?

What are AFM and INF files?

What are font suitcases?

What is a font package?

Which font format should I buy?

We generally recommend font formats in this order:

OpenType. offers the widest compatibility across platforms, and in some fonts offers really excellent extra features like automatic ligatures, alternate characters, small caps, etc, all in one font file. Not yet available for some fonts.
TrueType. Windows TrueType (TTF) fonts will work on any version of Windows or (surprise!) Mac OS X, so we highly recommend WinTT if OpenType is not available. If you are using “classic” MacOS, then Mac TrueType is a good choice.
PostScript. slightly more difficult to install due to two or more files per font. Requires extra software (Adobe Type Manager) on older OSes like Windows 95/98/Me and MacOS 9. Some printing agencies prefer PostScript, so ask them first if necessary.

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What are TrueType fonts?

TrueType fonts combine the bitmap and printer outlines into one file. You can use a TrueType font on any computer running the Mac OS or Windows operating system.

On Windows, TrueType fonts use the file extension .ttf, and they appear in a folder or on a disk using the icons below:

[TrueType font file: alone, inside Fonts folder]

When a font appears in a folder or on a disk, its icon displays using the file name. When a font is installed in the Windows Fonts folder, it displays using the font name.

On the Mac OS, TrueType fonts work with all versions from 7.0 and up.

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I didn't receive the font format I thought I had selected

Not all fonts are available in all font formats. Increasingly, fonts are available only in OpenType because it will work on all platforms.

On Purchase Options pages, the check boxes in the Select View area allow you to limit which packages are appear in the body of the page. If multiple boxes are checked, packages that contain any (but not necessarily all) of those formats will be listed. Against each package, you will see exactly which formats are included in that package.

If you do find that you made a mistake, please contact us before you download the font package; we will switch your order to the correct format if it is available.

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What are OpenType fonts?

Click here to learn all about OpenType fonts.

On Windows, you can install OpenType fonts on any computer running Windows 2000+, XP, and Vista. The same OpenType font can be installed in Windows and Mac OS X. Any recent version of Windows will recognize these fonts as OpenType fonts. Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT 4 will usually recognize them as TrueType or PostScript fonts, depending on the “OpenType flavor”.

In Windows, OpenType fonts appear in a folder or on a disk using the following icons:

[OpenType font files: alone, inside a folder]

When a font appears in a folder or on a disk, its icon displays using the file name. When a font is installed in the Windows Fonts folder, it displays using the font name.

In Mac OS X, an OpenType font has only one part. OpenType fonts work in Mac OS X only. The same OpenType font that can be installed Windows can be installed in Mac OS X.

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What is a PostScript font?

PostScript, or Type 1, fonts have two parts, For Windows, the two files are a printer outline (.PFB) and a metrics file (.PFM). For Macintosh, the two files are a PostScript Type 1 outline font (LWFN) and Font Suitcase (FFIL). These Mac files are also sometimes referred to as the printer font and bitmap font respectively.

The outline contains the information for printing a smooth font at any size. The metrics file or font suitcase contains the measurement information an application needs to display the font on screen at specific sizes. You should always keep the two files together so that the font displays and prints properly. On Windows, additional metrics may be included in an associated .AFM or .INF file. (What are AFM and INF files?)

The PostScript file names do not necessarily resemble the actual names of the fonts that appear in the Font menu of an application. However, when you install the fonts into the Windows Fonts folder, the system displays a single icon representing the two files and using the font’s actual name.

[PostScript font files: on their own, inside Fonts folder]

On Mac OS X, each PostScript Type 1 outline font requires a corresponding bitmap font suitcase. It is quite common for one suitcase to be shared among a family of fonts as shown below.

[PostScript Type 1: font suitcase plus 4 printer outlines]

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How do I use PostScript fonts with older versions of Windows prior to Windows 2000 and Mac OS prior to Mac OS X?

Windows Vista, XP, Windows 2000, and Mac OS X inherently support PostScript Type 1 fonts. To use Type 1 fonts with any prior version of Windows or Mac OS, you should install Adobe Type Manager (ATM). You can download ATM Light for Windows or for Mac OS free from the Adobe website.

For Windows Me/98/95 or Windows NT 4, use ATM Deluxe, ATM Light, or ATM version 4.0 or later. For Windows 3.1 or NT 3.5.1, use ATM version 3.x. Download those files from the Adobe website here.

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What are AFM and INF files?

AFM files contain Adobe font metrics information. INF files contain other font information. Your font files may include AFM or INF files for the fonts. However, unless your application tells you that you need the AFM or INF files, you can ignore them.

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What are font suitcases?

On Mac Systems prior to Mac OS X, bitmap fonts and TrueType fonts travel inside suitcases.

font suitcase

Suitcases can contain either:

a collection of bitmaps for a particular PostScript Type 1 font family
OR
individual fonts, such as regular, italic, bold, and bold italic, of a particular TrueType font family (and sometimes bitmaps as well for that TrueType family)

To determine whether a suitcase contains bitmaps or TrueType fonts, open the suitcase and look at the icons inside. The other clue is that TrueType fonts are noticeably larger than bitmaps.

inside PostScript Type 1 suitcase		inside TrueType suitcase

2 bitmaps		TrueType font + bitmap

Always leave fonts stored inside suitcases. Although you can remove a font from a suitcase, it may not work properly outside the suitcase.

On Mac OS X where fonts are organized quite differently, suitcases look more like ordinary files, the contents of which can no longer be viewed and identified in the Finder. However, the term, Font Suitcase, continues to be seen when fonts are viewed as List.

Some font foundries use their own custom icons for bitmap suitcases, PostScript font files, and TrueType font suitcases. The foundries may even use custom icons for the folders containing the font files. We recommend viewing font folders in list view to make it easier to tell the difference between folders and files.

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What is a font package?

A font package is a font or fonts available for purchase on MyFonts. It could be one font, or a value pack, or a CD. When you purchase fonts on MyFonts you are puchasing a font package.

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Printing Fonts

What if font styles (bold, italic, or both) appear on screen, but do not print?

What if I get a PostScript printer error when I try to print Mac OS document formatted with three or more fonts?

What if font styles (bold, italic, or both) appear on screen, but do not print?

For bold, italic, and bold italic to work successfully, you must have the bold, italic, and/or bold italic versions of the font installed. When you apply italic or bold attributes to such a font, the operating system creates a false bold, false italic, or false bold italic for the screen display. These false fonts rarely print. Additionally, some fonts may not have bold, italic, or bold italic weights or styles.

To avoid this problem for fonts that have these styles, always choose a font and its fonts style from the Font menu in your application. Do not use the bold or italic text effects. These usually appear as buttons or menu choices in an application. If the style you want does not appear in the Font menu, you must install the font style. If you do not own the style, you are going to have to buy it.

Checking the fonts you have

Fonts on Disk or CD. If you purchased the font on a disk from Bitstream, the label lists the font names and styles included on the disk. If bought a font CD from Bitstream, the product pacakging includes a catalog or poster listing all the fonts on the CD. If you have the font style you want, you need to install it.
Fonts Bought Online. If you bought Bitstream fonts on-line through Bitstream, check the e-mail receipt for your order. The receipt lists the fonts you purchased, both the font name and the font styles.

To find out if the font style you want is available, go back to the website and search for the font you are using. The online listings show all available styles for the font. Look to see if there is a font in the style you are trying to use. If there is, you must buy and install that font to successfully use that style.

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What if I get a PostScript printer error when I try to print Mac OS document formatted with three or more fonts?

The printer may not have enough memory (RAM) to support a print job containing three or more fonts. Try simplifying your page layout, or adding more memory to your printer. You can also try the following:

Open the Page Setup dialog box. In most applications, this is a choice on the File menu.
Choose PostScript Options.
Select the Unlimited Downloaded Fonts in a Document check box.
Click OK to close the dialog box.

Using this option may increase the time it takes to print a document.

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Licenses

What is a standard license?

What are font licenses?

What are multi-user discounts and site licenses?

How do I take advantage of multi-user discounts?

Why can't I change the number of users for certain packages?

Why are different fonts discounted differently?

Which vendor offers the best multi-user discount?

What is a standard license?

All fonts are tied to a standard license. This is the license agreement, written by the foundry that makes the font, which you accept on the Accept License page on the Checkout page, just before you pay for the font. A typical standard license covers the font for use by between 1 and 5 users.

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What are font licenses?

Each foundry has its own license. You will be asked to read and accept the terms of the license agreement when you check out and purchase a font. Please read the license agreement carefully.

All licenses allow unlimited use of alphabetic fonts. There may, however, be restrictions on using characters from symbol and picture fonts as logos. No license allows you to give the font to a third party. If you need to include a font in your product, contact the vendor (font foundry or typeface designer) for an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) license.

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What are multi-user discounts and site licenses?

Also known as “site licenses,” multi-user discounts make it economical to license fonts for use by many users in your organization. For example, the standard license of a font may cover 5 users for $34.95. If we license this for 100 users, a simple multiplication means it could cost as much as $699. With a multi-user discount, the price falls to $196.

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How do I take advantage of multi-user discounts?

You will see the multi-user discount listed below the price when you add a font to your shopping cart. To see this, follow the steps below:

1. Add the package to your Shopping Cart as usual (see How do I buy fonts? for details on how to add a font package to your Shopping Cart).

2. Type the number of users for the font in the Change number of users text box. (Initially, this shows the number of users covered by the standard license.)

3. Click Change, beside the text box.

The page displays the discount below the price.

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Why can't I change the number of users for certain packages?

Not all foundries offer multi-user licensing, and some choose to leave certain packages undiscounted. You will not see a Change button by these packages in the Shopping Cart.

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Why are different fonts discounted differently?

We leave it up to the foundries to decide how to discount their fonts, just as we leave it up to them to decide pricing.

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Which vendor offers the best multi-user discount?

We don’t have an answer for this as discounts depend on how many users you are licensing the font for, and every vendor is different. We encourage you to look at the Font of the Day, Best Sellers, or What’s New to find fonts or foundries that may be offering discounts.

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Site Access

How do I set up an account?

Is my information secure?

Why can't I log in?

I keep getting bounced back to the Login page

How do I set up an account?

You can create an account at MyFonts to purchase fonts, receive e-mail newsletters about happenings at MyFonts, and participate in font forums! To create an account, go to the MyFonts Registration page, fill out the form, and click Create Account Now. Congratulations, and welcome!

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Is my information secure?

Yes. Myfonts uses 128-bit encryption. You can verify that the data you send to MyFonts is secure by looking for the lock icon in your browser, or verifying that the address bar displays “https” for a secure site.

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Why can't I log in?

Check to see that your password is correct. Make sure that the CAPS LOCK key is not pressed on your keyboard when entering in your password. If you forget your password, click the link under the password field to have a new password sent to the e-mail address on file.

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I keep getting bounced back to the Login page

This can happen if MyFonts cookies in your browser get messed up and the login system forgets you are logged. As a test, try clicking the My Account tab (log in if you have to) and then try the My Orders link on that page. If it asks you for your login again, then the cookies are definitely getting mixed up.

One possibility is that your computer’s clock is fast. That can cause the login to immediately expire because it thinks a lot of time has passed. Check the time zone as well as the time and date to ensure that all are reasonably correct.

If you continue to experience login problems, head into your browser’s preferences and remove all the cookies for the “www.myfonts.com” site (or it doesn't hurt to zap all of them altogether).

If that doesn't solve it for you, please visit this link, which will send us some information on your connection:

http://www.myfonts.com/Cookie

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Font Display

My fonts look rough and jagged. How do I fix them?

What if fonts do not appear in a document when I copy it to another computer?

My fonts look rough and jagged. How do I fix them?

Check the format of the font. To clearly display and print PostScript Type 1 fonts in Windows Me/98/95 or the MacOS Classic at all sizes, you must have Adobe Type Manager installed. You can download ATM Light free from the Adobe website. If you are running Windows 2000+, XP or Vista, you do not need to install ATM since it is part of the operating system already.

You can install a Type 1 font in MacOS Classic, and the system may not display any warning messages. However, at certain sizes the font may appear jagged, with blocky edges like the font is made out of bricks. In some cases, a PostScript Type 1 font may not display at all unless you install Adobe Type Manager.

To clearly display TrueType fonts, you must have font smoothing turned on.

To turn on font smoothing in Windows:

Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click the Display icon.
Click the Effects tab.
Make sure that Smooth edges of screen fonts is checked.
Click OK.

To turn on font smoothing in Mac OS:

Choose Apple Menu > Control Panels > Appearance.
Click the Fonts tab.
Make sure that Smooth all fonts on screen is checked.

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What if fonts do not appear in a document when I copy it to another computer?

The other computer may not have the fonts installed. Install the fonts on the other computer or send the document with fonts embedded (What does it mean to embed a font?).

Consult your font licensing agreement to make sure that you can embed these fonts.

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Embedding Fonts

What does it mean to embed a font?

My application says my font cannot be embedded. What do I do?

What if I embedded TrueType fonts in a document with Microsoft Word for Office 97, and when I open the document on another computer, the fonts appear in the wrong font style (bold, italic, or bold italic)?

What does it mean to embed a font?

In order to ensure that others who view your documents see the fonts you chose, you must embed the font in the document. Most applications that support document creation have a feature to do this. For example, when creating an Adobe PDF, you would do this on the Fonts tab of the Job Options window.

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My application says my font cannot be embedded. What do I do?

Some typeface designers and foundries do not allow their fonts to be embedded in documents. Others allow limited embedding (for example, “read only”). We suggest you contact the original typeface designer or foundry for more information.

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What if I embedded TrueType fonts in a document with Microsoft Word for Office 97, and when I open the document on another computer, the fonts appear in the wrong font style (bold, italic, or bold italic)?

This happens to any fonts embedded in a document using Word 97 if the font set exists as separate font files for each weight and style or not all weights and styles for the font are used in the document. You can use the following suggestions to work around this unexpected behavior.

On the system you use to create the document and embed the fonts (the “Sending” system)

Perform the steps below:
1. Save the document without embedding the fonts. On the Save As dialog box, click Options, and clear the Embed TrueType Fonts check box.
2. Remove the bold, italic, and bold italic fonts from the Windows Fonts folder leaving only the regular weight of the font.
3. Save the document again with the Embed TrueType Fonts check box selected.
Use Word for Office 95, Word for Office 98, Word for Office 2000 or XP, or a different word processor to embed the fonts in the document.
Save the document as a PDF using Adobe Acrobat, with the Embed Fonts option selected. The Adobe PDF format is a Web standard. It requires a free reader program to view the document. This reader is a common plug-in for most Web browsers. Consult your font license agreement before you embed a font into a PDF. Some foundaries may have restrictions on redistribution, which may prevent the font from being embedded.
Do not embed the fonts in the document at all. If you regularly transfer documents to the same people, have them buy and install the fonts on their own systems. If you are transferring documents within the same company, you can purchase site licenses for the fonts.

On the system that opens the document with the embedded fonts (the “Receiving” system)

Open the document in another word processor that supports font embedding.
Buy and install the fonts used in the document.
If using the Adobe PDF format, install Adobe Reader or the Adobe Reader plug-in to your Web browser to view PDF formatted files.

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Other

How can I get a referrer package sent to me?

You are entitled to a referrer fee if you refer customers from your website to MyFonts. See our MyFonts Affiliate Program page for details.

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Contact Us

What if I cannot find the answers to my questions in these help pages?

Why do you provide customer support only by e-mail?

What if I cannot find the answers to my questions in these help pages?

If you don't find the answers to your question above, you can contact our Help Desk using this form and we'll get back to you personally.

If you have a spam filter, please make sure it will allow emails from info@myfonts.com. It is also a good idea to include your phone number just in case we cannot reach you by email.

Please bear in mind that some questions take longer to answer than others, particularly if we need to carry out some testing. If you don't get a response within 24 hours, please send a follow-up and be sure to include your phone number. This is often a sign that our responses are not reaching you.

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Why do you provide customer support only by e-mail?

MyFonts is run entirely online. Answering questions by E-mail allows us to check our answers carefully -- with specialists in the subject area when necessary -- before we send our response to you.

It also makes it possible for us to send you links to Web pages that you can simply click on to access the page.

The MyFonts team spans 15 time zones. As a result, our ability to respond to your requests is not limited to “office hours”. We take pride in our responsiveness: half of all e-mail requests we receive at any time of the day or night are answered within 30 minutes!

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