Times New Roman Bold, I have Photoshop, do I have a sub-license to incorporate TNR BOLD in Merch?

The official answer: you need to see which specific version of Times New Roman is installed on your computer, and then check the software licence for those font files. Those software licences probably say that you can’t use Times for commercial merchandise. The Times New Roman on your computer was most likely installed as part of the operating system, not as part of any Adobe application.

The unofficial answer: practically every computer in the world comes with some form of the Times New Roman typeface installed. Because Times is so ubiquitous, most people assume that they can use Times however they want. And they do.

The history: the Times New Roman typeface was originally designed by commission in 1929–1932 by Monotype for the Times of London, for use on the newspaper’s Linotype typesetting machines. Those licences and trademarks are still the property of Monotype today. Apple licensed Times Roman for use on their Macintosh computers; Microsoft did the same with Times New Roman for Windows.

The reason why Times is so widespread today is that it was one of the very first typefaces to be converted into digital format. Adobe’s original technology – the PostScript language – is the basis of most digital typefaces today. PostScript was built into some of the first laser printers in the mid-1980s, along with what are called the original ‘PostScript 13’ fonts:

• Courier (regular, oblique, bold, and bold oblique);
• Helvetica (regular, oblique, bold, and bold oblique);
• Times (regular, italic, bold, and bold italic);
• Symbol

Once Apple and Microsoft added support for Times directly into their operating systems, everyone simply assumed that Times could be used however they wanted. But Monotype may beg to differ. And as the trademark holder of Times New Roman, the law is on Monotype’s side.

If you want to design merchandise that you’ll be selling for profit – and you want to respect Monotype’s legal rights – you have two choices:

• License one of Monotype’s many versions of Times directly from the company;
• Choose another typeface that you think is a good replacement for Times in your designs, but is available on Adobe Fonts.

Monotype has a wide variety of different Times fonts available for licensing. Because the original was designed for different sizes in metal, there are different versions to choose from:

Times Eighteen (for display-size text: 18 points and larger)
https://www.fonts.com/font/linotype/times-eighteen

Times New Roman (the classic: 12–17 points)
https://www.fonts.com/font/monotype/times-new-roman

Times (the classic: 11–14 points)
https://www.fonts.com/font/linotype/times

Times Ten (body text: 8–10 points)
https://www.fonts.com/font/linotype/times-ten

Times New Roman Seven (caption text: 6–7½ points)
https://www.fonts.com/font/monotype/times-new-roman-seven

Times New Roman Small Text (body text: 3½–5½ points)
https://www.fonts.com/font/monotype/times-new-roman-small-text

My recommendation: if you use a typeface available on Adobe Fonts, then you have clear, consistent licensing terms about what you can and cannot do. Plus there a wide selection of typefaces to choose from, and they’re all included with your Creative Cloud subscription. Here’s the webpage explaining how you can use typefaces available on Adobe Fonts:

https://helpx.adobe.com/fonts/using/font-licensing.html

I hope that answers your question. If not, please let me know.

Best regards

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. I'd like to inform you that "Times New Roman" and "Times New Roman Bold" are included in the system font, which we don't offer.

Thanks for your patience.

Regards,

Tarun