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Participant
September 26, 2010
Question

Typography in product use

  • September 26, 2010
  • 2 replies
  • 900 views

Not sure if this is the right forum, but searching did not deliver any good results.

I am a product developer and want to use a particular font on a new product. Is buying the font for use on my computer enough to allow me to 'print' with it on my product?

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    2 replies

    Jacob Bugge
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    September 27, 2010

    You are welcome, bvanbelle.

    The long answer concept is our attempting to incorporate the conditions inherent the question, whether implicitly or specifically included, as well as to determine the meaning of its wording, whether strictly correct or not, in the considerations leading to the answer, which may then seem rather short.

    I am a product developer and want to use a particular font on a new product. Is buying the font for use on my computer enough to allow me to 'print' with it on my product?

    In this case, your acquiring the font for use on your computer does not in any way hinder your using it for creating what you acquire it for (presuming you acquire commercial versions for commercial use, a condition that applies just as much to the application as to the font, and which I assumed confirmed by your presenting yourself using a term that implies commercial use); generally, the limitation is not in your using the font, but in your making the font itself available to others, which is the case if you send the fonts along with a file, but not if you embed it in a PDF or transfer it in an outlined form or print it.

    If I had had more time yesterday, I would have hinted at some of the many possible short answers, as I now have, and mentioned looking at the EULA, but I relied on the contribution of others. Actually, I had expected more by now.

    And obviously, Herb is right.

    Jacob Bugge
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    September 26, 2010

    bvanbelle,

    The long answer is yes.

    bvanbelleAuthor
    Participant
    September 26, 2010

    Jacob,

    Thanks for not letting me have it with the short answer.

    Peace.

    September 26, 2010

    The short answer may be No.

    First, you don't buy fonts! You acquire a license for them. And each

    has an EULA (End User License Agreement) that defines exactly what you

    are and are not licensed to do with that font. The EULA's differ among

    vendors, differ among fonts within vendors, and differ for the same

    font depending on exactly which license you've purchased.

    Many fonts offer commercial licenses that are different from (and more

    expensive than) those for personal/private use. I'm not a

    professional, and haven't seen a clear definition of just what

    "commercial use" consists of. Read the font licenses carefully;

    misuse could result in quite a bit of legal complication.

    - Herb