Are all these legit websites?

[Amelia25884191n3hq]

Alright, first of all let me admit it, that I love the Adobe fonts. When it comes to selecting a font for my new projects, I always go through the Adobe fonts. I'm coming across a lot of websites that are providing Adobe fonts [link removed as per forum guidelines] for free. I mean you pay nothing and easily download the fonts. My question is, can I trust these kind of websites?

[Tarun Saini]

Hi @Amelia25884191n3hq,

Thanks for reaching out to us. I want to let you know that we support fonts that you download from the fonts.adobe.com website. Fonts that you access through third-party websites are not supported by us.

Please check this link and let us know if that helps: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/fonts/using/activate-fonts-desktop.html

Regards,

Tarun

[MONICA18657963o1ml]

Hello! I am new around and do not know how to initiate a discussion, so I am leveing here my pain 🙂

I am a freelancer and I got caought in licensing issues. I have to prepare a layout for a client and I am not sure if the client should pay for the Adobe fonts I will be using. Please, help! Thank you.

[Test Screen Name]

Adobe fonts are not in general free. But there are many sites with stolen fonts.

[Andrew Strauss · Accepted solution]

Amelia:

THE QUICK ANSWER:

If the free font website looks too good to be true, it probably is.

There are specific typefaces available on Adobe Fonts that are free-to-use; these are open-source typefaces like Source Sans:

https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts/source-sans-3

Other typefaces require licensing, but may include one or two free fonts as part of a larger commercial typeface. A good example is the Questa family:

https://fonts.adobe.com/foundries/the-questa-project

Otherwise: it’s probably best to assume that any typeface you find online requires commercial licensing.

Please keep in mind that whatever typefaces you download or purchase will have some form of licence describing precisely how you can use them. Make sure that you have the correct licences in place for the typefaces that you plan to use.

THE MORE DETAILED ANSWER:

The internet is quite a large place these days, so it’ll always be easy to find websites offering commercial fonts for free download. For the typefoundries – and that includes Adobe – tracking down these websites is a never-ending task.

To answer your question: how do you know when to trust a free font website? Simply find a specific typeface on the website that’s available for free download, check out the original type designer’s own website. If the designer is selling licences on their own website or through other typefoundries, then the free font website is too good to be true.

But there are typefaces available everywhere that you can download and use freely. These typefaces have open-source licences which grant you the right use and modify the fonts however you need.

And there are several well-known websites where you can find these open-source typefaces:

Font Squirrel
https://www.fontsquirrel.com/

Google Fonts
https://fonts.google.com/

Many websites across the internet use open-source typefaces. And if you’re working on projects that are not covered by Adobe Fonts’ licensing terms, using open-source typefaces may be an attractive alternative to commercial typefaces.

When working on a project for a client, keep in mind that you’re going to have to make sure that they purchase the appropriate typeface licences. Sometimes, Adobe Fonts’ general licence is good enough. But in cases where a client needs to do something specific like embed fonts into a mobile application, they’ll need special licensing above what Adobe Fonts general licence offers.

If you’re working with a client that you know cannot afford unforeseen or extra expenses – like a non-profit organization or charity – then consider using open-source fonts available through Adobe Fonts, Font Squirrel, Google Fonts, and other well-known websites.

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

Best regards
Andrew

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[Amelia25884191n3hq]

Thank you Andrew for such a detailed guide. It's insightfull and I take it as a resource.

Thanks again.

[Andrew Strauss]

Amelia:

Many thanks for your kind words.

Between what’s available on Adobe Fonts and on various open-source services, there’s a diverse range of typefaces to choose from. And if you still can’t find what you need – or you need special licences for a project – I’d recommend going directly to the typefoundries who make their work available on Adobe Fonts. Most foundries offer a selection of their typeface collection on Adobe Fonts; you’ll find the rest on their own websites.

Best regards
Andrew

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[Amelia25884191n3hq]

Some how the website link was removed. I added the link just for a reference. Here is the web address if anyone needs to look at. [link removed by moderator - please refrain from posting spam links or your account will be banned]

By the way I'm not paid to promote other people's websites 

[Test Screen Name]

You can expect links to stolen font sites to be removed, Adobe won't tolerate them.