Adobe Fonts & Licensing Clarification

[Victoria G.]

Hi everyone, I'm new here, and trying to understand everything correctly. I just wanted to ask in terms of ONLY using the Adobe fonts library to create logos, infographics, posters, images etc (only using font within image - not creating websites or anything like that), am I right in understanding there is no limitations for this? So I can use absolutely any font within the Adobe Fonts library as I please in this capacity. I read a page called 'Restricted Fonts' with a short list of fonts but as I understand this just means you may only use the fonts listed within Adobe programmes, so not Microsoft Word for example. Thank you in advance for any help.

Thanks

Victoria

[Dov Isaacs · Accepted solution]

Please go to https://helpx.adobe.com/fonts/user-guide.html/fonts/using/font-licensing.ug.html for this information and you will find the full sets of terms and conditions associated with use of fonts within the Adobe Fonts service.

For the purposes you brought up, there are no restrictions. And once you have created any of those graphic objects, you don't need to have the fonts activated. You may also sell, give, whatever those graphic objects to anyone regardless of whether they have any Adobe software licenses!

In terms of restricted fonts I assume you are referring to the web page https://www.adobe.com/products/type/font-licensing/restricted-fonts.html. This page has absolutely nothing to do with fonts licensed via the Adobe Fonts service, but rather, fonts that are internal to various Adobe applications. Many of those fonts are also available as part of the Adobe Fonts service and can be used by activating those fonts via the service. There is no restriction whatsoever on use of fonts from the Adobe Fonts service with non-Adobe applications!

[Victoria G.]

Thank you so much, Dov. You've made everything clear and easy to understand - and I have peace of mind moving forward. I learnt this week there can be limitations with some fonts with 'web use', but I don't use them in this way anyway, so just a wanted to be 100% sure I could use them in the way I will be in the future, having full choice of the fonts. That's great to know.

Yes I was referring to that page. So to confirm, once the fonts listed on that page, for example Myriad Pro and Minion, are activated through Adobe Fonts I can use them elsewhere? To be honest I usually just use the fonts that come with Microsoft when using Word etc, but it's good to know anyway.

Thanks again for your informative reply. I appreciate it.

Victoria

[Dov Isaacs]

Confirmed!

[Victoria G.]

Thanks, Dov! 

Victoria

[Victoria G.]

Hi Dov, 

I just wanted to check one last thing on this topic with you to see if I've understood it properly. It says all fonts on Adobe Fonts are licensed for Personal and Commerical from all font foundries in the library, and that you can create logos. If I was for example to design a commercial logo for someone's business, which would go on their business card, website, etc, and it was by one of the foundries that isn't 'Adobe Originals', with my subscription am I free to use one of their fonts that's in the Adobe Fonts library without having to visit the foundry website and pay for a licence?

Thanks

Victoria

[Dov Isaacs]

That is correct assuming that for the logo, the font is embedded in the PDF (or EPS) file representing the logo or otherwise outlined for other vector formats (such as SVG) or rasterized for image formats (PNG, TIFF, JPEG, etc.)

[Victoria G.]

Thank you, Dov. I was 99% sure it was fine as long as the file is exported as a PDF, JPEG, PNG etc. I saw someone in another forum post saying a foundry had asked them to also buy a licence from them to use the font in a logo and got confused. Maybe there was more to it though. Thanks for clarifying.

Victoria

[Victoria G.]

Sorry just to add to my last post, saving a file as a PDF, JPEG, PNG etc, means the font is embedded as you put it?

Thanks

Victoria

[Dov Isaacs]

JPEG, PNG, and TIFF have all text as raster images and that's fine. It is no longer “live text.”

In the case of PDF, you must use options in PDF creation that cause the font to be embedded in the PDF file. For Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, fonts will always be embedded unless the font is marked to disallow embedding. All fonts from the Adobe Fonts service explicitly allow embedding PDF (and EPS).

I don't know whether the “someone in another foroum post” was referring to use of a font sourced from the Adobe Fonts service or elsewhere, but if you use any font from the Adobe Fonts service in a logo or any other commercial product, you should never be harrassed by a foundry asking for a license or royalty of any form. If that happens, advise the foundry that the font was sourced from the Adobe Fonts service. If that doesn't deter them, contact Adobe directly about this giving specifics. But certainly don't pay the third party foundry anything at all.

[Victoria G.]

Thanks, Dov. So to confirm, JPEG, PNG & TIFF no longer have 'live text', so that's fine to go ahead with?

Also to confirm, if you create a PDF in InDesign, Photoshop & Illustrator by default the font is embedded? Therefore you would have to purposely make the font 'un-embedded' (not that I would know how), so if you were to just create a file in these programmes and save/export as a PDF you're a good to go?

Thanks for confirming about the foundries.

Victoria

[Dov Isaacs]

yes!