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Extracting Fonts from PDF
Posted by tyleryoung in
27 Feb 2004 — 11:55am
27 Feb 2004 — 11:55am
I've launched a new pixel font foundry. I'm new to many aspects of the game, and don't know what to make of the site's initial performance.
Last eleven hours: approximately 450 unique visitors, 180 downloads of the font collection pdf, and zero sales.
When I published my pdf, I tried breaking the fonts into outlines. It didn't display as well, nor did it print as well as embedding the fonts. I'm puzzled as to why. So I published the embedded font version.
My question: is font exctraction from pdf widespread? I wouldn't think it is, but what do I know?
My products could simply not be as appealing to flash designers as I thought. I'd like to think that it's too soon to say, but, the initial stats have me concerned.
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27 Feb 2004 — 12:03pm
Don't worry about extraction.
It's just hard to sell plain bitmap fonts.
You have to build a rep over time, like Atomic.
hhp
27 Feb 2004 — 12:28pm
Q.
What do you do when you find a font that you like, but don't have an immediate use for?
A.
You download the pdf, print it, stick it on the wall and wait till you have an excuse to buy it.
27 Feb 2004 — 1:01pm
Thanks for your feedback. I feel a bit silly about all of it, but not having any frame of reference was driving me up the wall!
Thanks again.
28 Feb 2004 — 12:00pm
The whole scare of people 'extracting fonts from pdfs' is unfounded. If somone is this desperate to get your fonts, they will, and there are definately easier means to do it than extracting from a pdf.
Another question, what good does a pdf do for displaying screen type?
Hildebrant.
28 Feb 2004 — 12:43pm
Kyle, as I hinted at above, my true feeling about consumers is not a mistrustful one. I do not really think that pdf font extracting is a widespread phenomenon.
The reason I posted the question is really pretty embarrassing. I posted the pdf because I was afraid that the site design might be too click-heavy for potential buyers to view the larger portion of the font library. This, of course, points to poor site design in regards to the ultimate purpose of the site: to sell products.
I saw that 180 users had looked at all of my pixel fonts at a glance. Embarrasing fact number two: I was dismayed that so many people could see the wide variety of decorative styles and not make a single purchase.
Such was the faith I had in my untested (in the market place) products. I'm still excited about the site and its launch. I'm simply getting an education. Necessary, I know, but no less awkward for me in the interim.
28 Feb 2004 — 12:53pm
Tyler,
The amount of visitors, or PDF downloads has nothing to do with what's going on. Dude, you gotta show the fonts man! The only reason people are downloading the PDFs is becuase they're sick of clicking just to see the fonts.
Your ability with Flash is great and all, but c'mon 6 clicks to see a preview of a specimen showing is just too much work for anybody to see a mini preview of your fonts.
You're not selling your ability to make Flash animations, you're selling fonts and if we can't see 'em, we're not gonna buy 'em. You need to make it easier for a potential buyer to buy.
As suggested above, you could certainly take a cue from Atomicmedia.net in the way the fonts are shown on the home page as larger easier to get to previews with a price and a buy now button. You MUST make your fonts appear buyable, your execution hinders this greatly and as a result your sales will continue as they currently are.
I sincerely hope my advice it taken as constructive criticism and not as anything other than that. I'm all for new foundry's being successful but I see some obvious flaws in your marketing execution that will hinder your success especially since you've probably invested in a secure cert, a shopping cart and a merchant account.
Good Luck!
Stuart :D
28 Feb 2004 — 1:06pm
Stuart,
I take no offense to your feedback at all. Rather, I agree with you. Ironic though, as I put so much effort and resources into the current site.
Sometimes, an idea doesn't show its real strengths and weaknesses until it's built. Definately the case here. I think I was too caught up in theme (logo/naviation/product being pixel-esque).
At any rate, I have to start thinking about how I can salvage the current design. I have some ideas, but am not over the fatigue of the first launch...
28 Feb 2004 — 2:34pm
With outline fonts, PDF has some real advantages. One can zoom in and out, and if you have an LCD screen, Acrobat's CoolType enhanced rendering is very nice indeed.
That being said, it's not so exciting for a bitmap font AFAIK. It does mean that you can give people a nicely designed thing well suited to printing, I guess.
Cheers,
T
28 Feb 2004 — 4:07pm
Tyler, nice site. I agree with Stuart, too many clicks for such a small showing. The "big reveal" is a little disappointing. Especially when it is white type on a pale background. Quite hard to discern exactly the type. It gets a little tedious having to choose between the loose and tight versions as well. Could ye just lump them together? I don't think this thread was meant to turn into a critique! But I think you have some really excellent designs there, we just shouldn't have to drill down so much and so often just to get to them.
>>Last eleven hours: approximately 450 unique visitors
I don't know about web traffic, but that beats the hell out of "bricks and mortar" ; ) Good luck mate!
kris.
1 Mar 2004 — 11:48am
> Acrobat's CoolType enhanced rendering is very nice indeed.
Too fuzzy.
PDF would be a great way to show bitmap fonts too if there were a way to lock the display at 100% zoom.
hhp
2 Mar 2004 — 1:27am
The navigation of mean tangerine (aside from being, uhh, well we discussed this earlier) is way to 'neat'. I was going to go take a look through your fonts, but just the thought of having to navigate through the site turned me off, and I quickly left.
Its a wonderful thing -- if you are not really wanting to sell anything.
2 Mar 2004 — 8:25am
I've been working on revisions to the site that don't call for an entire overhaul. I have benefited from this thread in many ways and don't mind the feedback on the site design and its flaws in any way.
Don't know if many of you will return to this aging thread, but if you do, here are two mocks of upcoming flash behavior. The first is a new method of browsing the fonts, the second, a new way of previewing, testing, and adding a selected font to the cart.
I think this will take care of access problems, but would welcome any feedback you may have. Say, for example, the horizontally configured scroll bar at the bottom of the drop down font menu. Too unconventional?
27 Feb 2004 — 12:34pm
Tyler, you could always add a quid pro quo to the downloading of your PDFs. Meaning, request an email address. If they are looking to steal your font, changes are they won't give you a real email, but if they are sincere in their interest, I would think they'd give you a real name and email. Maybe this would help the odds. (Just a thought.)
Steve! I thought the answer was: License it! No wonder my debt is out of control. Hehehehe!