New to Typophile? Accounts are free, and easy to set up.
Shareware/Free Font Management Tool
Posted by graficartist in
15 Jul 2003 — 10:27am
15 Jul 2003 — 10:27am
My boss is looking for a cheap(free) font management tool. Something that he can load and unload fonts with. I've never even barked up this tree so I have no ideas. Has anyone ever heard of or have experience with anything like this?
User login
Support our Sponsors
15 Jul 2003 — 10:30am
If he's using OSX, he can simply load and unload them in the users/library/fonts folder. That's free.
15 Jul 2003 — 10:41am
Whoa! That was a quick reply.
Sorry, I left off the important fact that we are on XP here.
15 Jul 2003 — 10:52am
I'm on XP, and I typically just use ATM Lite for loading and unloading fonts. It's somewhat extraneous since XP recognizes PostScript, but I find it easier than using the Fonts folder. Of course, it doesn't work with TrueType files...
15 Jul 2003 — 10:54am
Here's a link to Adobe's free download, if you're interested.
15 Jul 2003 — 2:54pm
Since when does ATM Light do management? ATM Light from what I knew only allowed you to use postscript.
Anyway, I don't have the address handy, but look at Printer's Apprentice.
15 Jul 2003 — 3:19pm
Neither ATM Lite or Printer's Apprentice mentions font management in their product descriptions. Like Chris said it seems ATM Lite is just for viewing and printing fonts. Printer's apprentice says it can install and uninstall fonts but it doesn't say anything about managing them. Do you just use it to install and uninstall fonts instead of doing it manually? Is that all that font management software does? I've often wondered but have never asked how font management software works.
15 Jul 2003 — 4:10pm
ATL Lite doesn't do proper management but, if all you want is
>Something that he can load and unload fonts with
I find that it's much easier than working through the Fonts folder in Windows. If you're using TrueType fonts, it's not going to work though. If you actually want font management (e.g., the ability to organize fonts in sets and such), then Anonymous is right: ATM Deluxe is probably you're best bet.
Printer's Apprentice is OK I guess. I have it, but I only use it for compiling catalogs of typefaces. Not for managing.
It sounds like you should figure out which is more important: (1) getting an easier way to install fonts for free; or (2) getting an easier way to install fonts AND the ability to manage fonts in sets AND paying $100.
Good luck to ya.
15 Jul 2003 — 4:15pm
> not everthing in the world is free.
Just the important stuff.
hhp
15 Jul 2003 — 9:23pm
ATM Deluxe is crap if you're using 2k or XP now. It's a dinosaur, and it doesn't play nicely with XP's internal handling of postscript, and it completely overrules fontview for looking at PS fonts. Everytime you want to view a PS font ATM loads itself up and it's just a pain. I've never been able to get fontview working again on PS fonts without a reinstall of windows.
16 Jul 2003 — 12:59am
You could try bitstream's font navigator:
Its bundled with Corel Draw and older versions of that go for a song.
The help says:
Font Navigator is an award-winning font manager for Windows.
Font Navigator gives you a quick and easy way to:
Find fonts on local and network drives and add them to the Font Catalog so you can access all the available fonts on your system from one list
Install and uninstall fonts by dragging and dropping
Organize fonts into manageable groups that you can install by clicking a shortcut
View and print font samples
Search for and buy fonts on MyFonts.com, giving you instant access to the largest collection of fonts ever assembled for online delivery
16 Jul 2003 — 1:04am
OK I just checked www.bitstream.com and they now sell 'Font Reserve'
Windows version is $70 for download
They say:
Unlike ATM Deluxe or Suitcase, which are designed primarily to activate fonts, Font Reserve is a true font manager that uses powerful database technology. Font Reserve does all the work for you! It runs in the background to collect detailed font data and manage actual font resources.
I should mention that I've never actually used either of these, so I can't give a personal reccommendation.
They just sprang to mind as cheap but possibly effective programs.
16 Jul 2003 — 7:23am
>You are not going to work for free - right?
This same boss did, at one point, ask me to work for free. I declined.
Yves. I appreciate your answering my questions straight forward without any preconceptions about me. To be honest, I am always embarassed to ask for something free. I like simple even if it means throwing down 100 bones for some software. It's professional, and it's easy. But to respect my bosses wishes and help him out with his request, I posted this here.
Thanks to all for your responses. I think my boss found another one in his searching. I'll post that one here for the sake of science once I have some info on it.
Tom
(p.s. - It's my 100th post! Yippee!)
16 Jul 2003 — 9:35am
Yves, what's a short cap? I don't see it on the membership list of descriptions. Is that a moderator title?
I would still like to know how font management software 'activates' fonts. Does anyone know how they work?
16 Jul 2003 — 9:40am
http://www.neuber.com/typograph/index.html
This is the address for the tool that my boss found but he says it is kind of buggy (no details).
16 Jul 2003 — 10:42am
i use a kinda crappy yet handy program, which is however free so there is no rush
font explorer lite
16 Jul 2003 — 3:21pm
>Software finds desired font, kicks it in the but and tells it "Ye're up next".
That would be Font 'Middle-Management' Software. ;)
18 Jul 2003 — 10:32am
Thanks for the tips on Font Reserve. Has anyone ever used Font Reserve on XP?
18 Jul 2003 — 5:20pm
have you tried "the font thing" ? it's free, it's for windows, it's first on www.downloads.com (c|net)
for "font managers"
15 Jul 2003 — 3:33pm
not everthing in the world is free. just buy ATM - $100
15 Jul 2003 — 4:03pm
> not everything in the world is free.
That's stating the obvious, but we always try to help
out people with specific questions. Can't help it... ;)
15 Jul 2003 — 5:41pm
I don't talk about ....to help out people..." But about "my boss is looking for cheap....".
Yves,
Don't tell me that you're not going to spend $100 - if you need to.
ATM is good? , etc., etc., - i welcome your opinion.
In other word: Be Professional. You are not going to work for free - right?
16 Jul 2003 — 12:18am
> Don't tell me that you're not going to spend $100 -
if you need to.
Definitely not, I buy licenses to software I use
to make money.
> ATM is good? , etc., etc., - i welcome your opinion.
SuperATM/ATM Deluxe is the best when working on
Mac OS 9. For OSX I'm still waiting for something
better than Suitcase X.
In other word: Be Professional. You are not going
to work for free - right?
Right, but whereas in the past I have been very
paternalistic (this can't be English) in these matters,
currently I've come to question myself who am I to
judge someone else's actions or motivations?
This may all sound quite ill defined right now, but
I just woke up from a way too short night's sleep,
so maybe I'll get back on topic later on with a
clearer head and my English grammar in place. ;)
>> not everything in the world is free.
> Just the important stuff.
Damn right, Hrant. Damn right...
16 Jul 2003 — 7:43am
> It's my 100th post! Yippee!
Had you not been Uppercase yet, you'd've been upgraded
to Typophile Regular now. ;) This place is full of teenie
'easter eggs'. Joseph'n'Jared are way kewl.
P.S. I still find the moniker Short Cap a bit bizarre though,
I must confess...
16 Jul 2003 — 2:15pm
Yeah, Short Cap is for moderators only. It's an odd title,
but it does make me feel like a humble, yet stout, servant.
=)
16 Jul 2003 — 2:47pm
Hmmmmm.....
.....And I was thinking that Short Cap....
Short(fall) Capitalism
16 Jul 2003 — 2:59pm
> Short Cap is for moderators only. It's an odd title
It sure is. Is that an actual typographic term, or
did you just made that up? The only "short caps" I
know are small caps (extending slightly above the
x-height) and petite caps (Zuzanna Licko's name
for caps that are as tall as the x-height).
> ...And I was thinking that Short Cap... Short(fall)
Capitalism
Could you please refrain from using nasty swear words,
pleeze?
16 Jul 2003 — 3:05pm
> I would still like to know how font management
software 'activates' fonts. Does anyone know how
they work?
Software finds desired font, kicks it in the but and
tells it "Ye're up next".
Kidding aside, that's a very interesting question,
and I certainly would like to find out too. It's
one of those things you use daily without ever
questioning how it does what it does.
17 Jul 2003 — 9:43am
btw. Font Reserve is free up to 100 fonts, if you want to manage more fonts, you have to pay.
23 Jul 2003 — 9:54am
For those of you looking for OS X font management, a few little ditties can be found at Voujous Software
The X Font Info app is useful enough to put in your doc.
25 Apr 2004 — 4:38pm
> not everthing in the world is free.
Actually everything in the world IS FREE. All you have to do is know the right people and the right places.... Just felt like i needed to add that!!!!