Fonts and Typefi

31 January 2018

"Fonts have different personalities that can create trust or mistrust, give you confidence, make things seem easier to do or make a product taste better. Understand the science behind how fonts influence what you read. They're hidden in plain sight, they trigger memories, associations and multi-sensory experiences in your imagination. You may not believe it, but fonts can change the meanings of words right before your very eyes, alter the taste of your food, evoke emotional responses and reveal their users' personalities." — Sarah Hyndman, author of Why Fonts Matter.

What fonts are supported by InDesign and InDesign Server?

While Adobe® InDesign® and InDesign Server both support OpenType® (PS or TT), TrueType®, and PostScript® Type 1 fonts, we recommend OpenType fonts. OpenType, jointly developed by Adobe and Microsoft® more than 20 years ago, is the cross-platform successor to legacy TrueType and PostScript fonts (and it supports much larger character sets with more advanced typographic features).

Note: Macintosh® TrueType and Macintosh PostScript Type 1 fonts are platform-specific and can only be used when InDesign Server is installed on macOS. Typefi Cloud, being Windows-based, does not support Macintosh TrueType (suitcases or .dfonts) or Macintosh PostScript fonts.

The latest releases of InDesign add support for two new and very exciting font formats:

• Color fonts (aka OpenType-SVG; 🌈), an OpenType font format that supports colorful emojis, icons and other graphical characters. Color fonts require InDesign CC 2019 (InDesign v14) or later; and
• Variable fonts (aka OpenType Font Variations), an OpenType font format that allows you to dynamically adjust the weight, width, slant, or other features of the font. Variable fonts require InDesign 2020 (InDesign v15) or later.

InDesign and InDesign Server also supports font style linking. This is an optional feature that is very useful when working with a font family that has four standard styles: regular, italic, bold, and bold italic. However, for large font families with more weights than regular and bold, font style linking is often limited to toggling between regular ↔︎ italic and bold ↔︎ bold italic. Also, the Create InDesign document and Create InDesign book workflow actions can disable +bold and +italic style linking using the Soft styles option on the Advanced tab.

How do I add my fonts for Typefi Desktop?

Adding fonts is pretty easy:

• Windows: Right-click on the font file and select Install
• macOS: Double-click the font file, and then click Install Font

But if you are using a font management tool like Extensis® Suitcase Fusion®, Monotype® FontExplorer®, or FontBase, follow their instructions instead:

• Suitcase Fusion: Adding and removing fonts
• FontExplorer X Pro: Working with Fonts
• FontBase: Basic Usage

Note: If your fonts are zipped in a folder make sure you unzip them first (fonts cannot be installed if they are zipped).

Also, because Typefi Desktop is a desktop application, you can use a cloud-based font subscription service like Adobe Fonts (Typekit), Monotype Mosaic, or Fontstand. For more information, see Can I use Adobe Fonts, Monotype Mosaic, or Fontstand with Typefi Desktop below.

How do I add my fonts for Typefi Cloud or Typefi Workgroup?

STOP! Before doing anything, make sure you have the rights and licenses that support server-side installation and cover all named Typefi users in your organization. When you add a font to Typefi Cloud or Typefi Workgroup, Typefi will not modify it, but we will store the font and will make copies for your use in each job that you run. Typefi will not distribute or make your font available to any other user outside of your organization. 

After confirming your font licenses allow your intended usage (for example, embedding the font in a PDF or ebook, using the font in a work meant to be distributed for commercial purposes, or copying the fonts for storage or distribution with the InDesign package feature) and that your fonts are supported by Typefi—see above; Typefi Cloud supports OpenType (PS or TT), Windows TrueType, and Windows PostScript Type 1 fonts—gather your fonts and upload them like you would any other file. For more information on uploading files, see Getting Started: Working with Files.

Tip: One way to collect fonts is to use InDesign's Package command to create a "Document Fonts" folder of all the fonts used in a given document (make sure that both Copy Fonts and Include Fonts and Links from Hidden and Non-Printing Layers are selected). Alternately, third-party font management tools like Extensis Suitcase Fusion or Monotype FontExplorer can export individual fonts, font collections, or even an entire font library. For more information, see their respective help sites (Extensis, FontExplorer).

Caution: Double-byte fonts (typically Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) and subscription fonts (for example, Adobe Fonts) cannot be packaged due to licensing restrictions. For more information on subscription font limitations, see Can I use Adobe Fonts or Monotype Mosaic with Typefi Cloud below.

I've uploaded my fonts. How do I get Typefi to activate them?

While font management utilities like Extensis Suitcase Fusion, Monotype FontExplorer, or FontBase can auto-activate fonts for InDesign, they don't support InDesign Server. Instead, activating fonts for InDesign Server is done using document installed fonts—that is, fonts in a "Document Fonts" folder located in the same folder as the InDesign template. These "Document Fonts" are temporarily activated whenever the InDesign template is opened, and turned off when the InDesign document is closed.

Tip: If your organization uses Extensis Universal Type Server® to organize and distribute your fonts, you can use Extensis FontLink® to automatically identify and match your template fonts using the Gather Fonts action in your Typefi workflow. Contact your IT department to find out if the FontLink integration is available for your Universal Type Server.

Whether you've manually uploaded your fonts or will use FontLink, the next step is adding a Copy Folder action to your Typefi workflow (before any InDesign actions). Use Copy Folder to copy from the folder containing your fonts to a "Document Fonts" folder inside the job folder:

Note: Typefi Server 8.3 or later and Adobe InDesign plug-in version 18 or later are required to support document installed font (aka "Document Fonts") activation.

Can I use Google^® Fonts with Typefi?

Yes! 😀

You'll need to download Google Fonts to your computer first. After selecting one or more fonts at Google Fonts, open the selection drawer at the bottom of the screen, then click the Download this selection link at the upper-right corner of the drawer.

Google Fonts are licensed for personal and business use, and include embedding in any ebook format such as EPUB®, Kindle® (mobi), and PDF®. For more information, see Google Fonts' Frequently Asked Questions.

Can I use Adobe^® Fonts, Monotype^® Mosaic^®, or Fontstand^® with Typefi Desktop?

Yes! 😀

Fonts synced from Adobe Fonts (Typekit), Monotype Mosaic, and Fontstand can be used with any desktop program (such as Typefi Desktop and Adobe InDesign) for both personal and business use. Adobe Fonts (Typekit) and Monotype Mosaic fonts are licensed for embedding in any ebook format which adequately protects the font data such as EPUB, Kindle (mobi), and PDF. But Fontstand does not allow embedding with its subscription license (you'll have to purchase an embedding license directly from the original foundry instead).

Note: Adobe Fonts and Monotype Mosaic both allow you to upload third-party fonts into their cloud-based platforms. These fonts may have more restrictive end user license agreements than their respective font libraries. For more information, see Use your own fonts in Creative Cloud apps and Enable fonts everywhere with latest version of Monotype's Mosaic.

Can I use Adobe Fonts or Monotype Mosaic with Typefi Cloud?

No. ☹️

Adobe Fonts (Typekit), Monotype Mosaic, and other cloud-based font subscription licenses do not allow you to use the fonts with a hosted InDesign Server. Instead, you'll need to purchase perpetual desktop licenses directly from the foundry or from an authorized reseller (for example, Fontspring, Fonts.com, MyFonts, or Phil's Fonts).

Can I use Adobe Fonts or Monotype Mosaic with Typefi Workgroup?

Not really. 🙁

Subscription fonts are installed in a secure location on your computer and the licenses do not allow copying or moving fonts, which would be required to use them with InDesign Server. Although you might think you could install the Creative Cloud Desktop app or Monotype Mosaic on the same computer as your InDesign Server, it won't really work because InDesign Server doesn't support auto-activation or syncing of fonts from Adobe Fonts (Typekit) or Fonts.com. Instead, you'll need to purchase perpetual desktop licenses directly from the foundry or from an authorized reseller (for example, Fontspring, Fonts.com, MyFonts, or Phil's Fonts).

Can I rent fonts from Fontstand for Typefi Cloud or Typefi Workgroup?

Maybe. 😕

Fontstand is different from other cloud-based font subscription services. Instead of paying an ongoing monthly fee, Fontstand fonts are "rent-to-own" and after renting for 12 monthly rental periods, you are "paid in full". So while a rented font will not work with either Typefi Cloud or Typefi Workgroup, after you pay for 12 rental periods (continuous or noncontinuous) you can download and install the font as you would a normally licensed font. It all depends on any restrictions in the original foundry user agreement (EULA), which covers usage rights for the font outside the Fontstand environment.

Can I use Adobe^® Font Folio^® with Typefi?

Yes! 😀

Adobe Font Folio 11.1 is a collection of more than 2,400 perpetually licensed OpenType fonts from world-renowned foundries and talented individual designers that are license-compatible with Typefi Desktop, Typefi Cloud, and Typefi Workgroup.

Font Folio can be licensed in 5-, 10, and 20-pack versions. It's worth noting that Font Folio includes a number of fonts that are not available through Adobe Fonts (Typekit). View the complete list of fonts included in Adobe Font Folio 11.1.

Note: Adobe offers a curated subset of (perpetually licensed) Font Folio fonts for $149 USD to students and educators. For more information, see the Font Folio Education Essentials data sheet.

Can I send fonts from Monotype Mosaic to Typefi Cloud?

Nope. ☹️

Sending a font requires the recipient have the SkyFonts Client software installed to accept the font sharing license terms. SkyFonts Client is not supported by Typefi Cloud, nor is it licensed for use with InDesign Server. Instead, you'll need to purchase perpetual desktop licenses directly from the foundry or from an authorized reseller (for example, Fontspring, Fonts.com, MyFonts, or Phil's Fonts).