font management questions

[rjpjr]

I am going through my computers fonts and I have started deleting those that I have never used. As I was doing this, I wondered if everyone else has too many fonts installed like me. I think I may be a font-rat!

1. What fonts can you NOT do without?

2. How many type faces do you use regularly?

3. How many fonts are loaded on your system?


Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Creative_Lance]

Under 1000 installed, 320 to be specific, but i have a big font database, when i need a font installed i use my font software to view it, install it and maybe uninstall it after i'm done.
To me everybody have a taste when it comes to fonts, for a starter try to stay away from the over used fonts like : Brush script, Comic sans, cooper black and some more i can't think of right now.
Good fonts are:
signfonts.com
Sign DNA
Letterhead fonts

 

[GK]

1. What fonts can you NOT do without?
Adobe FontFolio 11, Umbrella Type Collection, House Industries Collection, Monotype Library OpenType Edition -- several thousands in font licensing so I couldn't imagine not having them any more.

2. How many type faces do you use regularly?
I try not to use any too regularly, then you just get repetitive and it all looks the same after a while. There was a post a few weeks ago about overused fonts, do a search for it, its under fonts that need to die or something of that nature.

3. How many fonts are loaded on your system?
Only my system fonts, all the rest I browse through with Extensis Suitcase. Less installed fonts, the less your design software needs to load.

 

[Rodi]

Funny thing with fonts, you delete it and you need it.
Fonts are simple, but the "industry" gets in the way, by claiming they are software. Think of them as files that can be turned on or off by font management software. I keep files exactly the same on Mac or PC. I make a folder called fonts, then I list by foundry and in each foundry I alphabetize (For some I add extra for the ITC variations) and make sure each Postscript font has a corelating screen font and an AFM file if possible, I try to keep stray screen fonts into a suitcase. It can be a long tedious job, but when you know where 30,000 + Fonts are, that 100+hours pays for itself. I also collect for output with everysoftware that does that, then in 10 years wehn I open "Your Job" I should have the same fonts.
I really strongly agree with GKs 3rd point especially, use font management, regardless of your platform.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

3. How many fonts are loaded on your system?
Only my system fonts, all the rest I browse through with Extensis Suitcase. Less installed fonts, the less your design software needs to load.

Sorry to be a

Does that Extensis Suitcase work with Flexi? Currently I'm using the Bitstream Font Navigator that came with Corel but every time I load a font I have to restart Flexi. It gets annoying very quickly.

 

[Rodi]

Font Management does not work with programs, per se, but if you use most standard type fonts (ttf, PFB, T1, OTF, T3, etc) they are loaded by Suitcase in this instance, then the programs read the fonts. Its kinda like an extension of the fonts folder on a PC, but you can keep your fonts in line, and when you are done with a specific job, you just remove from the software.
Hope that helps

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Font Management does not work with programs, per se, but if you use most standard type fonts (ttf, PFB, T1, OTF, T3, etc) they are loaded by Suitcase in this instance, then the programs read the fonts. Its kinda like an extension of the fonts folder on a PC, but you can keep your fonts in line, and when you are done with a specific job, you just remove from the software.
Hope that helps

That's what the software I'm using now does. I just hate having to restart Flexi every time I add a font. It takes close to 4 minutes for it to load. It's to the point now that I keep close to 2000 fonts loaded at one time.

 

[Rodi]

That is a flexi problem, not a suitcase problem. For instance, Freehand does not need to be restarted when adding fonts, either does Quark, Indesign, Illustsrator. Bug SAI about that feature.You got 2,000 fonts and you just got to add 8 more to even up to the year, huh?

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

That is a flexi problem, not a suitcase problem. For instance, Freehand does not need to be restarted when adding fonts, either does Quark, Indesign, Illustsrator. Bug SAI about that feature.You got 2,000 fonts and you just got to add 8 more to even up to the year, huh?

Actually I just checked and its 2387 fonts. It takes a bit to get the computer going but it's still very speedy once everything is loaded.

Thanks for info.

 

[flyinhawaiian968]

I have 7900+ fonts on my system, and around 100 of them loaded in windows. Use font nav, but its always hit or miss if its going to work properly. Some days it will let me load fonts on the fly, with Corel having them show up instantaneously, then there's other days where it locks up and I have to shut down the program to get it to work. Tried ATM a long time ago and never had good luck with it working properly.

Unfortunately, deleting fonts will always be a hassle when you do find that one file you created 10 years ago and its looking for Algerian D or something obscure!

I'd say just find a font management program that you can live with, try to keep your designs within a top 200 font list, and curse at Flexi every minute you have to waste on restarting it! There's really no easy way around the font navigation issue, at least as far as I've heard...

Chris

 

[GK]

That's what the software I'm using now does. I just hate having to restart Flexi every time I add a font. It takes close to 4 minutes for it to load. It's to the point now that I keep close to 2000 fonts loaded at one time.

When I used Flexi, Suitecase never had an auto activation plug-in module for it. It is much too proprietary for them to worry about. They had all the Adobe products covered, Corel, Microsoft Office, Quark and a few others. You may want to take a look into FontExpert if you are running a PC. That one seems to care less about the software you are using to activate fonts.

 

[rjpjr]

There was a post a few weeks ago about overused fonts, do a search for it, its under fonts that need to die or something of that nature.

Thanks for responding

Yep...read it and that was also part of what inspired the questions. We learned a lot about what is not liked, but what do you REALLY like? As designers/sign artists what fonts really turn you on? I agreed with the person that said that most of the disliked fonts are not bad but just heavily abused.

Where I am employed, we have 6 design stations and 4 production stations and they all use fonts loaded on a font server. That is our method of font management.