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nsg blog ramblings

Illegal Font Use?

8/4/2014

1 Comment

 
I've seen it done before. In fact, when I first started designing, I did it as well without even knowing.

Illegal font usage. Just because a site provides free downloads to fonts doesn't mean they're free to use commercially. In fact, a large majority of them are for personal use only. Be sure to check!

The figure below is a screenshot from dafont.com, one of the more commonly used free font sites. Again, "free font site" does not mean the font is 100% no-strings-attached free. It simply means you don't have to pay to download.
Picture
I've circled points of importance in a minty green. Dafont.com gives you the option to filter  the types of fonts you view by their license (see below). They also show which fonts are literally 100% free to use (personal or commercial), and which are obviously not.
Picture
Most "free" font sites provide this information one way or another. If you don't see it specifically stated anywhere, be safe. Automatically assume that all fonts have a separate commercial license regulation, and search for how to get commercial usage rights.

There are also some sites that ARE 100% free, both personal and commercial, such as fontsquirrel.com and Google Fonts.

This is no different than someone pirating your ebook, authors. Please be respectful to the creators of the fonts that make your cover art shine!
1 Comment

Gagging on Fonts

6/29/2014

22 Comments

 
Picture

See all of those? Don't use them. Ever.

Okay, perhaps that's a bit drastic. How about this? Use them for personal use ONLY. None - I repeat NONE of these fonts belong on a book cover.

If you intend to make your own cover design, you'd be better off using Times New Roman or Arial than any of the above images. If you're unsure on a font, consult with someone who has an artistic eye. If you're still uncertain, search for cover designs in your same genre that have high sales, or do a search on your favorite search engine for recommended fonts for professional use.

Most of the above fonts come pre-installed with Microsoft Office. The others can be found as free, downloadable fonts on sites such as dafont.com, fontsquirrel.com, and 1001freefonts.com.

For the love of your book cover, please have the decency to add these to your little black book of non-useable fonts. They give me a killer case of heartburn.

Have a font to add to the list? Post a link to the font in the comments!

22 Comments

    Rachel A Olson

    Single mother of one, published author, southpaw, paranormal enthusiast, nerd/dork/geek/unicorn.

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  • HOME
  • Portfolio
  • Services
    • Custom
    • Formatting
    • Graphics
    • Premade Covers >
      • 2023 Premades
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    • Contact Me
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