Felt Tip Roman
Updated December 4, 2007
How do I purchase fonts from Mark Simonson Studio?
You may purchase and immediately download your Mark Simonson Studio fonts from one of the following friendly font vendors:
The prices are mostly the same (although Fonts.com is higher for some reason) and the fonts are identical. MyFonts.com, FontShop, and Veer carry all of my fonts, but Font Bros has just the display faces, and FontHaus and Fonts.com don't have the more recent releases yet. There are some differences in price and availability of certain multi-font packages and the cost of multi-user licenses. There are also differences in the way the fonts can be paid for, delivered, etc. See individual vendors for more information.
What do I get when I buy a font?
Older fonts (released before 2004) include both PostScript Type 1 and TrueType versions of the font. PostScript fonts are generally preferred for professional publishing work. You may need Adobe Type Manager in order to use them on older versions of Mac OS and Windows. TrueType fonts are preferrable for other applications, including web graphics and Flash. In general, either format will work, but don't try to install both versions of a font at the same time.
Newer fonts are available exclusively in OpenType format. This a wonderful new format that allows you to use the same font file on either Macintosh or Windows. Unlike PostScript Type 1 fonts, there is a single file for each font, so they are much easier to manage. OpenType fonts also may contain a richer set of features than the older formats, including small caps, alternate characters, automatic ligatures, extended language support, and more. (See the OpenType FAQ for more information.)
One thing to remember: When you "buy" a font you are really just buying a license to use it. Even though you get two different versions of a font when you buy it, you are still limited to the number of users specified by the license you purchase. For instance, if you purchase the basic 5 user license, the two fonts you receive may only be used by up to 5 users, not 10. See the License Agreement for more information.
I have both a Mac and a PC. Can't I just buy one font for both?
With the newer OpenType fonts, which are by nature cross-platform compatible, the answer is yes. If you are buying fonts in the older formats, the answer is maybe.
If you are running Mac OS X, you can buy the Windows version since OS X can use Windows TrueType fonts. However, some characters which exist in the standard Mac character set but not in the standard Windows character set may not be available. If you need the PostScript version, you need to buy it for either Mac or Windows.
Also, there are utility programs which will convert between Mac and Windows (and between PostScript and TrueType). I don't mind if you do this as long as you do not exceed the number of users specified at the time of purchase. However, I cannot guarantee that such converted fonts will work as well as the originals and cannot offer support for them.
In the future, Mark Simonson Studio will release cross-platform OpenType versions of all its fonts. This will be the best possible situation for multi-platform users since one font will work seamlessly with both Mac and Windows, but the conversion is not a simple process and we don't know how soon it will happen. Since older Mac and Windows systems do not support OpenType, the current versions will continue to be available.
Can I see the license agreement before I buy?
By all means. Click here to see it.
I really like [font name here], but there's this one character that bugs me. Can you change it?
It is possible to order custom versions of any of my fonts, but not at the standard price. Contact me and I'll be happy to discuss it.