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Free font management software
September 23, 2007

I’ve had years of experience managing fonts and setting up font management policies for institutions large and small. Some production establishments need many fonts (I’m often amazed by the numbers) while others get by with a small selection of fonts. In a conversation with an executive from Mattel earlier this year I learned that his company manages a portfolio of fonts that numbers in the hundreds of thousands. His greatest challenge is ensuring that all of Mattel’s designers and printers – hundreds of printers located worldwide – have completely legal font collections that are all the same. This prevents most font-related problems from occurring.

Font management software has evolved nicely in the past few years, with Font Reserve (my favorite) being absorbed by Extensis, and then being replaced by Suitcase Fusion from the same firm. Suitcase Fusion is very sophisticated, and it includes a nice utility called Font Doctor for cleaning-up the typographic messes we usually have on our computers. Font Doctor finds orphaned PostScript bitmap fonts, PostScript printer fonts, and corrupt fonts. If you run it before engaging Suitcase Fusion, it will save a modest amount of grief.


On another front, Linotype has issued a free font management utility program called FontExplorer X, which mimics the popular iTunes program from Apple, Inc. Fonts are displayed in a central column, while groups of fonts (similar to the Playlists in iTunes) are listed along the left. One click on any font will activat or deactivate it. FontExplorer comes with automatic activator software for popular applications like InDesign, activating all fonts in a document while it is opened.

Though awfully sophisticated for a free application, FontExplorer lacks the skills of the Font Doctor program mentioned above, and the capability to reduce multiple copies of fonts to minimize duplicates. FontExplorer supports PostScript, TrueType and OpenType fonts, and will preview most fonts in a pop-up window.

The program offers a one-click method for accessing Linotype’s stunning collection of original fonts, to browse their web site, and (surprise!) to purchase the fonts you need online. Though the company could have inserted ads, come-ons or other tricks to get you to buy, there is no pressure. It’s a good, basic font management application at a price point that is hard to beat (free).

I prefer the more robust Suitcase Fusion, but I have no problem recommending FontExplorer to anyone. My students really like it because it’s free, and it does most of the things that the commercial font managers do.

FontExplorer is available for both Mac and Windows, at Linotype’s web site.

Posted by Brian Lawler on September 23, 2007 | Comments (0)