If you suffer from slow performance or often crashing applications, strange display of fonts or problems printing then you probably suffer from font problems. Some of these problems are caused by Apple's use of font caches and Helvetica. However, the majority of font issues are the result of accumulating, over several years, fonts from various (and dubious) sources.
Working with several design clients over the years we have developed a system to clean and organize large quantities of fonts. The result is a nice, clean font library you can rely on. Contact us to get started with a Forget Computers Font Tune-up (more information is below.)
Font Tune-Up
Project Fees: $100/workstation, plus $500 for up to 500MB of fonts. Each additional 500MB is $100.
Price does NOT include repair or replacement of problem fonts, nor does it include Font Server software. Pro Support clients save 20% on the project fee.
- Send us ALL your fonts (we can help, or in some cases we can do this for you).
- We will locate and repair missing PostScript fonts, missing bitmaps, corrupt/damaged fonts, font ID conflicts, extra font sizes, mixed font types and more.
- We will deliver a newly cleaned font library to your office. Your designated Font Manager will review the fonts and test them for at least one week. (We encourage a second designer to also test.)
- Once tested and approved we will install the newly-cleaned fonts to each workstation and font server (if applicable).
- You call us if you have any questions (30-day guarantee).
Manage Your Fonts
Once your font library is clean you want to keep it that way. The best way for a workgroup of 5 or more users to keep their fonts clean over time is to implement a font server. The price of a 10-user font server starts at about $1,400. We can help you decide what font server solution is best for your office.
A font server may sound like an expense, but it will save you money. It will require less support and result in less downtime due to fewer font problems. Imagine adding, removing or fixing a problem font in a single location rather than on every machine in your office. Imagine the peace of mind you will feel knowing that everyone in your office is using the same fonts. If users do manage to screw up their fonts, it's easy to return the fonts to a known good state. Fonts on a font server cannot be changed (added or removed) without a server administrator’s authority.
If you have less than 5 users or you really can't validate the business case for investing in a font server then the next best solution is to assign a Font Manager to protect the font library and strictly enforce the font workflow — no one but the font manager adds or removes fonts. Even with a Font Server, it's best to designate an internal Font Manager to coordinate the ongoing management of fonts.
Consider OpenType
Some offices choose to throw out their old fonts (skip the Font Tune-up) and purchase the Adobe Font Folio 11 library of OpenType fonts. OpenType is the future of fonts (and the future is here)! Cross-platform, multilingual and able to jump from print to the web and back with no issues. Adobe Font Folio 11 pricing:
- 05-user: $2,599.00
- 10-user: $4,999.00
- 20-user: $8,999.00
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