Overview

Licensing fonts should be as simple as possible and the fastest and easiest way to license my fonts is directly from me on this site. Hopefully the information on this page helps you figure out which license best suits your needs and answers general questions you might have about licensing and using my fonts — but if you have any questions or need help figuring out what kind of license is right for you or your company, don’t hesitate to get in touch via email: info@marksimonson.com.

What kind of license do I need?

Like any piece of software, fonts are licensed for specific uses. The kind of license you need is determined by how you will be using the fonts and what you will be using them to create. The most common licenses are for using the fonts on a desktop computer to create images and other static content, hosting them on your website as live text via HTML and @font-face CSS, or embedding them in a mobile app. Some slightly less common uses might be using fonts in on-air broadcasts or including them in a video game.

A desktop license allows you to download and install the fonts on your computer in any application with a font menu to create graphic assets incorporating the font’s design, such as images posted on social media, ads printed in a magazine, or a PowerPoint presentation. The cost is determined by the specific fonts licensed and the number of users who will need to install the fonts on their computer.

A web license lets you serve the fonts on a website and use them as live, dynamic text via HTML and @font-face CSS. The cost is determined by the specific fonts licensed, the approximate number of monthly page views the websites using the fonts receive, and the length of the license in years.

An app license permits you to embed the font files in the mobile app so that they are downloaded onto the end user’s phone or tablet. The cost is determined by the specific fonts licensed, the number of app titles that the fonts are embedded in, and the length of license in years; note that the same app distributed on multiple platforms would be covered by a single app license.

If licensing limitations and/or tracking metrics like users or page views is impractical or impossible for your company, one solution might be an enterprise license, which grants unlimited use of fonts across all media and platforms. If you have questions about purchasing an enterprise license — or need help determining what kind of license you need — the fastest way to get assistance is by sending an email to info@marksimonson.com.

How do I try out your fonts before I buy a full license?

Both Fontstand and Fontspring offer trial fonts. With Fontstand, the demo is time limited. Fontspring’s demo fonts do not include the complete character set. If neither of these options work, email info@marksimonson.com to discuss a trial license for you or your company, for example to use my fonts for internal design mockups or client pitches.

What if I need one of your fonts modified? Do you do custom type design?

Maybe you’ve tried or used one of my typefaces and it’s nearly perfect for your project but it’s missing a little something, like certain language support, or want it tailored to your brand. In these cases, we can discuss modification and customization options. It could be as simple as adding a few glyphs or as extensive as expanding the typeface’s weight and width range. Also, one alternative is to discuss an entirely new, custom typeface, which would give you total control in defining the design to support your brand and needs. If you’d like to discuss any of these custom design possibilities, reach out to info@marksimonson.com.

What about ______?

Font licensing can be a tricky subject but it doesn’t have to be. I want to help you understand the font licensing process and the choices you have, so if you have questions about licensing or using my fonts that aren’t answered here or have a special situation (such as OEM licensing), please email info@marksimonson.com.