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Typefoundries on the Web


WebReview.com: Typefoundries on the Web

If you're tired of digging around for online resources for fonts and font-related issues, then look no further. We've compiled this list of Typefoundries on the Web to help you find the fonts you're looking for, and to help you keep up-to-date with the latest Web-based font technologies.

We recommend that you bookmark this page, and come back monthly to see what's new.

Adobe Type Browser

You've probably been to Adobe's site. What many people don't realize is that the "Type Browser" part of the site not only lists all of Adobe's fonts, but the type designer, date of creation, and information about each font. Need a slab-serif, sans-serif, Script, Transitional, Venetian, or Didone? How about a face by Fredric Goudy, Eric Gill, Adrian Frutiger or Hermann Zapf? The type browser allows you to view fonts by name, classification, or designer.

Agfa Type

Information about the Agfatype Creative Alliance. If you want to see what's new in the Agfa Create Alliance, this site is the place to look. But you can't order fonts and this site isn't very deep.

Alphabets Inc.

FontsOnline has one of the best online catalogs, with clear samples, animated GIFs, Flash animations, and Acrobat samples (for high-res printouts) of almost every face.

Astigmatic One Eye Typographic Institute  

ATypI

(Association Typographique Internationale)
A global forum and focal point for the type community and business.

Bitstream

Bitstream's site lets you view every typeface in their collection (as well as purchase them). You can get more information about TrueDoc, the new Web-type embedding system used in Navigator 4, and Font Navigator, Bitstream's new Windows-based font management system. Check out "Cyberbit," a 6MB Uncode font with support for most of the world's languages, available for free download. For TrueDoc authoring tools, see HexMac.

Castle Systems

Jason Castle has created some of the most sensitive revivals and charming new faces.

Chank Fonts

"Chank Diesel" is just about too cool to live. He sells a wide variety of interesting faces and gives away a new font a month. Possibly too intense for younger viewers.

Comic Book Fonts

This foundry specializes in comic book fonts -- many of the leading comics use their fonts.

Digiteyes Multimedia TypeArt Library

This foundry offers typefaces in a number of styles, from Grunge to Deco display to body faces. These are some of the more interesting (yet still readable) Grunge faces around.

Disappearing Inc.

Very interesting faces. Sensational Web design. Take note and make sure to read the rude comments in the HTML.

Disturbed

Want to see what the competition of the future has to offer? This high school student offers some original free fonts for Windows.

Emerald city fontwerks

Surprisingly good shareware and freeware.

Emigre

Emigre is known for their cutting edge designs -- all of which are exclusive to Emigre and can be seen on this site. You can also order their magazine, music, and other products.

EsperFonto

EsperFonto is the Web's only interactive typeface selection expert system. Tell it the feeling you want your document to convey and it suggests typefaces that would be appropriate. The system is in use by Hewlett Packard, Corel and Bitstream (available for free on the Web).

Exploding Font Co.

Grungy yet campy at the same time.

Font Fairy

The Font Fairy isn't cheap -- she's free. She points you to fonts which are legally available for use on the Web and CD (she's thorough about the legal part), also covering offers for other free software.

FontBureau

FontBureau has developed hundreds of new and revived type designs for publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Esquire, and Rolling Stone. The site includes animated descriptions of both typefaces and type designers. And it's quite entertaining.

FontHaus

FontHaus features many exclusive and highly original faces from international designers. They have several offices around the world, including one in Brunswick.

Fonthead Design

Ethan Dunham creates beautiful original faces with much charm.

FontNet

FontNet is the largest distributor of fonts in the UK. This useful site contains much type news and many type links. The site also includes Neville Brody's FUSE experimental magazine pages.

FontShop

With offices around the world, FontShop is truly international. Their exclusive line of FontFont Fonts, now numbering over 1,000, are all available from this site.

Fount

The Voyager Company, known for their innovative CD-ROM titles, showcases new typefaces by various independent designers.

Fountain

Unique grungy faces from Sweden.

Garage Fonts

Garage Fonts specializes in very modern new typefaces.

Gary Munch

Gary is a creative type designer whose typeface, Ergo, was selected for First Prize, Text Category in the 1997 International Typeface Design Contest sponsored by Linotype-Hell.

Graphion On-line Type Museum

No fonts for sale but useful typographic information.

Handcraftedfonts

Jonathan Macagba and Gregory La Vardera create some unique faces, many of which have a historical feel. While their site isn't much to look at, their fonts are.

HexMac

HexMac is the first developer of TrueDoc authoring tools, a program that allows designers to "embed" fonts in Web pages viewed in Navigator 4. Their "TrueDoc" font machine lets you view any font in the Bitstream library, in the words of your choice, using TrueDoc technology in Navigator 4; the type you see is real scalable, embedded type, not a generated bitmap.

Hoeffler Type Foundry

Jonathan Hoeffler designs typefaces for leading magazines. Now you can see and buy some of these faces online.

Image Club

This Canadian mail order company (now owned by Adobe) offers a great selection of fonts, including a growing number of exclusive faces.

ITC

For the past several years, ITC has been releasing more new typefaces than anyone. Now their new Web site lets you view all their typefaces using "Euripides", their on-line font generation system. Choose the typeface, size, and type the words you want to see set. Euripides then creates a GIF file with your words in the ITC typeface of your choice. It's a great way to see typefaces in action rather than just as static text samples.

i-us

Want to talk about type? i-us is the place to do it. I host the type-related forums. (There are also forums about web design, print design, and specific software applications.)

Jack Yan & Associates

This New Zealand designer sells a range of lovely imaginative faces. His Web site is full of useful information for designers.

Leterror

Erik van Blokland and Just van Rossum are known for their rough typewriter font "Trixie" as well as their animated fonts, such as Kosmik. Their "random" fonts that look different each time you print them. They also have a GIF-alternative to font embedding, called GIFwrapper.

Linotype

Linotype has created much of the digital type in use today, including much of the Adobe library. Their Web site offers a lot of useful information and a complete online library of almost 4,000 fonts.

Microsoft Typography

Don't be put off by the Microsoft name, this site is invaluable for anyone interested in type on the screen. Download Matthew Carter's Georgia and Verdana for Mac or PC for free. These are, without a doubt, two of the very best fonts for on-screen reading. You can also download Vinne Connare's excellent Trebuchet, plus other Microsoft screen fonts, such as Impact and Arial Black. The site also contains a wealth of useful TrueType related information and one of the largest collections of links to numerous typographic web sites. There are some dazzling examples of what you can do with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) which are part of IE3, IE4, and Navigator 4. The place to find out the latest about TrueType embedding for the Web. Download a free utility to add embedded fonts to Web pages to be seen under IE4. This site is maintained by type lovers and it shows.

Monotype

Monotype is the home of such classic faces as Gill Sans and Times New Roman. You can buy fonts on-line, and order a growing line of publishing add-ons for page layout programs.

On-Line University's Type Identification Class

Want to learn how to tell one typeface from another? This site's excellent on-line course will teach you.

P22

P22 specializes in revival faces, from Hieroglyphics, to the ancient Acropolis, to the handwriting of DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Rodin and Cezanne, to Art Nouveau and Craftsman. These fonts are always well done and unparalled.

Patricia Lillie

Patricia has designed several popular faces that are sold by Image Club and T-26. Her site offers several fun shareware fonts.

PenUltimate Type Foundry

Original faces, the most original of which look like spray-paint "tagging" (or graffiti). You can layer them in several different colors for an extremely authentic look.

Phils Fonts

Phil's has been selling type for years, first as a photo-lettering house. Now selling digital typefaces for Mac and Windows, they have lots of great new type samples. Fonts are available for sale and they even give away a free font each month. If you like new faces, then you'll enjoy this new site.

Porchez Typofonderie

Jean-Francois Porchez has designed faces for Le Monde, as well as winning awards in the Morisawa type design competition.

Psy/Ops Type Foundry, SF

Rodrigo Xavier Cavasos not only has a great name, he has a great site featuring some stunning new designs with a classical feel.

Quadrat Communications

These Canadian faces range from adorable to simply practical.

Radiateur Fontes

A French foundry with some new ideas.

Scriptorium

Ornate, decorative Art Nouveau fonts. If you love Art Nouveau,then you don't want to miss this site. Stunning faces, well done.

Serif: The Magazine of Type and Typography

This highly regarded journal offers sample articles on-line.

Synfonts

The creator of these faces contends "they're for designers who aren't afraid to make a statement".

T-26

This foundry, known for their innovative faces, has a prime site (if you can stand the time it takes to load it). Individual typefaces are shown using Flash, which means you can zoom in on them to see details.

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival Font

Need a face that looks like the one used in Shakespeare's folios? Scott Mann and Pete Guither provide it in both Mac and Windows formats.

The Internet Type Index

Provides a current list of all the type vendors on the Web. Bookmark this site.

Thirstype

Highly novel faces, leaning toward the grungy.

Three Islands Press

Wonderful historic revivals (including revivals of famous handwriting), plus modern handwritten faces with flair. Many are available in demo versions that contain limited character sets. You can buy them on-line quite inexpensively.

Tiro Typeworks

Faces like a classic look in both serif and sans serif. Many faces include small caps, and other high end typographic features.

Treacyfaces/Headliners

A large selection of original typefaces in a wide variety of styles.

Treehouse Graphic Design

Typefaces inspired by movies and media. Clever and well done.

Type Books for the Well-Read Typographer

Delve Media Arts is an excellent site -- beautifully designed, highly informative.

TypeRight

TypeRight is a non-profit group whose goal is "to promote typefaces as creative works and to advocate their legal protection as intellectual property." An important site to visit if you don't know the legalities of type or want to support their goal.

Typofile Magazine

Online magazine for people who use (and love) type.

Vintage Type

Lots of shareware and public domain fonts, including some wonderful oriental character fonts called Mei Ornaments.


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