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The site I spent the most time on is Larabie Fonts.
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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
Bonanza of free fonts for Windows and Mac users


March 30, 2003


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, The Post-Standard

   That Windows PC or Macintosh you have at home came with about a dozen fonts for everyday use. Isn't it time you added a few more?
   This week I'll tell you where you can get scores of new fonts for free. Most of them are TrueType fonts, used by Windows and modern Macs.
   You might see two other kinds listed. Stay away from Postscript fonts unless you know your computer can use them, and avoid OpenType fonts if you have Windows 95, 98 or Me. But Windows 2000, Windows XP and OS X Macs can use OpenType as well as TrueType.
   Installing fonts is easy -- you simply drag them into the Fonts folder, both on a Windows PC or on an OS X Macintosh, although Mac OS X users might want to install new fonts in their own Fonts folder instead of the main one. Just search for a folder named "Fonts" (without quotes) on either computer if you're not sure where the folder is.
   Before I continue, please heed this warning: Many font sites list Windows fonts and Mac fonts. The Mac fonts are for the old Macintosh operating system. If you have Mac OS X, download the Windows versions of any fonts. They are the kind that were adopted for all modern Apple computers.
   The site I spent the most time on is Larabie Fonts, at www.larabiefonts.com, in which all the fonts are free. (When I say "all," I don't mean 10 or 20. I mean all 343 fonts available on the site are free.) Ray Larabie designed all the Larabie fonts, and has a wonderful touch for both the svelte and the bizarre.
   Take an hour or two and browse through all the Larabie fonts. But before you start downloading each one separately, look for a link named "Download Pig" near the top of the screen. It leads you to a page that provides grouped downloads in alphabetical order. Another option is to grab the whole shebang in one file.
   Ray Larabie gets my vote for the kindest guy in the known universe. Designing fonts isn't something you do while watching "Jeopardy" some night; it's a tedious job that takes a lot of time. Larabie has given all of us who love fonts a huge gift.
   Another great site is Blue Vinyl, at www.reflectdesign.com/bvfonts/. It has both free fonts and commercial versions, and all of them are stunningly designed. Many are gimmick fonts and others are simply clever.
   Want some fonts that are truly off-the-wall (and maybe off the ceiling)? Go to Divide by Zero at http://fonts.tom7.com. I love the "Germs" font, which looks like the sort of thing kids draw when they're bored in English class. I also liked the "Levity" font and "Epilog."
   Wild and wonderful fonts are yours for the taking from B/W Fontworks at http://www.blueknot.com/Fonts/. If you're tired of "Courier New" and "Times New Roman," try "Glory" and "Sanity." The other whimsical fonts are great, too.
   Want to see what the buzz about OpenType is all about? Dieter Steffman, at www.steffmann.de (choose the English version once you get there), has some excellent free OpenType fonts. (Again, if you're using Mac OS X, ignore what Steffman says about Windows (or PC) versions and Mac versions; they're the same for Mac OS X.)
   More sites:
   -- www.fontsite.com (professional fonts for free -- be sure to get the flag).
   -- http://moorstation.org/typoasis/designers/klein03/ (Manfred Klein's outstanding collection)
   -- www.robotjohnny.com (whimsical fonts you won't want to miss)
   -- http://uatype.faithweb.com/fonts.html (great site for intriguing fonts and font help)