1000s of Quality Free Fonts – Huge Resource Roundup
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The right typeface can make all the difference to complete a stellar design concept. Many of the design templates on Inkd rely on creativity with type, but what might surprise you is that many of our designers utilize some of the 1000s of free fonts – quality free fonts – readily available online.
Professional high quality fonts are a major asset to any designer’s toolbox, but free fonts also abound and can be a terrific resource if you can separate the wheat from the chaff. From massive collections, to small collectives, and the best ways to keep current – continue on for our roundup of the best free font resources today.
It’s also a good idea to carefully review the licenses associated with each font, regardless of where you find it. All terms and conditions should specify the all the possible commercial limitations for use. Keeping a copy of these in an archive with the fonts is a great general practice to get into.
Free Font Directories
The best of the very large collections focusing on free fonts. If you don’t find something here, you’re probably not going to find it free and legal elsewhere:
Thousands of free fonts listed. Great place to check and see if what you want is available. |
Again, tons of fonts here. Nice way to browse by popular downloads over time. |
Another large resource (over 12,000 fonts!?) with decent browsing features. |
“The easy-preview font site”. Enter your text and toggle away. |
Lots more than 1001. Custom previews here too. |
 fontcubes Another large directory that tends to guide you to the moments popular font. |
 searchfreefonts Claiming to be simply the largest free font collection on the web – this site has an interesting interface and even some articles. |
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Lastly for this category, don’t forget about the large commercial font directories. Though they don’t scream free fonts at the top of their lungs, My Fonts, FontShop, and fonts.com all have some showcased occasionally in smaller numbers. |
Specialized free font resources
These smaller sites have a focus that differentiates them form the big directories, and usually point you to unique quality fonts faster:
Only free fonts. All with commercial-use licenses. A stellar resource. |
 Open Font Library
All fonts available here have been contributed using the “Open Font License”, allowing for personal and commercial use. |
From FontShop comes something truly unique: a simple online font creator to build and share your own fonts, or download fonts created by other using this tool. |
Thoughtful Free Font Roundups
An always popular topic, brilliant free fonts are always being herded into groups and showcased. Keep an eye on quality resources to go down the right rabbit hole:
Some of the best font roundups you can find. Monthly free fonts showcased too. |
Yes, Twitter – you’ve heard of it? Well anyone and everyone, including type designers, let the world know what’s hot on their radar. You’ll see even better results searching tweetmeme, and check out Inkd’s own massive list type resources complete with RSS feeds you can filter to your free font loving heart’s desire. |
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Here’s a few notables that recently came across Twitter and RSS: Presidia Creative’s Must-Haves, and 50 Free Handwritten Fonts from Instant Shift. |
Independent Designers and Foundries
Lastly, the best stuff comes straight from the horses mouth. Many designers and foundries will drop some freebies periodically; it’s often as easy as signing up for a newsletter. Here’s just a few of our favorites:
| The exljbris Font Foundry has some of the top free fonts available.
Misprinted Type is the portfolio site of Eduardo Recife, where he generously lists some freebies from his line of incredibly creative typefaces. Jess Latham hangs his hat at Blue Vinyl, where there many goodies to be found. Cape Arcona Type Foundry lists some great expressive free fonts from their collection. Fonts on deviantART are varied in quality, but dynamically available from a really large audience of contributors. And finally Blue Vertigo lists tons of font resources we didn’t include here, along with many independent designers and foundries who offer free samples for those who care to look! |
Do you know of some awesome free font resources that passed by our keen type senses? Please share them in the comments!
Tags: free fonts, typeface
