How to properly manage your fonts on a mac
- Thread starter Natobasso
- Start date
Natobasso
Tech-Bot 5000
Blog post synopsis (click the link for images):
Managing your Fonts on a Mac: Linotype FontExplorer (Free)
Managing fonts on your mac is relatively easy, but there are some things to keep in mind. I've given this advice 1000 times and only just now realised I could just post this advice to my blog. Ha.
Here's what I recommend for both power designer users down to casual users, simply because it makes using a mac a more enjoyable experience. Many users report the "strange characters in my browser" error that happens with duplicates of Helvetica. These tips fix this issue too along with performance issues that come with dumping all your fonts into the user/library/fonts folder:
1. Download and install the free version of Linotype's FontExplorer (don't buy the full version unless you are a super pro user and need support and font server capability): Click here to start the download immediately, directly from Linotype's website.
2. Open FontBook and deactivate all fonts it's running. Don't ever open or use it again. It's not very good with font management, ironically, and I don't recommend you use it.
3. Clean your System Fonts folder. This safely removes all but the 12 fonts that your system absolutely requires. This also means you don't have to load 1000s of fonts in order for your computer to function - just load the ones you want through FontExplorer when you want them. Here's where you activate Clean System Fonts Folder:
Cleaning the System Fonts folder will create a FONT REMOVED folder in your hard drive. Add these to the folder you create for #4 below and import them to your font library.
4. Add fonts to your FontExplorer Library. Make sure right inside your hard drive you have a font folder called FONTS (or similarly named) and have your fonts in alphabetised folders, A - Z. This makes it easy to pinpoint font issues. Having all your fonts in a lump in one folder is highly unorganised. Not helpful when you need to quarantine one font!
5. Open your Plug in library and activate any applicable programs that use fonts (Adobe Creative Suite is a no-brainer, but other apps are compatible as well; be sure to activate them for best font performance and auto-activation):
6. Create font sets and activate fonts that you like to use. Don't activate them all as this defeats the purpose of managing fonts in the first place.
Hope this helps. Please leave me a comment if you run into any issues or if I've completely stuffed up the steps and should explain it more clearly. Let me know your font management tips!
Managing your Fonts on a Mac: Linotype FontExplorer (Free)
Managing fonts on your mac is relatively easy, but there are some things to keep in mind. I've given this advice 1000 times and only just now realised I could just post this advice to my blog. Ha.
Here's what I recommend for both power designer users down to casual users, simply because it makes using a mac a more enjoyable experience. Many users report the "strange characters in my browser" error that happens with duplicates of Helvetica. These tips fix this issue too along with performance issues that come with dumping all your fonts into the user/library/fonts folder:
1. Download and install the free version of Linotype's FontExplorer (don't buy the full version unless you are a super pro user and need support and font server capability): Click here to start the download immediately, directly from Linotype's website.
2. Open FontBook and deactivate all fonts it's running. Don't ever open or use it again. It's not very good with font management, ironically, and I don't recommend you use it.
3. Clean your System Fonts folder. This safely removes all but the 12 fonts that your system absolutely requires. This also means you don't have to load 1000s of fonts in order for your computer to function - just load the ones you want through FontExplorer when you want them. Here's where you activate Clean System Fonts Folder:
Cleaning the System Fonts folder will create a FONT REMOVED folder in your hard drive. Add these to the folder you create for #4 below and import them to your font library.
4. Add fonts to your FontExplorer Library. Make sure right inside your hard drive you have a font folder called FONTS (or similarly named) and have your fonts in alphabetised folders, A - Z. This makes it easy to pinpoint font issues. Having all your fonts in a lump in one folder is highly unorganised. Not helpful when you need to quarantine one font!
5. Open your Plug in library and activate any applicable programs that use fonts (Adobe Creative Suite is a no-brainer, but other apps are compatible as well; be sure to activate them for best font performance and auto-activation):
6. Create font sets and activate fonts that you like to use. Don't activate them all as this defeats the purpose of managing fonts in the first place.
Hope this helps. Please leave me a comment if you run into any issues or if I've completely stuffed up the steps and should explain it more clearly. Let me know your font management tips!
I tried to post this on Natobasso's blog using the google profile option but nothing happens. I have Typepad and openid accounts but I can never remember what they are. Anyways it's probably better here, more eyes...
This is a little unclear.
Where do you suggest best locating this folder? At the system level (/Library/Fonts) or elsewhere, maybe in your user library (~/Library/Fonts)?
This is a little unclear.
Where do you suggest best locating this folder? At the system level (/Library/Fonts) or elsewhere, maybe in your user library (~/Library/Fonts)?
Natobasso
Tech-Bot 5000
I think you're saying my writing style could be better?
Natobasso
Tech-Bot 5000
Sorry, definitely DON'T store all your user fonts (non system fonts) there because your mac will want to load them all for every application. Defeats the purpose of using a font manager.
I mean to say put your MY FONTS folder directly in your hard drive but not in any other folders. Connecting to it will be easy (just one layer to get to rather than digging through /library/fonts/...) and your computer won't be tempted to load all your fonts all the time.
Hope that makes sense.
Natobasso
Tech-Bot 5000
1. Create a folder called MY FONTS
2. Put it in your hard drive
3. Move all your fonts there
4. Load them into FontExplorer and activate as needed
Natobasso
Tech-Bot 5000
Natobasso
Tech-Bot 5000
Hate to say it but you're sounding a lot like your own description of a mac.
As far as being a noob goes, I've been on this site since 2002 and have used macs since 1984 - you've been here since, um, this month. Mkay.Natman to the rescue!
It may be clearer to say - create a folder called Fonts in the root directory of your hard drive, eg: /Fonts.
I used to be a big user of Suitcase back in the pre OSX days but I never bothered to use FontExplorer because at first it was a little flakey and I never tried anything else.
But fonts have gotten out of hand so it's time to clean up.
Did you move all the fonts out of the /Library/Application Support/Adobe font folders as well in your clean up? I have lots of them in there.
But fonts have gotten out of hand so it's time to clean up.
Did you move all the fonts out of the /Library/Application Support/Adobe font folders as well in your clean up? I have lots of them in there.
Belfinsalirine
Registered
The reliability of the major professional font tools is a mixed bag. For the most part, they are all quite solid and reliable products. Suitcase Fusion has developed through many updates to be fairly robust. It does require more resources than FontAgent Pro and as was the case with Suitcase you must keep the application open at all times.