Free Fonts

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Copyright 2004 – 2007 Elena Grandi
Creative Commons License
All contents of this website, unless otherwise noted, is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial- NoDerivs License.
  1. Introduction
  2. Fonts
  3. A note on licenses

While listings of gratis fonts, expecially novelty one, abound; fonts that are free as in "free software" are still harder to find.

A huge directory of Unicode fonts is available as the Unicode Font Guide For Free/Libre Open Source Operating Systems: while it gives precedence to free fonts, it includes also non free ones that can simply be downloaded gratis.

Fonts

Full UCF

These are fonts that plan to cover all or most of the Unicode range, suitable as an all-purpose font.

Computer Modern Unicode (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
X11 License with font embedding exception
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
sft, pfb, otf
Various fonts converted from metafont sources for use in X applications.
Free UCS Outline Fonts (last checked: 2006-04-06)
License:
GPL with font exception.
Encoding:
Unicode.
Format:
OpenType, Truetype, Type 0, fontforge source.
This project is creating free basic font families (monospaced, serif and sans serif, each with regular, bold, oblique and bold oblique variants – italic and bold italic for serif) that include most of ISO 10646/Unicode UCS.
Gentium - a typeface for the nations (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
SIL OFL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
?
A typeface meant to help people in the world writing in their own language that use Latin based scripts or Greek. Support for Cyrillic and additional Latin extensions is planned.
Linux Libertine Open Font Project (last checked: 2006-11-15)
License:
GPL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType and FontForge sources.
A serif font family that covers western latin, greek, cyrillic and more. Regular, italic, bold and small-caps variants are inclued.

Linguistic

Charis SIL (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
SIL OFL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
?
A serif, proportional family optimized for readability in long printed document in Latin- and Cyrillic-based writing systems. Includes regular, bold, italic and bold italic variants.
Doulos SIL (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
SIL OFL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
?
A font family with characters for Roman- Cyrillic- based writing systems, including phonetical extensions. Intended for use along other Times-based fonts.
Junicode (last checked: 2006-04-06)
License:
GPL with nonstandard font exception.
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType, FontForge source.
Junius-Unicode is a font for medievalists that includes various Unicode ranges used in the field.

Miscellaneous Scripts

Andagii (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
Generic Copyleft
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType
An Unicode font for the Osmanya script; supports also Ugaritic and Shavian.
Penuturesu (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
Generic Copyleft
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType
An Unicode font for Linear B.
Culmus project (last checked: 2006-11-15)
License:
GNU GPL
Encoding:
Unicode / iso8859-8
Format:
Type 1
This project aims at providing the Hebrew-speaking GNU/Linux and Unix community with a basic collection of Hebrew fonts for X Windows. Some fonts from this project are included in the free UCS outline fonts above (in TrueType).
A Lee free Hangul truetype fonts (last checked: 2006-11-15)
License:
Artistic License
Encoding:
various (see link)
Format:
TrueType
Free Hangul truetype fonts made by A Lee. Also available under NetBSD (fonts/alee-ttf) and Gentoo Linux (media-fonts/alee-fonts)
Unicode Fonts for Ancient Scripts (last checked: 2008-11-13)
License:
PD-like
Encoding:
Format:
A few fonts for various ancient scripts: Aegean, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Meroitic, Sumero-Akkadian Cuneiform, etc.

Reproduction of historical hands and typefaces

The Isabella font by John Stracke (last checked: 2006-04-06)
License:
LGPL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType, PostScript, pfaedit source.
This font is based on the hand of the Isabella Breviary, made around 1497 in Holland.
Essays 1743 by John Stracke (last checked: 2006-04-06)
License:
LGPL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType, PostScript and source.
A font based on the typefaced used in a 1743 English translation of Montaigne's Essays

Novelty Latin Fonts

Engadget (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
LGPL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TryeType, FontForge sources
A font based on the logo of the engadget blog.
Rockets (last checked: 2006-04-07)
License:
LGPL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType, FontForge source
A font meant to evoke space travel. It includes ASCII, Latin Extended A and some B and Additional.
Stay-Puft Marshmallow Font (last checked: 2006-06-07)
License:
LGPL
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType, pfaedit source and beta PostScript.
A rounded, marshmallowy, cute font; includes ASCII, Latin-1 and a few other characters.
Dark Garden (last checked: 2006-11-17)
License:
GNU GPL with font exception
Encoding:
Format:
TrueType
A font based on hand drawings with thorn/flame-like spikes. Includes ASCII and diacritic for Polish and German.

Still uncategorized

kaffeesatz (last checked: 2006-04-18)
License:
CC attribution (Germany)
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
Open Type
tagesschrift (last checked: 2006-04-18)
License:
CC attribution (Germany)
Encoding:
Unicode
Format:
TrueType

(last checked: )
License:
Encoding:
Format:

A note on licenses

As written in the FSF FAQs about the GPL, it is still not clear whether using a font licensed under the GPL in a document could force the whole document under the GPL, expecially if the font is embedded in the distributed document; they suggest an exception that can be added to the license to prevent such behavior. If the font you're using does not include such an exception, you may have to consult a lawyer to know what you can and what you can't do with it.

Some font author consider this font inclusion a form of library linking, and thus release their work under the GNU LGPL: this sounds reasonable, even if I still haven't heard confirmation from a copyright professional and the FSF does not include it in its list of Free Licenses for Fonts.

Under the same assumptions, using fonts under a BSD/X11 like license, without a font exception, may put the document under its requirement for copyright attribution and possibly advertising clause.

Another license that can be used for fonts it the SIL Open Font License (OFL), considered free by the Free Software Foundation, who regard the "do not sell by itself" clause as harmless.

Last update: 2008-11-13 14:07 +0100

This page by Elena of Valhalla