Free and Open Source Fonts

This article was written a few years ago on the old version of my website: back then it was quite hard to find fonts that were free as in "free software", so I begun to collect this listing. Now that basic free fonts are available in most distributions, I plan to update this page giving precedence to those that cover less used areas.

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.

Another useful resource is the review of all fonts available in Debian (warning: HUGE page, with lots of images), published by the fonts team, which only includes fonts that are Free and include "source code".

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.

Constructium (last checked: 2012-08-23)

  • License: SIL Open Font License
  • Encoding:
  • Format: TrueType

A derivative of SIL Gentium that adds support for various conscripts included in the Under-ConScript Unicode Registry.

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.

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

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.

Send a comment: unless requested otherwise I may add it, or some extract, to this page.

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