A font is a file that contains the data for drawing and setting characters, and it is used under a licence. Buying a licence does not mean buying the typeface design, nor does it give permission to install the font on any machine, embed it in an application or hand it to a client. Each licence grants only the uses it lists.
Terms vary between foundries and distributors. Read the exact licence for the font and for the date of purchase.
File, design and result
Tell seven things apart: the font file, the typeface design, the image or composition created with the font, the logo, the trademark, the document with the font embedded and the editable file. Each layer may have a different regime and different permissions.
Regulation (EU) 2026/715 on European Union designs includes typographic typefaces among the products (Article 4, point 2, letter b). That possible design protection does not replace the licence for the file. This guide does not analyse the registration requirements.
Desktop licence
It usually authorises installation on a set number of machines or users in order to create printed matter, images or documents. Monotype, for example, describes the desktop licence as intended for print or static image formats. Do not assume that it covers web use, applications, servers or handing over the file.
Check who the licensee is, the number of seats, commercial use, remote working, backups and duration.
Webfont
Serving a font to the browser distributes typographic data. It may require a web-use permission, whose terms vary from licence to licence.
Do not upload a desktop font to a server just because you used it in the design. Adobe Fonts states that, to add a font from its service to a website, you must first create a web project. Those are the terms of that service, not universal rules. By contrast, fonts under the OFL allow web use if the complete font package is made available, according to the FAQ of that licence.
Applications and software
Including a font in an application, a game, a device or a program may involve distributing it. Monotype distinguishes between licences for mobile apps, for physical products with the font built in and for commercial electronic publications (ePub). Check platforms, number of applications, installations, users and updates. For the software resources that accompany an artwork, see Software licences and artistic works: what each licence covers.
Server and automated generation
If a server generates documents, images or videos for third parties, a specific server licence may be needed. Monotype describes its own as intended for web or cloud services and software-as-a-service (SaaS) cases. The designer’s local installation does not automatically cover that use.
Logos and trademarks
Many licences allow fonts to be used in logos, but not all do so on the same terms. Adobe Fonts includes among the permitted uses the creation of images or vector art, logos included, and notes that the logo can be protected, but not the typeface designs it contains. The OFL FAQ also allows those fonts to be used in logos and design work.
Check whether the licence grants any exclusivity over the shape of the letters, whether there are trademark conflicts, and whether the logo is delivered with live text or converted to outlines.
PDF and documents with the font embedded
Embedding a font in a PDF lets the document keep its appearance. The licence may allow it to be viewed and printed and restrict editing or extraction. Some fonts also carry technical flags for embedding permission. The software may or may not respect them, and the fact that it allows a font to be embedded does not in itself show that the contract authorises any use.
Adobe Fonts states that text that is rasterised, converted to outlines or embedded in line with its terms can be shared with clients without their needing their own licence. The OFL FAQ treats embedding, whether complete or as subsets, as distinct from redistribution.
Modification, conversion and subsets
Changing glyphs, converting the format, creating subsets or converting text to outlines may count as modification or redistribution, depending on the licence. Check whether it is permitted, whether the name must change and how the result is redistributed.
Do not confuse converting text to outlines with modifying the original file. Outlines can remove the need to hand over the font, but they reduce the editability and accessibility of the document.
Delivery to the printer or to clients
Do not send the font file unless the licence allows it. Adobe Fonts, for example, does not allow the files to be packaged or transferred to clients, other designers or printers, who need a licence of their own. Common options:
- a PDF with the font embedded as the licence allows;
- text converted to outlines, where appropriate;
- a temporary package for the printer, only if the licence authorises it;
- purchase of a licence by the client;
- a link to the foundry or the distributor.
Decide who needs to be able to edit. If the client needs to install the font or edit live text, they need their own licence. Handing over an editable file does not automatically include sublicensing the font.
SIL Open Font License
The SIL Open Font License (OFL), version 1.1 of 26 February 2007, allows a font to be used, studied, modified and redistributed freely under its conditions. The official FAQ (version 1.1-update7, November 2023) clarifies that:
- fonts may be used in logos, design work and documents;
- derivative fonts must be released under the OFL and may not be sold on their own;
- if the author declares Reserved Font Names, a modified version may not use them;
- documents and artworks created with an OFL font are not subject to the OFL;
- when redistributing the font you must include the complete package, with its copyright notices, and the text of the licence, except when it is embedded in a document or included in a program.
Check in each case the licence text that accompanies the font. This summary does not replace it.
Licence records
Keep for each font:
- family and styles;
- foundry and distributor;
- file version;
- date and invoice;
- licence and version;
- licensee;
- users or machines;
- uses: desktop, web, application, server or document;
- domains or applications;
- modifications;
- renewal;
- location of the licence text and of the files.
Do not rely only on the history of a subscription account. This list is an operational proposal of the guide.
Checklist
- Font, foundry, version and seller are identified.
- The licence matches the actual use.
- Seats, users and licensee entity are correct.
- Web, application and server were reviewed separately.
- The PDF or document allows the intended embedding.
- Modification, conversion and subsets are authorised.
- Printer and client do not receive files without permission.
- The logo is not mistaken for exclusive ownership of the font.
- The OFL notices and reserved names are kept.
- Invoice, licence and files are stored.
Further reading
Sources
- SIL Open Font License, official site and OFL FAQ. Licence 1.1 of 26 February 2007; FAQ 1.1-update7 of November 2023; page updated on 12 January 2026.
- Adobe Fonts, Font licensing and Adobe Fonts. Help page updated on 27 March 2026. Terms of that service.
- Monotype, Licensing. Article of 30 April 2026. Terms of that foundry.
- BOE, Regulation (EU) 2026/715 on European Union designs (codified version). Article 4, point 2.
Status: Verified. Reviewed: 11 October 2026. General information; the specific licence prevails. If you find a mistake, write to me.