Where Can I Find Free Fonts?

Free fonts can be downloaded from the internet for free. Some free projects exist to offer free and open source font projects, i.e. fonts that are free and therefore not copyrighted, or at the very least a wide range of fonts that are free. A project called Discord fonts is a good example of how free fonts can be used and downloaded. Other examples include fonts developed by Google, Microsoft and Adobe.

As you might have guessed, free fonts come with some disadvantages. To understand this, you would need to know about fonts and the different uses of them. Just remember that although fonts are free, they are not necessarily portable and modifiable. This means that if you want to change something in a particular font, you would either have to learn the code or alter the file from its current form. That is, once you download or install free fonts, you cannot change it.

This is not really a problem, if you are only looking for free fonts for websites. 

Most people are not willing to spend the time learning to use and modify free fonts. For them, downloading free fonts from elsewhere is the only option available. Of course, there are also commercial fonts available in both free and shareware variants.

Once downloaded, free fonts can be installed and used in your document. However, as noted, if you are changing or are planning to change the typeface used in a document, you may have to do this manually. If the changes are simple, then there is no need to download and install another font. What is more, changing the glyph aligners by hand is time consuming and tedious.

The biggest disadvantage of free fonts is copyright infringement.

Almost all free fonts are copyrighted. Some are released under license terms that allow free usage but restrict distribution rights. Others are released with no license at all and are available for download. If you want to use one of these fonts, you must buy the legal copyright holder's version or obtain a separate license for each font.

Many free fonts are over seven years old. While this is no problem for most designers, it can be a problem for those who are planning to sell their designs. Since many older fonts are out of fashion, some will sell for far less than their real market value. A typical asking price for free fonts is half of what would be paid for new fonts.

There are some solutions to the availability problem. 

One is to join a few of the thousands of subscribers to free font websites. These sites charge a nominal annual fee for access to the font database. This is a good deal considering that many authors do not wish to charge for their fonts. At least with the subscription option, you can get free fonts without commitment.

You may also be able to find free fonts by performing a search in Google. Type in the term "free fonts" to generate a list of possible matches. Another approach is to download several fonts from sites such as Freeware Guys and oDesk. These sites are often safe versions of free fonts. But be sure to download fonts from reputable sources.

Many of the free fonts that you find on the web were originally free fonts created for some purpose. An example is Adobe's Font Studio, which is used for creating fonts for websites. The original fonts are free, but the programs to which they are downloaded are not. When you download fonts from one of these sources, your computer will often become infected with adware or spyware. 

Spyware and adware can interfere with your computer's ability to navigate the Internet and open programs.

Another way to get free fonts is to have them download over the Internet. This approach works best with licensed fonts. It is impossible to completely protect your computer from infection when you download free fonts. The only way to safeguard your computer is to buy a good antivirus program and install it. However, free fonts can be helpful if you only need a font for a limited amount of time or if you cannot afford to buy a pricey download.

Free fonts are available in many places, but not all of them are legitimate. Before downloading any free fonts, be sure to verify their sources, their compatibility with your operating system and their copyright status. Once you've verified these areas, you can download fonts for free with confidence.