Surely more than once you have come across a web page, an ad, a banner or simply a text that has caught your attention, not so much because of what it put, but because of the font used. Or what is the same, the sources used. If you are not very aware of how you can download free fonts, beyond the ones that are predefined on your computer, then this interests you.
And it is that having a good collection of fonts can help you in your creative designs. But don't think that all the free; obviously there will be sites to download free fonts, and others that will have to be paid. As well as fonts that you can use without problem on a personal and commercial level; and others that you can only use on a personal level. Shall we talk about them?
What is a fountain?
Fonts refer to the letters that are used to create designs. Be it a banner, a logo, an email or even a book. Actually, what you are currently reading corresponds to a letter font.
You can meet with free fonts (like those that come in computers or with which you write in Word or similar programs); and sources of payment, where you have to pay to download the file that allows you to use that source.
The vast majority search the Internet for how to download free fonts. But there is an important point that is not taken into account and that can get you in trouble.
Download free fonts: for any use?
Imagine two situations:
- On the one hand, you want to create a collage with photos of your children and you need a suitable font to give more dynamism to the whole. You locate the source and download it to use it.
- On the other hand, that same collage you do for a company and you download the appropriate font and use it to present the design.
A priori, both cases could occur. But there is a little difference between one and the other. While the first is a private and personal use; the second is a commercial one, where you are selling your work and therefore the use of that source. And it's possible? Depends.
When downloading free fonts, you must keep in mind the use that you are going to give it. And it is that, in the download pages pages, they warn you if the font can be used on a commercial or personal level.
What kinds of uses can I give it?
- Personal use. In this case, they allow you to use the font only for a personal nature, that is, for designs that you create and for which you are not going to charge, or do not sell them to others.
- Commercial use. You can use the font to create your own designs and sell the set. In this case, the font must specify that it is 100% free or that commercial use is accepted.
What happens if I take a personal font and use it for commercial use? Morally, you are doing something that should not be done. But also, if the author realizes this, he can easily report you and force you to pay him compensation for the use you have made of his source when it was specified that it could not be used commercially.
Therefore, our recommendation is that, whenever you can, you only have sources that are 100% free so that you do not get confused between those for personal and commercial use.
Where to download free fonts?
Finally, we are going to leave you below some of the pages where you can download free fonts. In them you have a large selection of fonts, although you must be very careful how you are going to use them.
And is that on these pages you can find different types of fonts, from those that are 100% free to others that you can only use in the personal sphere, but not in the commercial. That is, you cannot use them to publish a book, a poster, on a web page ...
Also, many others need the permission of the people who created them.
With this clear, the pages that we recommend are the following:
Google Fonts
On this page you will find free fonts that are very readable and simple. They do not have "original" or "creative" fonts, or script type, but some of these are worth getting hold of, especially for texts or headlines.
Dafont
Dafont is one of the largest pages to find the letter you were looking for, even if you didn't think it would exist. And it is that it has more than 8000 types of fonts, and the vast majority of them are free for any use.
Where to download free fonts: 1001 Free Fonts
Along with the previous one, 1001 Free Fonts is one of the most popular web pages for designers and experts in «letters» because you can find practically everything in it.
It is true that some fonts are shared with other pages, but you can also find unique fonts that you are going to love.
Behance
Behance is one of the places that every graphic designer has to visit. And it does so because it is where designers meet online. But, in addition to being able to show your work around, there are also many who hang their fonts, because they have designed them; it's more, they allow you to download them and most are licensed for commercial use.
Why recommend this to you? Well, because sometimes those fonts are not found anywhere else and you can be more original in your designs by using creations that no one else has seen.
Where to download free fonts: Font River
In Font River you will find a catalog divided by themes. In this way, the fonts that you are going to find will be based on handwriting, fantasy, technological ... You have to be careful because although it has free fonts, there are also some that are paid (and others that do not allow you to use them for commercial purposes).
Font zone
This sure reminds you a lot of Dafont, and it looks like a clone of it, but it is not. You will have a directory to be able to search among its many fonts and find the one you like the most. But, as we tell you, check that they have the license you need, especially if they are intended for commercial projects.