Font Management Software

“FontExplorer™ X sets a new standard for font management software. Linotype is pleased to announce the missing link to your font collection. With the new FontExplorer X, font management, font sorting, font shopping and font discovery are simple and fun! FontExplorer X gives computer users all the funcionality they ever dreamed – easy to use with an elegant style.”

Maybe they should have joined forces with Apple and called it iFont, because it has such a similar concept to iTunes. It’s the best font management system we’ve come across. It blows Extensis Suitcase and FontBook into the dust, and after a quick Google search it seems that the majority of designers prefer it.

Extensis and Font Reserve are still the industry standard. I’m sure one of them is your font management program of choice, but not really by your choice. It’s just what has always been the standard software options. Organizing and handling fonts in Extensis was manageable but, truth be told, annoying. And the way it handles font conflicts are a real pain too. FontExplorer handles all that (and more!) so you can stop fussing with your fonts and get on with the designing. And for anyone out there looking for the free option, FontBook is just too simple. It’s slow to load large libraries, and if a large library is what you have (what designer doesn’t?) it’s prone to crash while using it.

It’s also the only software of it’s kind that has auto-activation. It’s by far the most useful and time-saving feature. If you don’t have FontExplorer yet download the free version and get in on the bandwagon; the pro version is also available for $79. They also offer a server software for use at larger companies.

We think the free version of FontExplorer X is the Goldilocks font management software. Not too complicated. Not too simple. It’s just right.