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Font Management Software Help

S

SimonGarlick

macrumors member
Original poster
May 10, 2009
56
0
Hi, I'm looking to replace Suitcase XI as my font management software of choice, due to the fact that I find it very buggy when managing multiple fonts.

I've been looking at FontCase (looks slick) and FontExplorer X (looks more functional) - but wondered if anyone has any experience with any of these or any recommendations? Are Extensis' later efforts worth a look?

Thanks for any help.

Cheers,
Simon
 
I'm interested in hearing more about peoples experiences with FontCase as well.

I'm currently using Suitcase Fusion 3, and for the most part it works very well and is reliable. Sometimes the plugin fails, and I have to restart my design programs after restarting suitcase, but this doesn't happen very often.
 
SimonGarlick said:
Hi, I'm looking to replace Suitcase XI as my font management software of choice, due to the fact that I find it very buggy when managing multiple fonts.

I've been looking at FontCase (looks slick) and FontExplorer X (looks more functional) - but wondered if anyone has any experience with any of these or any recommendations? Are Extensis' later efforts worth a look?

Thanks for any help.

Cheers,
Simon
Click to expand...

I've used them all over the years, finally settled on FontExplorer X Pro a few years ago (early versions weren't anywhere near sufficiently robust), handles half a million fonts just fine, admittedly I went to the effort of repairing and converting them all to .otf's (a bit naughty I know, but it improves font management and reliability massively).

Did look at FontCase at some point in the past, but can't really remember if there was a reason why I never took to it.

FontExplorer X Pro is reliable enough now, it's neither intrusive nor sufferers from any particular issue that makes it detrimental to my creative process, though that is probably more to do with taking the time to repair & convert my font archive, all font management software to some degree seems susceptible to flaky operation if your fonts are corrupt.
 
SimonGarlick said:
Hi, I'm looking to replace Suitcase XI as my font management software of choice, due to the fact that I find it very buggy when managing multiple fonts.

I've been looking at FontCase (looks slick) and FontExplorer X (looks more functional) - but wondered if anyone has any experience with any of these or any recommendations? Are Extensis' later efforts worth a look?

Thanks for any help.

Cheers,
Simon
Click to expand...

I used Suitcase for many years and always found it quite stable. Then Font Book came along and it all started getting messy. I looked around and finally settled on Linotype's FontExplorer X. Simply, it works and I found there's no need for anything else.

I have 24 years worth of fonts 'collected' and keep quite a few open all the time. Again, no problems with FontExplorer X (v 1.2.3).

Regarding whether an application that is running in the background needs to look slick or not is debatable, but a free piece of software that does everything most users will need should warrant a look.

That is all. :rolleyes:
 
I am using Fontboss. Open and manage fonts from your hard drive, DMGs or any CD/DVD. Permanently install or uninstall fonts. Temporarily activate (until reboot) or deactivate fonts. Preview window allows you to type in any text and adjust its size, color and style. View font metrics that provide information about a selected font. Supports OpenType and TrueType fonts. Quick font search to locate fonts from collections or in your font list. Create collections to manage fonts for specific projects. It has been a good program, but is only for use with OS X. It has never crashed as of yet but will lag a bit on the very occasional font.
 
Thanks for the replies - think I'm edging towards FontExplorer X. On a slight side note, what's the best format for fonts on a Mac - LWFN, OTF, TTF?

Thanks again,
Simon
 
  • LWFN has been on the Mac for more than 25 years. This is a PostScript outline font that requires an accompanying screen font. The screen font may be either TrueType outline font or bitmap.
  • TTF is a TrueType font. Apple invented TrueType. Suffice it to say that TTF is fully-supported by MacOS X.
  • OTF is a Microsoft/Adobe-developed combination of PostScript/TrueType. It is fully supported by MacOS X.

There are other font file extensions. Given the choices in your post, then I would prefer OTF. This is because OTF fonts are likely to have many more glyphs. However, each format is fully-supported by the MacOS X font engine.
 
I've been using FontAgent Pro since the Mac OS X 10.1.x days. Mature, reliable product. I highly recommend it.
 
Thanks MisterMe - I've always been curious as to the difference between the file extensions.
 
hikinedd said:
Are you saying v1.2.3 (the free version) works with Lion? I'm moving straight from Leopard to Lion and want to keep paid upgrades to a minimum.
Click to expand...

No. I cannot confirm that it works on Lion. But I let you know how it works on my new MBP when it arrives....
 
Reg. Fontcase

Hi there..

Just wanted to tell you guys about my experience with Fontcase.

I have been using Fontcase since v.1, where it has been really buggy. Since then I moved to v.2 and it's still really buggy. It looks great, but there are so many times I'm pulling my hair out. Further more the update frequency is something like 1/2 year, and with the many holes in the system, I don't believe that they will deliver a system that is reliable until v.9.

I found this thread because i'm looking for a new font manager. And I think I will give font explorer a go.
 
MisterMe said:
  • LWFN has been on the Mac for more than 25 years. This is a PostScript outline font that requires an accompanying screen font. The screen font may be either TrueType outline font or bitmap.
  • TTF is a TrueType font. Apple invented TrueType. Suffice it to say that TTF is fully-supported by MacOS X.
  • OTF is a Microsoft/Adobe-developed combination of PostScript/TrueType. It is fully supported by MacOS X.
Click to expand...

AFAIK I've never heard of "LWFN" in relation to a Type 1 font. Is that an acronym? What does it mean?

rbuchholdt said:
...I think I will give font explorer a go.
Click to expand...

A solid program in my experience. Have rarely had issues with it.

beowulf70 said:
I looked around and finally settled on Linotype's FontExplorer X. Simply, it works and I found there's no need for anything else...no problems with FontExplorer X...a free piece of software that does everything most users will need should warrant a look.
Click to expand...

I agree and have found the same to be true. I'm also using the free 1.2.3 version. After I started using it several years ago, I eventually stopped using Suitcase altogether. Prior to using FEX I had been using Suitcase exclusively since at least 1996.
 
macuser453787 said:
AFAIK I've never heard of "LWFN" in relation to a Type 1 font. Is that an acronym? What does it mean?

...
Click to expand...
LWFN means LaserWriter Font. A LaserWriter font is a PostScript Type 1 font that is uploaded to a PostScript printer like the Apple LaserWriter. Screen display was done using an accompanying bitmapped font. The bitmapped screen font was usually stored in a font suitcase with other members of the font's family.

In 1996, the MacOS did not require file extensions. Therefore, Mac users knew Type 1 fonts a printer fonts. LWFN was the TYPE code for printer fonts.
 
hikinedd said:
Are you using it with Lion?
Click to expand...

I'm using it on Leopard. Not sure if it works on Lion or not. If you need it to, maybe check compatibility of FEX Pro with Lion because the regular FEX hasn't been updated for some time now.

----------
MisterMe said:
LWFN means LaserWriter Font. A LaserWriter font is a PostScript Type 1 font that is uploaded to a PostScript printer like the Apple LaserWriter. Screen display was done using an accompanying bitmapped font. The bitmapped screen font was usually stored in a font suitcase with other members of the font's family.

In 1996, the MacOS did not require file extensions. Therefore, Mac users knew Type 1 fonts a printer fonts. LWFN was the TYPE code for printer fonts.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I am aware of how PS Type 1 fonts work, I just wasn't familiar with what LWFN meant. :)
 
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