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How to archive/transfer fonts?
- Thread starter spawn135
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Hi spawn,
The easiest way to get fonts off your old Mac is by searching, collecting and copying to an external drive (if not networked). You can use Font Book to search-out and collect fonts. Once collected, copy them to the external drive and transfer them to your new Mac.
I recommend using Suitcase Fusion since it seems to be the most up-to-date utility right now. Font Book is okay, but not really good for agency production. I also suggest moving to only OpenType fonts for both quality and compatibility reasons, plus you get expanded character sets. If you're doing actual paying work, stick with mainstream quality fonts...I can't urge that enough. I see a lot of ads created with crap fonts that cause so many problems at print, pdf, web stages.
Here's a very useful Font guide Apple did for Tiger: http://images.apple.com/pro/pdf/L311277A_FontTT_v4.pdf
Well worth the read if you want to learn more about font management on Mac. Font management can be messy, so the more you know, the fewer problems you'll have.
Good luck!
TTE
The easiest way to get fonts off your old Mac is by searching, collecting and copying to an external drive (if not networked). You can use Font Book to search-out and collect fonts. Once collected, copy them to the external drive and transfer them to your new Mac.
I recommend using Suitcase Fusion since it seems to be the most up-to-date utility right now. Font Book is okay, but not really good for agency production. I also suggest moving to only OpenType fonts for both quality and compatibility reasons, plus you get expanded character sets. If you're doing actual paying work, stick with mainstream quality fonts...I can't urge that enough. I see a lot of ads created with crap fonts that cause so many problems at print, pdf, web stages.
Here's a very useful Font guide Apple did for Tiger: http://images.apple.com/pro/pdf/L311277A_FontTT_v4.pdf
Well worth the read if you want to learn more about font management on Mac. Font management can be messy, so the more you know, the fewer problems you'll have.
Good luck!
TTE
Hi spawn,
The easiest way to get fonts off your old Mac is by searching, collecting and copying to an external drive (if not networked). You can use Font Book to search-out and collect fonts. Once collected, copy them to the external drive and transfer them to your new Mac.
I recommend using Suitcase Fusion since it seems to be the most up-to-date utility right now. Font Book is okay, but not really good for agency production. I also suggest moving to only OpenType fonts for both quality and compatibility reasons, plus you get expanded character sets. If you're doing actual paying work, stick with mainstream quality fonts...I can't urge that enough. I see a lot of ads created with crap fonts that cause so many problems at print, pdf, web stages.
Here's a very useful Font guide Apple did for Tiger: http://images.apple.com/pro/pdf/L311277A_FontTT_v4.pdf
Well worth the read if you want to learn more about font management on Mac. Font management can be messy, so the more you know, the fewer problems you'll have.
Good luck!
TTE
Thank you TTE. That PDF is useful, especially in helping me find the folders where my fonts may be.
I do have an external hard drive, so I will try that out. Thank you for your help
After years of disappointment, I would never touch another Extensis product again. Linotype FontExplorer X is easily on a par with Suitcase, possibly even more reliable, unless you're running from a server... and is free. It's now on all our production machines at work.
http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorerX
Instructive reading: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/apps/fontmanagers.ars
http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorerX
Instructive reading: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/apps/fontmanagers.ars
I am running fusion now tried FontExplorer X for a while. Fusion has bothered me for a while, theres lots of wierd things going on with it. I will be trying FontX at home again and see if I have any issues with.
I have come across a typeface that wouldn't activate right and would shutdown my CS2 iD2 and my CS2 Ill programs when I tried to print. Also I spent forever organizing my fonts into serifs, san serifs, scripts, etc.. and lost them all on an upgrade. They were just pains to deal with, but it is what I am used to so I continue to use it. Plus paid money for it.
Same here, Suitcase sucked since v8. I switched to FontAgent Pro years ago, but have had more problems with it over the past year or so with OS upgrades and switching to all OT fonts. I haven't seen any updates nor announcements from FAP, the trial version of Fusion worked very well for us (slow sometimes but stabile). The main thing for us was CS3 stability and Fusion promised that.
FontExplorer X very promising though. I didn't pay any attention to it before, but looking at the features and that review, I might have to give it a whirl. It's free but stacks-up well against the big boys. And the 'iTunes-esk" font store is very smart of LT...might never actually purchase fonts but a valuable resource to have in the manager.