Step #10: Why Use A Font Manager?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/WhyAFontManager.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe average creative professional\u2019s font library contains upwards of 4,500 fonts (in my opinion that number is likely waaaaaay to small). Even if you\u2019re not a professional, it\u2019s not unheard of for a font library to contain upwards of 3,500 fonts. I won\u2019t even tell you how many fonts I have \ud83d\ude0a Either way, that\u2019s why anyone who works regularly with fonts needs a system for organizing and managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Font management took years for me to wrap my mind around, literally YEARS. In my last Tuesday Tip Day<\/a> <\/strong>post, I shared where you can get fonts. And all those places were part of my problem. I\u2019m great at finding fonts, but I had grown to accept that it was just going to take me forever to find the perfect one (in my massive collection) when working on a new project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Font](\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/FontManager01smaller.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAgain, if you read the prior post, you know I finally broke down & started using a font manager. If you struggle managing all of your fonts, then read on, my friend. These are my tips for how to manage your fonts if they\u2019re quickly spiraling out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Benefits Of A Font Manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nFont managers let you view your fonts, and good ones let you explore their detailed traits and metadata. Most font managers allow you to organize your fonts by collections (i.e., styles and\/or types). All of this should transform plodding through a massive font collection to find the right font into a fast and enjoyable process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you can reap many important benefits from using a font manager, the single most important reason is that a good font manager elevates the performance of you and your computer. You can find a short list of some \u201cindustry recommended\u201d Font Managers on the \u201cResources<\/a><\/strong>\u201d page of the blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Are Font Collections?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Font](\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/FontCollectionssmaller.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nCollections are a simple system, that allows you to organize multiple fonts for your needs: by project, by font style (Serif, Slab Serif, Sans Serif, Script, Brush, Decorative, Handwritten, etc.) by theme (Basic, Fancy, Techno, Holiday, Gothic, Script, Grunge, Chalkboard, Dingbats, etc.), or by any other classification you choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Font collections are difficult to manage manually. \u00a0This would involve putting fonts in separate folders based on the collection (category) you pick for them.\u00a0 For example, you might want a folder that has all of your script fonts, one for brush fonts and so on.\u00a0 You can separate your fonts into folders, but if the time comes where you need to ensure you\u2019re not duplicating fonts, it will be easier if each of the individual files are shown in alphabetical order versus grouped into folders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With font management software you can create your own unique collections. This allows you to \u201cassign\u201d a font to a given category (collection) without having to move it from your main folder. Then when you\u2019re working on a project and you want to find a good script font all you have to do is go to that collection rather than scrolling through ALL of your fonts. In the image above you\u2019ll see that only script fonts are being displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not going to get into how you create collections\u2026that can vary based on the software you decide to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Font Previews<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMost font management software also allows you to preview your fonts using custom text. So that way you can see exactly what your word art or phrase will look like in any given font. This is a good way to check that a font supports not just the alpha characters but symbols & numbers as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little trivia for you!\u00a0 As you can see in the picture above under the heading \u201cWhat Are Collections?\u201d, the standard preview phrase is the same one used by the Windows font viewer (& likely most other font viewers): \u201cThe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re aware of why that phrase is used.\u00a0 This sentence contains all 26 letters of the English alphabet and is (was?) used by typists to test their keyboards.\u00a0 That\u2019s my little fun fact for the day \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not going to get into how you will define your custom text view\u2026that too can vary based on the software you decide to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Free vs. For Fee<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThere are free font managers available. But I would caution you to look at those very carefully. Typically, the free ones aren\u2019t as robust\/flexible as ones you purchase. I used a free font manager a long time ago and didn\u2019t find it all that useful. And that is the single biggest reason I couldn\u2019t get into using one. But that\u2019s not to say that there aren\u2019t good free ones.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"FontBase\"](\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/FontBase01smaller.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nFor example, I now use FontBase<\/a><\/strong>. And it is available in free, & \u201cAwesome\u201d (their name for the purchased one \u2013 available monthly or for a one-time \u201cforever\u201d fee) versions. They support, Linux, Mac & Windows. FontBase is built for designers, by designers. They understand what you need and deliver a set of great features to help you find the right font. While the free version is fairly robust, you will need to upgrade to the \u201cAwesome\u201d version (which I\u2019ve done) if you want full access to ALL of the glyphs associated with your fonts. Along with other features that may or may not be beneficial for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Windows](\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/WindowsCharacterMapIconsmaller.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIf you are a Windows user you can still look at all your glyphs by using the Windows Font Character Map<\/a><\/strong> app. But it might be a bit more cumbersome than using your font manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSingle Most Important Tip About Font Managers<\/strong>!<\/h3>\n\n\n\nIf you don\u2019t have a lot of fonts, you likely don\u2019t need a font manager.\u00a0 But if you\u2019re like a lot of scrapbookers\u2026you could probably find the “right font\u201d for every situation more quickly using a font manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if you read my prior post about Fonts & Alphas<\/a><\/strong> you already know that installing too many fonts on your computer can cause performance issues. A font manager can eliminate that.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want to learn even more about making good use of your fonts, click \u201cFollow Me<\/a><\/strong>” to stay updated for what else I have in store for you\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe average creative professional\u2019s font library contains upwards of 4,500 fonts (in my opinion that number is likely waaaaaay to small). Even if you\u2019re not a professional, it\u2019s not unheard of for a font library to contain upwards of 3,500 fonts. I won\u2019t even tell you how many fonts I have \ud83d\ude0a Either way, that\u2019s why anyone who works regularly with fonts needs a system for organizing and managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Font management took years for me to wrap my mind around, literally YEARS. In my last Tuesday Tip Day<\/a> <\/strong>post, I shared where you can get fonts. And all those places were part of my problem. I\u2019m great at finding fonts, but I had grown to accept that it was just going to take me forever to find the perfect one (in my massive collection) when working on a new project. <\/p>\n\n\n Again, if you read the prior post, you know I finally broke down & started using a font manager. If you struggle managing all of your fonts, then read on, my friend. These are my tips for how to manage your fonts if they\u2019re quickly spiraling out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Font managers let you view your fonts, and good ones let you explore their detailed traits and metadata. Most font managers allow you to organize your fonts by collections (i.e., styles and\/or types). All of this should transform plodding through a massive font collection to find the right font into a fast and enjoyable process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you can reap many important benefits from using a font manager, the single most important reason is that a good font manager elevates the performance of you and your computer. You can find a short list of some \u201cindustry recommended\u201d Font Managers on the \u201cResources<\/a><\/strong>\u201d page of the blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collections are a simple system, that allows you to organize multiple fonts for your needs: by project, by font style (Serif, Slab Serif, Sans Serif, Script, Brush, Decorative, Handwritten, etc.) by theme (Basic, Fancy, Techno, Holiday, Gothic, Script, Grunge, Chalkboard, Dingbats, etc.), or by any other classification you choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Font collections are difficult to manage manually. \u00a0This would involve putting fonts in separate folders based on the collection (category) you pick for them.\u00a0 For example, you might want a folder that has all of your script fonts, one for brush fonts and so on.\u00a0 You can separate your fonts into folders, but if the time comes where you need to ensure you\u2019re not duplicating fonts, it will be easier if each of the individual files are shown in alphabetical order versus grouped into folders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With font management software you can create your own unique collections. This allows you to \u201cassign\u201d a font to a given category (collection) without having to move it from your main folder. Then when you\u2019re working on a project and you want to find a good script font all you have to do is go to that collection rather than scrolling through ALL of your fonts. In the image above you\u2019ll see that only script fonts are being displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not going to get into how you create collections\u2026that can vary based on the software you decide to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most font management software also allows you to preview your fonts using custom text. So that way you can see exactly what your word art or phrase will look like in any given font. This is a good way to check that a font supports not just the alpha characters but symbols & numbers as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A little trivia for you!\u00a0 As you can see in the picture above under the heading \u201cWhat Are Collections?\u201d, the standard preview phrase is the same one used by the Windows font viewer (& likely most other font viewers): \u201cThe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re aware of why that phrase is used.\u00a0 This sentence contains all 26 letters of the English alphabet and is (was?) used by typists to test their keyboards.\u00a0 That\u2019s my little fun fact for the day \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not going to get into how you will define your custom text view\u2026that too can vary based on the software you decide to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are free font managers available. But I would caution you to look at those very carefully. Typically, the free ones aren\u2019t as robust\/flexible as ones you purchase. I used a free font manager a long time ago and didn\u2019t find it all that useful. And that is the single biggest reason I couldn\u2019t get into using one. But that\u2019s not to say that there aren\u2019t good free ones.<\/p>\n\n\n For example, I now use FontBase<\/a><\/strong>. And it is available in free, & \u201cAwesome\u201d (their name for the purchased one \u2013 available monthly or for a one-time \u201cforever\u201d fee) versions. They support, Linux, Mac & Windows. FontBase is built for designers, by designers. They understand what you need and deliver a set of great features to help you find the right font. While the free version is fairly robust, you will need to upgrade to the \u201cAwesome\u201d version (which I\u2019ve done) if you want full access to ALL of the glyphs associated with your fonts. Along with other features that may or may not be beneficial for you.<\/p>\n\n\n If you are a Windows user you can still look at all your glyphs by using the Windows Font Character Map<\/a><\/strong> app. But it might be a bit more cumbersome than using your font manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t have a lot of fonts, you likely don\u2019t need a font manager.\u00a0 But if you\u2019re like a lot of scrapbookers\u2026you could probably find the “right font\u201d for every situation more quickly using a font manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you read my prior post about Fonts & Alphas<\/a><\/strong> you already know that installing too many fonts on your computer can cause performance issues. A font manager can eliminate that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to learn even more about making good use of your fonts, click \u201cFollow Me<\/a><\/strong>” to stay updated for what else I have in store for you\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nBenefits Of A Font Manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are Font Collections?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nFont Previews<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Free vs. For Fee<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSingle Most Important Tip About Font Managers<\/strong>!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Stay](\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StayUpdated02smaller.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"