Purchasing fonts - Necessary? Advisable?
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This may be a weird question, but I'm working on my own IP in the form of a graphic novel. I have found a font (one of the ones loaded in Photoshop) that I really like and am thinking I might use for the cover title (and pseudo-logo for the world I'm creating, eg on social media/etc to identify illustrations related to that project).
My understanding is that you are permitted to use the font as a typeface in static images, e.g. if I drew A cover with that font and export it as a JPG or PNG that's fine. However, I'm wondering if using it repeatedly in this sort of 'logo-ish' way would cross the line? I know that e-publishing can be an issue, and I don't know if a webcomic will eventually require those kind of export files.
(Apologies if I am massacring graphic design terminology... I really have no idea what I'm doing and trying to learn as I go).
The font I'm interested seems to be only ~$35 to purchase a license so I'm tempted to just do that and not have to worry. But I wanted to ask the community because it's an area I'd like to know more about (also, if I really don't need to spend any $ that's always better :D).
~ Pam
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That may not be an easy answer. My understanding is that Copyright law does not protect the font design. It does protect the coding used to create that font design. That’s why there are so many knock-off fonts that look like the expensive ones from Adobe, etc.
Also, fonts come with a use license that may be different depending on what you are buying and from whom.
If in doubt, contact the manufacturer or creator of the font and ask them directly.
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Thank you!
