1. The font has the right form.
What about the format?

A few years ago, you had to make a decision between TrueType or PostScript and Mac or Windows. Today, the choice is usually fairly simple: OpenType is the most convenient and full-featured font format, compatible with all modern screen and print workflows.

All the extras that are commonly spread across multiple PostScript or TrueType files can live in one OpenType file. Best of all, OpenType is a truly cross-platform format. You can use the same font on Mac or Windows machines without converting the font or fearing reflow.

OpenType is the best choice for graphic designers working in updated versions of Adobe® CS and QuarkXPress®. It’s often the best choice for non-designers as well, such as users in the corporate environment who want cross-platform compatibility or who set type in Greek, Russian, or other Eastern European languages.

If you use applications like Microsoft® Office® and QuarkXPress® 6.5 (or older) which don’t support OpenType’s advanced features, and you need access to extras like small caps and alternate glyphs, you may need to stick with legacy formats for now. Or check out Office FontFonts which are OpenType fonts created specifically for MS Office.

2. Does it include all the
features I need?

All alphabetic fonts contain the basic characters you need for setting a line of text, but often it’s the extras that set one version of a typeface apart from the others. Additional glyphs have the power to save you time or make your work look great. Here’s how.

Typographic Features. Some fonts come with one style of capitals and one kind of figure set (numbers). That will work fine for most headlines and display work. But if you’re setting body copy or columns of data you may need small caps and appropriate figures such as oldstyle figures for text, tabular figures for tables, and proper fractions. Most professional fonts have all these extras.

Ligatures and Contextual Alternates. Sometimes you can get by with a basic handwriting font, but to truly replicate the natural flow and variation of a pen on paper, an advanced script employs ligatures and glyphs that change according to their position in a word.

Stylistic Alternates. A single typeface can take on a completely different flavor simply by using alternate letterforms. When you buy a font like FF Unit that has a large set of alts it’s almost like you’re getting several typefaces in one.

3. Does it speak my language?

Nearly every commercial font contains all the characters you need for Western European languages, such as English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and those of Scandinavia. Fonts that support Central and Eastern European languages like Czech, Polish, Hungarian (CE) and sometimes Russian and Greek are often called “Pro” fonts and can cost a bit more for the benefit of reaching a broader audience. Plan ahead: select fonts that support all the languages you might want to speak to in the future.

If there’s ever any question about whether a font has the characters you need, you can always check its glyph set in the Specimen tab found on every Single Font page. Western European characters are always on the first page with other character sets represented in the spaces that follow.

4. Is it all in the family?

For some uses, a basic set of weights (regular, italic, bold, bold italic) is all you need. For more intensive work, such as a publication or corporate identity, investing in a comprehensive family or suite of related typefaces makes sense both stylistically and logistically.

Weights and Widths
A font family with a wide range of weights and widths gives you extra flexibility for setting type in any kind of situation — whether it’s a twenty-foot billboard or a tiny footnote — while maintaining a consistent style throughout.

Superfamilies & Suites
Families with complementary serif, sans, and/or slab versions extend a typographic palette even wider and answer the age-old question, “what typeface works well with this one?” Many sans/serif companions are available as a single package for a reduced price. It’s a one-time investment that can pay dividends for years down the line.

Optical Size Variants
A type family with Optical Sizes offers sturdy, readable cuts for text, and showy titling styles for the big stuff, yet all recognizable as a single, cohesive type design.