Why Are Some Fonts So Expensive?

As a business that requires your content to be attractive, easy to read, and stand out from your competitors you may be wondering why some fonts are so expensive. Since marketing and design is a large expense it pays to understand why certain fonts are more costly so you can decide which are best for your content and give you the most bang for your buck.

A lot of hours go into the creation of a font or family of fonts. The better the quality the more costly the font will be. Higher-quality fonts are compatible with more programs and put off better visual quality. Fonts that stand out and are easy to read will generally attract the most attention.

We recommend using a graphic design software that includes all commercially usable fonts in its library, like Placeit.net. This will safeguard you from legal issues, and give you a ton of font options pre-loaded all in one place.

To learn more about why certain fonts are so expensive and if it is worth the cost continue reading for helpful information.

Why Do People Pay For Fonts?

Multiple factors contribute to why a person or business may pay for a font of family of fonts, the most common reasons are:

  1. Fonts that are paid for tend are generally more visually pleasing
  2. One-on-one support from the designers
  3. Software compatibility
  4. They can be updated as software improves
  5. To avoid legal licensing issues
  6. To ensure that their brand and content has a unique look

Downsides to Using Free Font Designs

You may be thinking to yourself why should I pay for fonts if I can just get them for free? That is a valid question but this is one of those occasions when you truly get what you pay for in most cases.

Although there are some great free fonts available you still must consider the negatives that come along with using a free type design. This list gives some of the downsides to using free font designs for your marketing and content:

  1. Difficult to build a visually recognizable brand with text that is not tailored to your needs
  2. Generally are not updated
  3. Many free fonts have characters missing from the sets
  4. Oftentimes are not tested for quality and compatibility
  5. Some characters may not be compatible with certain programs or software
  6. The typography is off which can make the text look messy and unrefined

Continue reading to learn what makes some fonts so expensive and why they are worth the money.

Factors That Cause High Cost for Some Fonts

So now that you have a basic understanding of why people may pay for fonts rather than simply use the free versions you may be wondering how much a font or family of fonts can cost and what makes some of them so costly as compared to others.

1. Time is Costly for Quality Designers and Developers

One thing you have to consider is that a good quality font does not simply create itself. Someone has to do the design work and ensure that everything is functioning correctly on the software end of things. This can mean a lot of working hours which is one reason a font may be more costly than others. The more time it takes to develop the font the more costly it can be.

2. Experience Level of the Designers and Developers

With experience comes demand comes a higher price for services. It’s the ugly world of supply and demand. A designer with more experience and a greater demand for their work can get away with charging more than perhaps someone with less experience or notoriety for their design. A lot of the price will have to do with what the designer feels is a fair value for the time they put into the end piece.

3. Choice of Design Styles

Another factor that can affect the cost of a font or family of fonts is the style of font. For instance, it is said that it is less costly to create a sans serif font than a serif. Some techniques and styles may be more or less difficult to perform which can attribute to the cost.

4. Number of Characters

Fonts and font families can have different numbers of characters. The more characters available in a family of fonts the more expensive it will likely be. The more time-consuming or elaborate the characters the more costly they can be as well.

5. Intent of Use

There are different classifications when it comes to font licensing. For example, if you are using a font for personal reasons versus commercial or corporate use the license will have a different fee associated with it.

Most Expensive Fonts

If you are wondering which fonts are the most expensive, here are the top three:

  • Ruse™ averaging around $782.00 per font
  • Lexicon™ averaging around $391.00 per font
  • Trinité™ averaging around $391.00 per font

Another reason a font may be so expensive is that it gives a certain level of exclusivity to the purchaser. For example, if you have an outrageous price on a font it is not likely that many people will be willing or able to pay such a ridiculous fee which means that there will be fewer instances of the font showing up in everyday text. It will be more recognizable as something exclusive to a particular brand.

Continue reading to learn what happens when a font is used illegally and how to avoid getting into trouble.

When fonts are used without the proper licensing permissions the designer/publisher who used the font can face serious legal implications from the original copyright holder. It is important to be sure you are using licensed fonts in the way they are stated to be used when purchased.

Potential consequences of using fonts illegally are:

  • If you used the font for commercial purposes your clients can sue you
  • The original copyright holder can sue you
  • Your reputation can be damaged as a designer if word gets out that you are cutting corners

To avoid legal prosecution from using a font illegally be sure you are fully aware of what the license terms are before duplicating the text for any sort of commercial use or monetary gain.

Being Cheap Can End Up Being More Expensive

Now you have a clear understanding of why people pay for fonts, why they can cost so much, and the legal problems that can occur when used improperly. Going forward this can help you to make the best decisions when it comes to whatever task you are completing and you can know that you are doing it legally.

Again, we recommend using a graphic design software that includes all commercially usable fonts in its library, like Placeit.net. This will safeguard you from legal issues, and give you a ton of font options pre-loaded all in one place.

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