Desperately Seeking Geometr231 Bd BT et al.

October 15, 2012 6:53 AM

Trying to acquire as cheaply and efficiently as possible some fonts I don't have on my current computer. Working with a book/design project made in Quark XPress ten or more years ago, then put on the back burner and just now re-opened. The file opens fine in Quark XPress 9, which is the latest version, but a number of the fonts used in the original file are missing.

Is there a site or sites you can recommend where I can download the fonts? Is there a site where I could maybe get a package deal price for all or most of the fonts? List of fonts below.

More info. The file was created on a mac. I am working on a mac (OSX 10.5.8). I don't know what type of fonts the missing fonts were but they would have dated from the 1990s I guess. I apologise for any confusion here: I'm not a typographer or graphic designer.

The list as provided by QuarkXPress 9:

Doric Bold
LucidaSans Roman
Cyanide Gothic
Grotesque MT Bd Ex
TypoUpright BT
Embassy BT
Serlio LH
Grotesque MT Lt Cn
Geometr231 Bd BT
Hobo BT
Impuls BT
Clarendon BT
Calligraph421 BT
Machine Bold

posted by londongeezer to computers & internet (6 answers total)

BT stands for Bitstream but be prepared for sticker shock. You may be able to find free versions of some of these fonts, but those are often missing characters other than A-Z and a-z.

Are you certain that the fonts were not included in the file set? The Quark "Collect for output" command usually sets up a fonts folder and a pictures folder. You have an huge problem if the pictures are missing too.
posted by omnidrew at 7:53 AM on October 15, 2012

I can tell you a few of those on that list are free fonts: Hobo, Machine Bold, and I think Typo Upright. You can check sites like Acidfonts; I might have found them there, or just google for free font sites.

Honestly though, if it were my 10-year-old project, I'd just update it with new fonts.
posted by Eicats at 8:04 AM on October 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

If you really have to re-buy each font (because you want the exact version), at an average price of about $25 per weight (and assuming you only need single weights) you're looking at $350 to spend, possibly more, possibly less as some of them might be legitimately free.

You're unlikely to find any fontshops that bundle all of these fonts together. Maybe if you emailed customer service at Bitstream they could help you bundle the BT fonts but I kind of doubt it would be worth your time.

Personally, if I were opening up a ten-year-old project I'd want to re-evaluate the type choices from a fresh perspective. Of course I have no idea what your book is about but I would seriously question the need for 14 different fonts when 3 or 4 could probably do the same job (1 font for big headings/headlines, 1 for body text, 1 for technical information like numbers and charts, and maybe 1 fancy font for a little variety).

If you want to try and re-build all the fonts for free/cheap I would also look for new-but-similar fonts at places like Lost Type and The League of Movable Type, then Font Squirrel. MyFonts.com also has a discounts page.

Feel free to MeMail if you want some additional help. I'd be happy to take a brief look at some screenshots of your project and offer some semi-pro advice.
posted by Doleful Creature at 8:32 AM on October 15, 2012 [2 favorites]

If the document was from the 1990s, these are likely PostScript fonts, so if you want to get the exact version to avoid text reflow on this one project, that's your best bet. But for future use, I would get OpenType as PS is essentially a dead format, platform limited, and much less capable.

As Doeful said, custom bundling is not common because fonts come from many different manufacturers (or "foundries"). Sometimes a foundry will offer a bulk discount if you buy directly from the source, but in this case your volume isn't large enough to make it worthwhile.

Hobo, Machine, and Typo Upright are not free. You may be able to find them for download at scurrilous sites but you would be violating their license. I linked to the least expensive versions available. I am not sure what is meant above by "sticker shock". $25 is a standard base price for single weight fonts. Pro versions tend to be $40–$60.

A version of Lucida Sans is installed with OS X, so you may be able to get by with that.

Cyanide does appear to be free.

The following abbreviations will help you find the right foundry versions — all of which should be available at MyFonts:

MT - Monotype
LH - Linotype
BT - Bitstream

All that said, this is great advice:

Personally, if I were opening up a ten-year-old project I'd want to re-evaluate the type choices from a fresh perspective.

posted by Typographica at 10:21 AM on October 15, 2012

Seconding Doleful Creature re "I would seriously question the need for 14 different fonts" and I too would offer to take a quick look at screenshots & give a bit of advice via MeMail.
posted by omnidrew at 10:23 AM on October 15, 2012

You may have some luck calling local print shops to see if they'd be willing to open the file for you and convert to outlines. Frequently these shops have tons of fonts already installed.

Your other option is bittorrent.
posted by odinsdream at 2:06 PM on October 15, 2012