Free (i.e. no charge) Frutiger font? Is it out there?

[malch]

Hi there,
I've been asked to do some titles in Frutiger font, which I don't have in my Fonts folder. I get lots of links when I google 'free fonts Mac', but none of them are actually free (I think the "free" must mean that I'm free to google the subject, and the sellers are free to try to fool me into buying from them).
If I have to pay, I will, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. So I'm wondering how best to go about this (have never before needed a font that didn't come with my Mac): do all 'non-standard' Mac fonts cost money? Are there good, legal sites where one can download a font like Frutiger? If I do have to pay for it, where's the best place to buy it from?
Thanks,
malch

[lucidmedia]

You won't find a free legal copy of Frutiger. The typeface name is under copyright, and needs to be licenced to be sold legally.

Confusingly, Frutiger is sold in a variety of packages and from a handful of foundries, so you want to do some shopping around to find a version that has all the weights that you need. You will discover that the Linotype version of Frutiger is significantly more expensive than the Adobe release.

Fontshop and MyFonts are two online stores that will happily sell you Frutiger.

[malch]

A very helpful and lucid reply. Thanks very much,
malch

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by malch

've been asked to do some titles in Frutiger font, which I don't have in my Fonts folder.

Tell client that the cost of the project includes purchasing the font ... if it's really that important to them.

[jlc1978]

Alternatively, MS' Seqoe UI is very similar and if you have a Windows machine is part of the supplied fonts, IIRC. All you need to do is copy it from Windows to your Font folder on the Mac. I have no idea what licensing limitations MS has on its fonts, so you may want to look into that before you use them commercially.

Open Sans is a pretty close free TT font.

Just some options besides buying them.

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by jlc1978

Just some options besides buying them.

Individual members of the font family cost $29.

The entire family (which is surely overkill) costs $325.

http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/frutiger/buy.html

This is not a major expense.

[jlc1978]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Individual members of the font family cost $29.

The entire family (which is surely overkill) costs $325.

http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/frutiger/buy.html

This is not a major expense.

It really depends on the nature and size of the project. It could very well be significant for a small project. At any rate, reducing costs in any project is a good thing.

[laurim]

Originally Posted by jlc1978

It really depends on the nature and size of the project. It could very well be significant for a small project. At any rate, reducing costs in any project is a good thing.

But if you want it to look professional, you should buy the real font. If you are charging, be professional. Free fonts often have crap kerning and tracking so it's worth spending $29 for the real thing.

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by jlc1978

It really depends on the nature and size of the project. It could very well be significant for a small project. At any rate, reducing costs in any project is a good thing.

If $29 dollars makes or breaks a design budget, then tell your father-in-law to find somebody else to desktop publish his lawn service brochure.

[Efrem]

Originally Posted by malch

... I get lots of links when I google 'free fonts Mac', but none of them are actually free (I think the "free" must mean that I'm free to google the subject, and the sellers are free to try to fool me into buying from them)...

You get pages that have the word "Mac" somewhere on them, the word "fonts" somewhere on them, and the word "free" somewhere on them. There is no guarantee that they'll be lined up in the order you want. Creating good search strings is an art that takes both study and practice.

That said, CartoGothic Std font is very close to Frutiger and is free. You can download it from this page. Also, this page seems to allow you to download one version of real Frutiger free. You have to register. I haven't tried to.

[malch]

Thanks, everyone, for weighing in on this... an interesting discussion.
I ended up purchasing the Frutiger font my client suggested; no problem with that, but if my client changes her mind and wants the 'less-bold' version (or whatever) I'll make her pay for the next version.
Regards,
malch