Frequently Asked Questions

General

Who works here?

Meet our team!

Are you on social media?

Yes, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

How can I find out about the latest font release?

Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media to get all of the latest news about our latest releases, works-in-progress, and more.

My project uses a Sharp Type font, and I would like it featured on the news page.

We love to see our typefaces in use. Please submit your project to info@sharptype.co.

Licensing

This is a brief overview. Please visit our licensing page to learn more about our terms and permitted uses.

What is a font license?

A font license grants the licensee permission to use a font according to the terms of a legally binding agreement, referred to as an End User License Agreement, or “EULA” for short. The exact licensing terms vary depending on how you want to use our fonts, which determines the type of license required.

Sharp Type offers standard licenses that can be purchased through our e-commerce platform for Desktop, Web, and Software Applications. Please read our Licensing Agreement in full to learn more about each license and each of their full usage terms. We’re living in an exciting time where no two foundries’ EULAs are exactly alike, so it’s important to make sure you understand Sharp Type’s unique licensing terms when you purchase our fonts.

For Broadcast/Webcast and Retail/Merchandise licenses, or any licensing applications beyond our standard EULAs, please contact us at licensing@sharptype.co.

For corporate or enterprise licenses, please contact us at licensing@sharptype.co.

I want to purchase a font. Which license do I need?

Depending on how you want to use our fonts, you will need a specific license—or even a combination of a few! Please refer to our user-friendly Licensing Agreement page to see which license you need.

These standard licenses are available through our website. If you require a license beyond these uses for Broadcast or Retail Merchandise, or other purposes such as corporate licensing, contact licensing@sharptype.co.

I am a non-profit organization interested in licensing a Sharp Type font.

We offer discounts for Not for Profit organizations on a case by case basis. Please reach out to us at info@sharptype.co, and describe the nature of your NFP and include the typeface(s) you wish to use.

Can I distribute the fonts I purchased to third parties, such as my design agency or partnering company or my client?

It is prohibited to share our fonts with unlicensed parties under the terms of our standard EULAs. If you purchased one of our fonts as an independent designer for a personal project, for example, your license does not extend to any other person, organization, or party. Please reach out to us atlicensing@sharptype.co if this is something you require, and if you have any questions.

Can I adjust the typeface I purchased?

You are permitted to create modified logotypes and other brand assets using our fonts so long as the modifications are exported as a rasterized vector. It is prohibited to make changes to the font software itself. This is only a brief summary, so please read about the desktop license to learn more about the permitted uses before you make your purchase.

If you are in need of custom modifications of any of our retail typefaces, this would fall under a custom type design project, which we’re happy to discuss with you (for example, shorter descenders and ascenders, additional glyphs, unique alternates). Please reach out to us at info@sharptype.co, and we’d be happy to discuss this with you.

I am a graphic designer (freelancer or studio/agency) working on a project for a client. How does the licensing work in this case? Can I purchase the license on behalf of my client?

Both you (as a freelance designer or employee purchasing on behalf of your studio) and your client (the end user) must purchase individual licenses in order to fulfill the appropriate usage requirements. In short, the agency must purchase a license to use the font to design the project, and the client must purchase a license for its usage. Please review our licensing page for more information.

The designer/agency can purchase the license on behalf of the client if they wish. However, be sure to include the client as the licensee during checkout by entering the appropriate information including their name, website, etc.

You may also use our streamlined Share Cart feature to conveniently share the appropriate license that your client needs to purchase.

Purchases & Upgrades

I purchased the wrong typeface. What should I do?

We understand accidents may happen from time to time, so we ask that you please double-check your cart before you make your purchase. For any accidental purchases or mistakes, please reach out to us at licensing@sharptype.co and include your order # and describe the issue for expedited support.

Do you accept types of payment other than credit cards?

Credit card payments are preferred. Please reach out to us atlicensing@sharptype.co for other options.

What is the Share Cart feature?

When multiple parties are involved in the purchase of font licenses, our Share Cart feature is a convenient way to streamline the purchasing process between you and your client. Simply add the appropriate license(s) to your cart, and click on the Share Cart button to generate a link that can be shared with your client for expedited and secure purchases.

I am a graphic designer (freelancer or studio/agency) working on a project for a client. How does the licensing work in this case? Can I purchase the license on behalf of my client?

Congrats! If you outgrow the terms of your existing license(s), you are required to upgrade your license to reflect the increased usage requirements and metrics.

Navigate to your order under your Sharp Type account or visit the ‘Buy’ section of the typeface you wish to upgrade. Find the appropriate tier that reflects your new licensing requirements and add it to your cart. Proceed to checkout, and then simply pay the difference between your first order and your new order. You will then be automatically upgraded to your new usage tier.

For studios/agencies: Please note that you may use your studio license for internal use and to pitch to clients, but each unique client project that uses a typeface by Sharp Type must be licensed individually.

We’re happy to help! For any and all questions, please reach out to licensing@sharptype.co.

What kind of upgrades are available?

Currently, you may only upgrade a specific item and license originally purchased in your order. For example, if you purchased a 1-3 User desktop license of Ogg Regular, then you may only upgrade your original purchase to a higher license desktop tier. In the future, you will be able to upgrade from smaller to larger font packages.

Do Sharp Type font licenses have a one-time cost or is there an annual subscription fee?

Fonts purchased under our standard desktop licenses are licensed in perpetuity for a one-time fee. As of March 2024, our web and software application licenses have an annual term, and payment is required once per year to use the typeface on an ongoing basis. Upgrades are required for all our standard retail licenses if you exceed an existing licensing tier. Please, review our licensing page to see more details.

About Our Typefaces

Do you offer fonts in different scripts?

Our standard typefaces offer language support for Latin-based languages. Refer to our PDF specimens for specifications on language support. Reach out to info@sharptype.co if you are interested in commissioning a new script for an existing Sharp Type font.

What do your character sets include?

This varies depending on the typeface. For more specific details, please visit each of our typeface pages and PDF specimens to see all of the character sets and features.

We are happy to work with you to customize our typefaces for your needs. If there are specific characters or adjustments you would like made to one of our typefaces please reach out to us info@sharptype.co.

I saw a work-in-progress typeface on Sharp Type’s social media. Can I license it for a project?

Great! We license WIP typefaces on a case by case basis. Please reach out to us at info@sharptype.co, specifying which typeface you would like to use with details about your project.

Customizations & Bespoke Work

Do you offer customizations of your typefaces?

Yes! We offer customizations for all of our current retail typefaces. Please reach out to us at info@sharptype.co to learn more about the process.

Can we commission Sharp Type to work on a bespoke typeface?

Absolutely. We are available to design bespoke typefaces tailored to your specific needs. We encourage you to look at our Case Studies to see our previous work. Please reach out to us at info@sharptype.co with your project details to discuss.

Technical Support

What types of font files do you provide?

Desktop: OTF, TTF (OTF for Mac, TTF for Windows)
App: TTF, OTF
Web: WOFF, WOFF2
Variable: TTF

How do I install Desktop fonts?

Macintosh:

Double click the desired zip file containing the fonts
Double click the Mac folder
Right-click on the .otf file(s) → Open With → Font Book
When the Font Book window appears, click Install Font on the bottom right corner.

Windows:

Double click the zip file containing the fonts
Double click Windows folder
Right-click on the .ttf file(s) → Open
When the Font Manager window appears, click Install on the top left.

Please, reach out to techsupport@sharptype.co if you have any issues, and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

How do I use my webfont on the web? How do I add the font in CSS?

Depending on what browsers you are planning on targeting you can choose what files you serve. Sharp Type families are all delivered with 2 different web font formats (WOFF, and WOFF2). Below is the code you may use when adding your typeface to your website.

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Your-Font';
  src: url('/fonts/Your-Font.woff2') format('woff2'),
       url('/fonts/Your-Font.woff') format('woff'); }
.exampleClass {
  font-family: 'Your-Font', Times, serif;
}

If complications persist, please reach out to techsupport@sharptype.co and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

Opportunities

What is The Malee Scholarship?

The Malee Scholarship is an annual scholarship founded by Chantra Malee and supported by Sharp Type. The scholarship’s mission is to provide financial assistance and mentorship to women from any underrepresented group who wish to expand their skills and pursue their ambitions in the world of type design. To learn more visit The Malee Scholarship.

Do you offer internships?

Internship openings do happen, but this happens rarely and on a case-by-case basis. Even so, we are always interested in meeting new type designers from all backgrounds and experience levels and encourage any interested individuals to reach out. Please introduce yourself and email your portfolio toinfo@sharptype.co.

I’m planning on releasing my typeface. Will you consider publishing it?

We occasionally work with collaborators and endeavor to support emerging talent. Please introduce yourself and email your portfolio to info@sharptype.co and we will get back to you—our inbox is always full, so please be understanding if you do not hear back from us right away!