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You can use Adobe InDesign to create a variety of print materials such as books, posters, flyers, and brochures. After installing a new font on your computer, you can use it in InDesign and several other applications. If you're using InDesign 2019 or newer, you can install free fonts from Adobe without needing to close the app. This article will guide you on how to add a new font to your computer on either Windows or macOS and use it in InDesign.
Steps
Adding Adobe Fonts in InDesign 2019
Launch InDesign on your computer. It can be found in the Applications folder on Mac and the Start menu on Windows. InDesign 2019 allows you to enable thousands of free, royalty-free fonts directly within the application.
Click on Find More in the Character panel. If you can't see this tab, press ⌘ Cmd+T (on Mac) or Ctrl+T (on Windows) to open it. The Find More button is located just below the font selection menu.
Browse through the font list. All the fonts in this list are available for free download. You can preview each font by hovering your mouse over the font name in the list.
Click the Download button next to the font. Each font is accompanied by a cloud icon next to its name. If you see a cloud icon with a downward arrow next to the font, it means the font hasn't been installed yet. Click the icon to download it.
- The cloud icon will turn into a checkmark once the font is ready to use in InDesign.
- The installed font will also be available in Illustrator 2019 and other Adobe applications.
Download fonts on a Mac
Download fonts to your computer. Many websites offer free fonts for personal use that you can download. Use your preferred search engine to find these sites and browse through their font collections. Once you find a font you like, click the Download button to save it to your computer. Some popular font download sites are https://www.dafont.com, https://www.1001freefonts.com, and https://www.myfonts.com.
- InDesign supports the following font types: OpenType, TrueType, Type 1, Multiple Master, and Composite. If the font you're downloading asks for a format selection before downloading, choose one of these formats.
- If your InDesign project is commercial (such as an advertisement, paid publication, a profit-driven website, or social media ads), you'll usually need to purchase a license from the font's creator.
Close InDesign. Before installing the font, make sure to save your current work in InDesign and close the application if you haven't done so already.
Navigate to the folder containing the downloaded font. By default, the downloaded file is saved in the Downloads folder. If the downloaded file is compressed (usually with a .zip extension), double-click to unzip it.
- The downloaded font file is typically in .otf or .ttf format.
Double-click the font file. This will open a preview dialog window for the font.
Click on Install Font (Install the Font). This light blue button is located at the bottom right of the dialog box. This step installs the font on your Mac.
Open InDesign. You will find it in the Applications folder. The newly installed font will now appear in the Font menu in the Character panel.
- You can browse through various fonts in InDesign.
Download a new font for your personal computer
Download the font to your computer. There are many websites offering free fonts that you can download for personal use. Use your preferred search engine to find these websites and browse their font collections. Once you find the font you need, click the Download button to save it to your computer.
- InDesign supports the following font types: OpenType, TrueType, Type 1, Multiple Master, and Composite. If the font you are downloading requires you to choose a format before downloading, select one of these formats.
- If your InDesign project is commercial (such as advertisements, paid publications, a profit-oriented website, or social media ads), you will likely need to purchase the font license from its creator.
- Some popular font download sites are https://www.dafont.com, https://www.1001freefonts.com, and https://www.myfonts.com.
Close InDesign. Before installing the font, ensure you save your current work in InDesign and close the application if you haven't done this already.
File ExplorerLocate the folder containing the downloaded font. By default, the downloaded file will be saved in the Downloads folder. If the downloaded file is compressed (usually with a .zip extension), double-click the file, select Extract All, and then click Extract. This will extract the font folder or extract individual font files.
- The downloaded font file is usually in .otf or .ttf format.
Double-click the font file and select Install. The font will now be installed.
Launch InDesign. It is usually found in the Start menu. The newly installed font will appear in the Font menu under the Character tab.
Tip
- There are many types of fonts. Serif fonts (with feet) and sans-serif fonts (without feet) are the most common. Some well-known serif fonts include Times New Roman and Garamond. Popular sans-serif fonts include Arial and Helvetica. Fonts can also be decorative, appearing more flamboyant than regular serif or sans-serif fonts. Examples of decorative fonts are Papyrus and Playbill.
- Downloading files from the internet can expose your computer to viruses or malware. Protect your computer by ensuring your antivirus software is up to date before downloading any font files.
- Only download fonts from trusted sources.
