Ease of Use:  

Linotypes presents a comprehensive yet easy to use website. You can choose from a number of useful font categories located on the left navigator including symbol, text, corporate and script fonts. From the homepage, you can also access the search tool, news, services and license agreement.

One helpful feature is that the 'Character Set Features' are displayed with each font. For example, an icon representation relates whether that font set contains ISO Adobe or Standard Roman characters, the euro currency symbol or Old Style Figures. There is also an icon to relate the format or platform available for a particular font.

The service also allows you to send a font in an ecard before purchase, so you can easily share your font ideas with others.

Feature Set:  

Linotype offers a vast assortment of fonts in many languages, useful search options and a variety of licenses.

Fonts Available

• 28 value packs with themes ranging from Valentine to art deco
• CD packages, libraries and platinum collections
• Fonts for individual purchase

Languages Offered

They offer many non-English language fonts including those that use Arabic, Non-Latin and CE characters, including:

• 33 languages supported in OpenType Pro fonts
• 48 Languages supported in OpenType Com fonts
• Arabic, Persian, Urdu
• 11 Eastern Europe Languages

Search Options

Searches can be conducted by:

• Term
• Through 'FontExplorer'
• Categories
• Usage
• Theme
• Sight

Types of Licenses Obtainable

• Extensions (for multi users)
• 3rd Party Licenses
• Corporate
• Font Embedding, Streaming and Web Server Licenses
• "Tailor-made license packages"

They can also build corporate and custom fonts for logos and symbols, digitize existing artwork and build custom character sets.

Ease of Download:  

We did not encounter any problems during the download process; however, if problems do occur they post a comprehensive trouble shooting section online.

Available Tools:  

Linotype provides a number of useful, timesaving tools that offer a high level of flexibility to designers and publishers.

Linotype offers several free tools to manage and utilize fonts including:

• Adobe Type Manager (ATM) Light for Macintosh or Windows in English, German and French
• Acrobat

Help/Support:  

Linotype offers incredible customer support and publishes online many useful features including a Font Lounge with a Type Gallery, Fonts in Use, Learn About Type and Font Designers and a news sections with newsletters and event information.

Their FAQ section covers a long list of subjects including topics such as downloading, installation, the use of Non-Latin, Arabic and CE Fonts and the Euro symbol. They also publish an online glossary of typographic terms.

Linotype offers 24-hr customer support and posted hours for technical support as well as an email address, physical address and a fax number. The only service we found missing, that would be a nice addition, is international toll-free telephone support.

Linotype is a world competitor and an unsurpassed font provider of special symbols and non-Latin characters. They host an informative website with numerous useful features, help sections and interesting facts.

They also offer incomparable customization abilities including custom characters, logos and symbols.

This service can provide designers and publishers with everything they need to launch their work into the global market.