Frequently Asked Questions

Version 2.1 - Date: 2026/07/15

Everything below is the short, friendly version. The License is what applies legally — we've linked the relevant section under each answer.

Which license do I need?

1. How do I know which license to pick?

Three questions, in this order:

  1. Is the font served live on your website, so visitors' browsers render text in it? → you need a Web License.
  2. Is the font built into an app or game that you distribute? → you need an App & Game License.
  3. Otherwise, are you designing something — print, a logo, a post, an ad? → the Desktop License has you covered.

Most customers only ever need Desktop. Web and App & Game are add-ons — you only add one if that specific thing applies to you.

See Section 5.

2. What does the Desktop License actually cover?

A lot, on purpose. Print, logos, social media, digital ads, broadcasting, e-books — all included, no add-ons, no separate permissions. It's priced on your company size, not per seat, so install it on as many machines in your company as you like.

There's one rule: when the font travels inside a file you hand out (a PDF, an e-book), it has to be baked in so nobody can pull it back out as a working font. Outlining text, protected-PDF embedding, or standard EPUB obfuscation all do the trick.

See Section 6.

3. Do we need a Web License — and what about apps?

Website: yes, if you're self-hosting the font (WOFF/WOFF2) and your visitors' browsers render text in it. It's priced by your average monthly page views. Note that digital ads are not web use — an HTML5 banner is a finished creative asset, so it's Desktop.

Apps and games: you need an App & Game License if the font is built into a product that calls it while running. It's priced per title, 1 to 5. And no, iOS and Android don't count double — one app under one name is one title, across every platform, store, and version. Free and pro editions of the same product count as one too. A real sequel counts as another.

See Sections 7 and 8.

Picking the right tier

4. How do we pick the right Desktop tier?

The Desktop License is priced on the size of your company. Here's how to land on the right number:

  1. Count the people your company permanently employs, worldwide. Not the people who'll use the font — everyone.
  2. Each person counts as one. Full-time, part-time, four days a week — one is one. No fractions, no maths. (The office dog does not count. We checked.)
  3. Skip freelancers, contractors, and agencies. They're not your employees, so they're not your headcount.
  4. Count your company only. Not the group. If a parent or sister company also wants to use the fonts, they get their own license.
  5. Pick that tier, and you're done. For good — see below.

That last point matters: your tier is set once, at the time of purchase. If you're four people today and four hundred in five years, you never have to upgrade or pay again. So all we're asking is that the number is honest on the day you buy.

See Section 2.

5. How do we pick the right Web tier — and what about our .fr site?

The Web License is priced on your average monthly page views, per domain. Same idea, four steps:

  1. Open your analytics. Whatever you already use is fine.
  2. Take the last three months — the most recent full quarter.
  3. Count the pages that show the font, not necessarily your whole site.
  4. Work out the monthly average, and pick that tier.

New site, or not launched yet? Then there's nothing to measure — just make an honest estimate of where you expect to land. And as with company size: the tier is fixed when you buy, so growing traffic never costs you extra.

About that .fr site: one Web License covers one registered domain plus all its subdomains — example.de, www., blog., shop. are all one website. But example.de and example.fr are two separate domains, so each needs its own Web License. A domain that only redirects to yours doesn't count separately.

See Section 2.

Can we do this?

6. Can we design a logo — and trademark it?

Yes, and yes. Design a logo or wordmark with our fonts and the artwork is yours. We make no claim to it. Use it, and register it as a trademark if that's legally possible — you don't need extra permission from us, and there's no separate logo license.

You'll need a Desktop License, but you don't have to buy the whole family. Just pick the style you need.

(The one thing that stays ours is the font software itself — that's still under license, and it doesn't get handed out.)

See Section 6.4.

7. Can we give the fonts to our agency? And can I license fonts for my client?

Both work.

If you're the client: hand the files to your agency or freelance designer so they can work on your project. They can use the fonts for that project, for you — not for their other clients. Once the project's done, they delete their working copies.

If you're the agency or designer: you can license fonts for your client right at checkout — just pick "Your client". The license is then issued in your client's name, and company size, page views, and titles all refer to them, not to you. For your next client, you'd license again for them.

Either way: the license always belongs to the end client.

See Section 9.

8. Can we install the fonts on a server?

Usually yes — we don't have a separate server license, because what matters isn't where the font sits, it's what it does there.

Terminal servers, virtual desktops, cloud workstations for your own team? That's just Desktop use, hosted centrally. Server-side scripts generating your own PDFs, invoices, or certificates? Also Desktop, as long as the font is baked into the output.

The one case that's different: letting other people type their own text in the font through a tool you run. That's not a retail license — see question 13.

See Section 6.3.

9. Can we have the fonts modified?

Not by yourselves or a third party — please don't edit, rename, convert, or reverse-engineer them.

But if you need something changed, just ask us. Custom modifications, extensions, and additions are something we do as a paid service. Drop a line to sales@tabulatype.studio and tell us what you have in mind.

See Section 10.1.

Good to know

10. Can we try the fonts before buying?

Yes — grab the test fonts. They're free, and they let you set real text in a real layout and see how the typeface behaves in your own designs.

One thing to keep in mind: test fonts are for evaluation only. They're not licensed for commercial work, client presentations, or your portfolio. Once you've decided, license the real thing and you're good to go.

11. What does "perpetual" mean — and are updates really free?

Perpetual means exactly that: you pay once, and the license is valid forever. No annual fees, no renewals, no re-licensing when your company or your traffic grows.

Updates are free for life, for the styles you've licensed. If we improve a font — tighter kerning, more diacritics, broader language support — you get it at no charge through your customer account. What's not included: new styles we add later, or a different typeface. Those are separate purchases, since you licensed specific styles.

One practical note: the perpetual license is your right to use the fonts. Please keep your own copies safe — you're allowed one backup.

See Sections 4.2, 4.4, and 15.1.

12. Do you sell to private individuals?

We license to businesses, freelancers, and self-employed professionals only — so you'll be asked to confirm at checkout that you're buying in a business or professional capacity. That's a deliberate choice, not a judgement: it keeps the licensing model simple and honest.

If you're a design student, get in touch anyway. We're working on something for you.

See Section 16.1.

13. Our use doesn't fit any of the three licenses. Now what?

Then we'll sort out a license that does. Nothing is off the table — some things just need a conversation instead of a checkout.

That covers, for example:

  • A tool where your users type their own text in the font — a Canva-style editor, a "design your own T-shirt" generator. (Designing a fixed T-shirt graphic yourself and selling the shirts? That's ordinary Desktop use, no conversation needed. The question is who's typing.)
  • Hardware or firmware — an operating system, a printer, a smart TV, an in-car display.
  • More than five app or game titles.
  • NFT or blockchain projects.

Write to sales@tabulatype.studio and tell us what you're building. We'll find something fair.

See Section 11.

Still stuck? Email support@tabulatype.studio — a real person reads it.