Font Folio 11: OpenType Coming At You!

In anticipation of release of Adobe®’s new edition of Font Folio–Font Folio 11–this writer was privileged to be able to have a chat with some members of Adobe’s team including Thomas Phinney, Adobe’s PM for Fonts and Global Typography.

As a self-made type geek, this was one thing not to be missed. And, as I was given a tour through OpenType and Font Folio features, I noticed one interesting thing–the talk centered, in the main, on what OpenType can do.

In the days since, I’ve thought on that. I’ve realized since that, while Font Folio 11 is a noteworthy upgrade, it really isn’t about Font Folio–it’s about the type. Of course, amongst typophiles, it never was about anything else.

But First, The Folio

It would be a mistake to think that this writer thinks, however, that Font Folio 11 is an afterthought–it isn’t. It’s a notable and timely upgrade to the application that, in its current form, offers a great deal, from access to over 2,300 OpenType fonts to a range of type foundries and individual designers; access to all that OpenType goodness that allows all that creative freedom (or excess, if you really want to push the envelope); access to Adobe Originals; and the inherent quality of Adobe fonts, which the design and publishing world has come to depend on. You get all that with Font Folio 11; a snapshot of the Adobe digital typeface state-of-the-art.

In the past, the cost of entry has been enterprise-level; in version 9, Font Folio came in a 20-seat license only, which sold for about $9,000. When version 9 came out in its OpenType edition, a 10-seat license became available for about half that price. Now, with version 11 comes a 5-seat license available at the comparatively-bargain price of USD$ 2,500, aimed at small workgroups and smaller design agencies or collectives.

What This Means To the Individual

For the individual designer the price of entry might still seem a bit high. But the updating of Font Folio and the expansion of the license program to more types of workgroups holds implications for everyone, at least as far as the ever more widespread acceptance of OpenType.

On a technical level, Font Folio is a needed solution because you get access to Adobe’s font library without having to install the whole library locally. Anyone administering IT resources for designers need not be told what a good thing this is.

We personally know of few designers who don’t like OpenType. What’s not to love about type that, in many cases, lets you take it where you will? Make that type as swashy and connected as you want–or not at all; OpenType offers design freedom. Also, OpenType’s popularity is a matter of some record; the arrival of OpenType support in applications like QuarkXPress indicate that OpenType has indeed arrived.

With the expansion of Font Folio and it’s amazing range of type faces to workgroups of as few as 5 members we could expect to see OpenType used even more widely than ever. If you don’t have Font Folio, you’ll no doubt see an expanded number of projects that require it.

Font Folio 11 aims to be the rising tide that floats all OT boats. You might want to get on board this one, if you haven’t already.

A Subjective View

We love OpenType. As we said, the idea of letting type play, putting all that control at our fingertips, flags, serifs, ligatures, swashes, buckles…it’s really something to get excited about. As we thought about the access to all those OpenType fonts and the idea of seeing more of them in design use, and watched the esteemable Mr. Phinney put OT through its tricks, we thought…yeah, we’re down with that.

OpenType’s coming to a street near you if you don’t have it yet.

Swash me, baby!