Linotype Debuts FontExplorer X 1.0 For Macintosh

Lino declares FontExplorer X “Ready For Prime Time”.

Major digital typefounder Linotype have at last (as of 14 March) announced that Font Explorer X, thier OS X font management application, is now ready for wide use with the availability (for free) of version 1.0 from Linotype’s website.

Last Sepetember, Linotype announced that FontExplorer X was available as a free public Beta download. The free download has generated an apparent groundswell of devotees–Linotype claims over 50,000 downloads and around 100,000 hits on Google, as well as a great deal of beta test feedback.

The result, released this week, is what Linotype feels is a mature 1.0 release. Features touted include:

• Advanced Font Organizing, including fonts organized by attributes into a familiar-looking file folder hierarchy paradigm.
• A built-in Font Store, which Linotype likens to the iTunes model, providing for quick aquisition of needed fonts without leaving the application.
• Auto-Activation across the entire platform, including plugins compatible with Adobe CS/CS2 and QuarkXPress 6.5.
• Highly detailed font information and specimen display.

The application is currently localized for the English and German languages and though it’s currently only available for OS X (the beta test version worked for 10.3.9 and later) a Windows version is promised for the near future. As mentioned, this is a free application, and it’s available from Linotype’s website at the FontExplorer X page here.