Font identifying software
 

I'm a graphic designer and as such I get people wanting me to recreate logos, signs etc. that use specific fonts. Usually they only have their current design as a gif or some other file format that doesn't lend itself to printing or making bigger or smaller. Now I'm familiar with a lot of fonts but there is no way for anyone to be able to know all the fonts out there. On my computer alone I have over 200, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Is there some software out there that could identify a font from a scanned in image?

there may be a program, and that would be cool, maybe someone else knows..

what I do when I need a font ID, is use a website:

www.whatthefont.com

you can upload an image, or simply use a url of an image.

SiN loves fonts :)

I wish there was an automatic program.

The only way I know of is to classify the face by its characteristics and wade through a font encylopeadia looking. Adobe used to have a nice face library where you could search for fonts by characteristic.

Have you guys tried this?

http://www.bitstorm.org/fontlist/

It's totally free as far as I know. Installed it, ran it and it displayed all my fonts in html pages that I could print out. Give it a try.

:D :D :D

Yes, it does do a list of the font on your system, but it won't help much for someone trying to find a particular font just going on a someone' else's description. Back in the day when I actually sent out camera ready and postscript to get books printed, I'd marvel at the lengths to which my editor and the senior writers would dsicuss/argue the merits of one face over another for a particular use. Then someone would grab the damned font books off the shelf and things would get loud.

Now that many docs are distributed in PDF or in html/help formats, the only thing that's changed is that now the software makes it easier to change the faces. There are still massive arguements ;-)

Finding fonts, especially display faces can be damned hard.