In the continuing struggle to convert pirates to users, Linotype Managing Director Bruno Steinert explains his conviction very simply: “It has to be more fun, faster and more affordable to licence a font than to organize a pirated copy.” With FontExplorer X, this vision has become reality. Yet Linotype was pursing this vision already long before iTunes became a sensation. Comparable to the iTunes model, FontExplorer X not only allows users to sort fonts and view samples, it also provides access to Linotype’s comprehensive online library for seamless licensing and downloading of fonts. While this product remains available, FontExplorer X is a complete font management program with considerably more to offer. Many users are familiar with FontExplorer as an electronic type catalogue. Four updates later, all suggestions have been taken into account and integrated into the official version of FontExplorer X – a fully mature release thanks to the dedicated support of typographers and font users around the world.

The world-wide euphoria has also meant that within a relatively short time period, Linotype has received thousands of responses from beta users expressing wishes and pointing out bugs. As Linotype has not yet spent a cent on marketing, the popularity is based solely on the functionality of the font management software. Within only a few months, over 50,000 copies of the beta version have been downloaded from the Linotype website and a Google search for “FontExplorer” already turns up some hundred thousand finds. Since the pre-release of FontExplorer X on September 15, 2005, the software has spread like wildfire throughout the Internet. With its integrated licensing feature, it makes plain business sense that FontExplorer X is and remains freeware for font users everywhere.”

Yet Internet opinion is still sceptical: “Linotype has clearly spent some serious money developing this, they will surely start charging for it soon.” In conjunction with the official launch, Linotype Managing Director Bruno Steinert dispels these concerns once and for all: “Our philosophy is to raise awareness for the legal licensing of fonts. Incredibly intuitive, efficient and fast, FontExplorer X is certainly one of the most powerful font management tools available today. Word about the free beta download spread fast and soon typography blogs and forums around the world were raving enthusiastically: “This is best thing to happen in the software world since OS X!” And it’s hard to disagree. Following a discrete pre-launch towards the end of 2005, the revolutionary new font management tool has already become an overnight success. Linotype is pleased to announce the official release of FontExplorer™ Version 1.0 for Mac OS X.

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