Specifications

Mac OS X Font Locations
Mac OS X is a versatile, multiuser operating system—a major benefit in creative
environments. To maximize creative options and workflow productivity, you can
set up one system exactly how you like it, and configure the same system to suit
the preferences of other users such as freelance designers.
This versatility also goes for fonts, which can be stored so they’re available to a speci-
fied user, to all users of a certain Mac, or to everyone on a network. You can control
which fonts are used for a specific job or client, and which users have access to each
font. Hierarchical font folders allow you to create multiple levels of font folders within
font directories for even better organization.
No matter where you’ve installed fonts, Panther immediately recognizes and activates
fonts installed in any of the font folder locations, including subfolders. (See Appendix
D for details on active font locations.) If you activate or deactivate fonts frequently,
it’s best to use the built-in Font Book application or one of the third-party font man-
agement applications available for Mac OS X. Keep in mind that while you can use
individual folders to install fonts, Font Book is your preferred option because it lets
you easily install fonts and make them accessible from a central location instead of
having to copy them to individual folders.
Home directories
If you are the only person who uses your Mac, then making your fonts accessible
to your home directory is your top priority. This is the directory you go to when you
click the house icon in a Mac OS X Finder window. If you would like to install fonts
that only you are going to use, drag them into the ~/Library/Fonts folder. This
location will make the fonts accessible when you are working in your home directory.
See Appendix D (“Font Locations in Mac OS X”) for more information on where to
install fonts.
Fonts installed by applications
Some applications come with fonts and automatically install them in the Library/
Application Support folders. Unless you move them, these fonts will be accessible
only to those individual programs. Making these fonts accessible across all of your
applications is simple. Just move them to systemwide or user font folders such as
/Library/Fonts or /Users/<your user name>/Library/Fonts (also referred to as
~/Library/Fonts).
Note that Adobe Creative Suite uses some fonts to generate dialogs and help menus.
It installs these fonts in a folder called Reqrd in the Application Support folder. Do not
move the fonts to a different folder.
Other applications may install special fonts in one of the Mac OS X font folders instead
of in their own folders. To simplify font management, you might want to use Font
Book to make a collection of each application’s fonts. This strategy will allow you to
deactivate the fonts and create “clean” font lists in the system font folders.
Some applications, such as Microsoft Word, update their font menus only at appli-
cation launch. You’ll need to quit and restart these applications after activating or
deactivating fonts. It isn’t necessary to quit and restart applications such as Adobe
InDesign CS that automatically recognize font changes.
To find out if you need to restart an application, check its Font menu immediately
after you add a new font. If the font doesn’t show up, simply quit and relaunch the
application.
10
Technology Tour
Advanced Typography
with Mac OS X
Your home directory
The ~/ symbol represents the name for the
home directory of the login name you are
currently using.