Monotype pulled the rug out from under customers when they announced the end of life for their FontExplorer X family of font management products, effective June of 2023.
If you’re an enterprise customer of Monotype, you are probably looking for a modern alternative to replace your dying FontExplorer X Server.
Font Dispenser or Font Server?
Monotype is pushing its enterprise customers to sign up for Monotype Fonts, a cloud-only application that is nowhere close to a replacement for FontExplorer X Server.
More of a font dispenser than a font manager, the app lets users “prototype” designs using thousands of fonts in the Monotype library.
Monotype Wants You to Buy More Fonts
The new Monotype strategy isn’t really about managing fonts; it’s about selling you more of them. If you want to deploy your “prototype” designs in print or online, you have to purchase commercial licenses for the fonts, and those costs mount very quickly into stratospheric amounts. Monotype tries to make spending money sound good, but the safest way to win this game is not to play.
Control Functions Exist for Good Reason
Most IT, legal and procurement professionals prohibit users from accessing new fonts, and demand that they use fonts that are already licensed by their organizations.
If you’re in an enterprise finance or control department, turning a gaggle of designers loose in a font store is nothing short of a nightmare.
Beware: Big Brother is Watching
There’s another scary side effect of using the Monotype Fonts application. Monotype knows exactly which fonts you’re using and, in some cases, even when and where you use them.
If privacy is important to you or your organization, just say no and find another font licensing solution.
FontAgent: Used by Industry Leaders Worldwide
Insider Software’s FontAgent Server is an enterprise-class font manager used by TV networks, media giants, ad agencies, corporate marketers, printers, prepress houses, manufacturers, universities and design schools worldwide.
World-Class Font Management
Do your users expect world-class font management? FontAgent has it all. Native Mac and Windows interfaces. Adjustable split screens. Adobe and Quark plug-ins. Nested and Smart Sets. Tagging. Custom comments. Quick-click sidebars. Extensive multi-tier searching. A parade of previews like List, Tile, Table, Compare and Metadata views. And there’s our ever-popular Player View with waterfalls, sample paragraphs, custom text, specimen sheets, and color and size controls. All in one unified user interface that drives creativity and productivity.
Your Choice of Clients and Servers
FontAgent Mac and Windows clients work seamlessly with FontAgent Server that run identically in the cloud or on-premises on your choice of Linux, Mac, or Windows. So you’re not locked into Monotype’s proprietary, cloud-only, font-dispensing scheme.
Enterprise-Ready Now and in the Future
FontAgent does all this without compromising enterprise power. It includes enterprise directory integration, extensive user and group permissions, full UX configuration, easy font sharing, license management, and extensive compliance controls and analytics.
To back up our technology, we provide a full slate of professional services that guarantee your success in migrating off FontExplorer, deploying FontAgent to your users, and keeping everything running smoothly. You can call on Insider or on our worldwide network of distributors and partners. All our products are backed by Insider’s no-hassle, no-risk, thirty-day money back guarantee.
Move to FontAgent Before FontExplorer Dies
With Monotype declaring end-of-life for FontExplorer X, the time is right to move to a world-class font management and control solution. Contact Insider today for more information, a demo or a free trial. We’re eager to show you why our enterprise customers are among the most loyal in the creative software business.