Yes, of course. The best method is attach a small graphic (GIF or JPEG) of
the font you want identified; try to include as big a sample of the font as you
can find (ie. number of letters used). Be polite and be patient - if someone on
the group recognises the font, they will let you know!
You will also score popularity points if you make some efforts to identify the
font yourself - for example, checking the main foundries websites. Or, if you
saw the font on a website, try emailing the site and asking what font they
used.
Bear in mind, too, that lettering may be hand-drawn and not from a font at all. Try and compare two instances of the same letter - if they're indentical, there's probably a font lurking somewhere; if not, it's probably hand-drawn.
You could also try the web-based identification utilities What The Font and Font Spotting.
You can try! If you do, include as much detail as possible about the font, eg. name, foundry, format (OpenType, TrueType or Type 1), and remember to say please. But remember - most fonts are copyright, so don't expect a rush of
replies.
It's also worth checking to see whether the font you want has already
been posted in the recent past.
Simply post a message to the newsgroup alt.binaries.fonts, using your news software's Attach function to add the file(s) to the message. Check your software manuals if you are unsure of how to do this, or contact your Internet provider for help.
Here are some points to remember:
Many of the fonts posted on ABF are converted from original Macintosh fonts, rather than the 'real' PC version. This process can cause problems with some of the font's attributes, such as the family name, kerning, etc. Fonts converted between TrueType and Type 1 may also lose quality during conversion.
If possible, you should tell people that you are posting a converted font. A
converted font is like a photocopy - more than adequate for a lot of people,
but no good if you're looking for perfection.
The copyrighting of fonts is a disputed area, and differs from country to
country. In the US, for example, it is arguable that the actual design of a
font cannot be copyrighted, but its name and some of the extra code in the font
file can.
There is a further grey area around clones - fonts which are very similar but
not exactly the same as other fonts.
In general, unless you have created a font yourself, you should be aware that
posting it may mean breaking the law. However, if you create it from scratch
yourself, you own any copyright and so it is up to you what you do with it -
and it will probably be very welcome on ABF.
ABF is generally quite free of spam, but most newsgroups are visited by scavenger programs that pick up email addresses for junk email. If you are worried, you should be able to set up your newsreader to use a separate or a fake email address when you post to newsgroups. You might like to use an address such as nameNO@SPAMprovider so genuine posters can still contact you.
Click here for more information
Click here for more information
Just follow the general etiquette of newsgroups: