Frequently Asked Questions
Licensing
What licences do you offer?
Desktop, Web and App. Desktop covers making things — print, images, video, documents, social media, logos. Web covers embedding the fonts on your own domains. App covers embedding them in an application. An ePub or eBook counts as one app. Free test fonts let you evaluate a family first. Full terms are on our Licensing page.
How is the price calculated?
By the size of your organisation, and nothing else. We don't count workstations, page views or app downloads, and you never have to measure or report anything to us. Web licences are priced by how many domains you need; subdomains are included.
What if my company grows after I buy?
Nothing happens. The licences you already hold stay valid at the size you bought them, there's no upgrade to pay and nothing to tell us, and growing can never put you in breach. We don't ask anyone to audit their own headcount. The next time you buy something, it's simply priced at the size you are then.
Can I add a domain or another app later?
Yes — write to hello@nordtype.com and we'll extend your licence. You pay only the difference between what the wider scope costs now and what you actually paid before, so you never buy the same fonts twice — every euro you paid counts toward it. If you bought at a reduced rate, it's that reduced amount that's credited; the discount itself carries over to the extra scope only if you still qualify when you extend, so do say if you do. If the wider scope doesn't cost more, there's nothing to pay.
Can freelancers or an agency work with my fonts?
Yes, at no extra cost. Anyone working on your behalf may use the fonts for your projects and deletes their copies when the work is done. There is no add-on to buy.
Is logo and social media use included?
Yes, both, in the Desktop licence — including registering the resulting trademark. There is no separate licence or fee for either, and no limit on print runs.
Can I modify the fonts?
Subsetting for performance is always allowed, no need to ask. For anything that changes the design — added glyphs, vertical metrics, spacing — write to hello@nordtype.com first. If it's a bug we'd rather fix it properly in the release; if glyphs are missing we'd rather draw them; and if it's specific to your project we'll normally say yes. Outlining or distorting letterforms in your own artwork is never restricted.
Can I try the fonts before buying?
Yes, free, from Test fonts — one archive for the whole catalogue, and the button on any typeface page leads there. Each family comes as a trial cut: uppercase, lowercase, numerals and basic punctuation, enough to see how a typeface behaves in your own layout. The complete character set and every OpenType feature come with the licence.
What may I do with the test fonts?
Evaluate a typeface: trial layouts, internal mock-ups, and concept or pitch presentations shown inside your organisation or to a client. Not published or commercial work — no final artwork, no website, no app, no distributed print, no logos — and no sharing them on or modifying them. Section 12 of the licence terms sets this out in full. Test fonts are subsetted and carry a modified family name, so they aren't a stand-in for the licensed files.
Do you offer student or NGO discounts?
Yes. 75% off for verified students, 50% for alumni for two years after graduation, and 50% for qualifying non-profits. The discount covers your whole order across as many licence types as you need — Desktop and Web together, not a choice between them. Student licences are full commercial licences with the complete character set and every OpenType feature, not cut-down trials. See our Students and NGOs pages.
Orders
Where can I find my order?
After purchase you receive an e-mail confirmation with a download link. You can also retrieve your orders at any time via the Log In page by entering your e-mail address.
I didn't receive my download link. What do I do?
Please check your spam folder first. If you still can't find it, contact us at hello@nordtype.com with your order number.
Can I get a refund?
Fonts are digital content, so the statutory 14-day right of withdrawal applies until we begin delivering. Because you ask us to start immediately at checkout and confirm that you understand this, the right of withdrawal ends at that point. If something has gone wrong with your order, write to us anyway — we'd rather sort it out. Full details are in our Right of Withdrawal notice.
Technical
Which font formats are included?
Desktop licences include OpenType (.otf) files. Web licences include WOFF2 and WOFF files, which you may self-host or serve from a standard CDN.
Why are the webfont files named differently inside?
Webfonts are delivered with a web-only name in the file, so they can't be installed as desktop
fonts — that's what a desktop licence is for. It makes no difference to your site: your CSS
declares the font-family, and the browser never reads the name inside the file. If
you're checking rendered fonts in DevTools, that's why the name looks unfamiliar.
Can I subset the webfonts?
Yes, always, without asking. Standard tools drop a few metadata entries while they work — designer and vendor records and the like — and that's fine, as long as the copyright and trademark notices stay in the file. Section 7(d) of the licence terms says so explicitly.
How do I install fonts?
On macOS, double-click the font file and click "Install Font". On Windows, right-click the font file and select "Install". Most design applications detect new fonts automatically.
Contact
I have a question not covered here.
Get in touch at hello@nordtype.com and we'll get back to you within 1–2 business days.