Companies often start choosing a font by judging how a headline looks. Problems emerge later: a salesperson's computer lacks the font, a presentation changes its line breaks, a website fails to load the specified typeface, or an application simulates a weight instead of using the intended one.
A corporate font needs to work for expression, use and licensing. It should suit the brand and the reading task, display reliably in the main formats, and permit the uses the company plans. Being downloadable, already installed, or described by someone as “free for commercial use” does not replace checking the current licence.
Test real content rather than a font poster
Prepare a paragraph the company uses regularly, a long product name, some numbers, and the Chinese and English combinations it needs. Place them in headlines, body copy and captions. This reveals whether the letterforms work together, the information is readable, and the text fits the existing layout.
Pay particular attention to the company name, technical terms and uncommon personal or place names. A specimen may look complete while a character needed in practice is absent. The system can substitute another font, leaving inconsistent strokes within one line without an obvious warning in the design file.
Do not test only large headlines. Sustained reading, number recognition and punctuation spacing affect everyday materials too. Keep a comparison sheet with actual content so the team can discuss specific problems rather than impressions such as “premium” or “young”.
Match the licence to the actual use
Obtain the terms for the relevant version from the publisher or a trustworthy official source. Check the licensed party, scope, restrictions and notices that must be retained. A promotional sentence on a download page rarely explains every intended use.
Distinguish installation on employees' computers, serving font files to website visitors, embedding them in an application, supplying them with editable client templates, and modifying or redistributing the files. Different conditions may apply to these actions; check each against the licence.
Converting text to outlines does not automatically resolve licensing issues. It can reduce display problems caused by missing fonts, but permission for the original use still depends on the licence and the actual activity. Where terms are unclear, consult the rights holder or a suitably qualified professional rather than deciding from a screenshot.
Check permissions with a use table
List the planned uses and record the relevant terms for each. If no applicable clause has been found, mark the item “to be checked”. Do not turn an unknown into permission, or reject uses that are already expressly permitted.
| Planned use | What to check |
|---|---|
| Employee installation and everyday production | Licensed party, any device or user conditions, and the font version |
| Loading font files on a website | Whether web embedding or hosting is permitted and whether domain or traffic conditions apply |
| Embedding in presentations and PDFs | Whether that form of embedding is permitted and whether recipients need editing or viewing access |
| Delivering templates to a client | Whether the font may accompany the package; otherwise provide a legitimate acquisition route |
| Modifying font files | Whether modification or format conversion is allowed and what naming or notice conditions apply |
These are questions to investigate, not restrictions shared by every font. Retain the original licence, its source URL and the date checked. A purchased licence also needs to match the actual party and use. Trial, personal and corporate permissions cannot be treated as interchangeable because their names look similar.
Start with a few weights in the main formats
Everyday templates seldom need the entire weight range of a family. Choose the weights needed for headings, body text and supporting information, and specify where each belongs.
On a website, inspect the font actually rendered by the browser, not just its name in a stylesheet. Open presentations and documents in the receiving environment and check substitution notices and paragraph changes. The absence of a warning does not establish that every glyph and weight matches the design; compare the actual output before and after export.
ZHAMORE's typography standards use MiSans as the primary font, with separate weight roles and channel parameters for headings, body text and supporting information. “The standard specifies 550” and “the application outputs a real 550” are different facts. A website can use a variable font without a presentation having a native equivalent. Our standards require checking loading and export results. Formats not yet verified remain awaiting verification; matching font names alone do not prove consistency.
Try one website page, one presentation slide and an exported PDF. Check line breaks, missing characters, line spacing and numbers. If controlled substitutions are needed, state when they apply, which font to use and which pages need rechecking. Do not leave colleagues to pick a similar-looking replacement independently.
Turn font delivery into usable instructions
Keep a short record of the font name and version, official source, licence location, applicable formats, permitted weights, fallback and check date. If redistribution is not allowed, provide the official acquisition route and installation instructions instead of adding the font to the client's asset package.
Before delivering a template, open and export it on another computer that will actually use it. Check the result on a phone or ordinary PDF reader as well. Successful display on one computer establishes usability in that environment, not on every colleague's or client's device.
Separate font permissions from source-file delivery
Source-file delivery and font licensing need separate confirmation. Who will edit the files, where the type will be used and whether another supplier will receive it all affect the permissions to check. A font installer should not automatically be passed on just because the font appears in a project.
Record the font’s source and version, its permitted uses, and which elements only need to retain their appearance versus remain editable. Converting type to outlines can preserve its appearance; it does not grant permission to install the font or use it elsewhere. A font package for the main packaging design is supplied only when the quotation or contract includes it and the licence permits delivery. Where a suitable licence is missing, choose an appropriate alternative or obtain permission so the actual recipient can continue using the work as instructed.
Complete one cross-device trial first
Choose material the team updates every week. Put the company name, a long product name, numerical units and Chinese–English text on one page. Have an actual user open, edit and export it on another computer, then check the relevant permissions. Resolving that page's missing characters, line breaks or acquisition conditions before expanding to more templates produces clearer evidence than replacing every font at once.
