FontShop | The New FontBook™ iPad App

—Halex Pereira for MacMagazine Brazil (translated from Portuguese)

—Jens Tenhaeff on The Augmentation Canister

FontShop is thrilled to announce our new FontBook™ iPad app, the world’s most comprehensive typographic reference tool!

Moving the book into the online realm allows us to increase the number of font samples from 32,000 to an astonishing 620,000, while reducing the weight of the “book” by 80%. Use the FontBook app to look up and view fonts by typeface name, type classification, designer name, foundry name, year of publication, or by similarity of design. Now typophiles can browse and compare typefaces on-the-go, at the swipe of a finger.

Download the app for just $5.99/€4.99 at the iTunes App Store.

I’ve expected a printed book... I don’t have an iPad.

We want to deliver more information than ever before with the new typeface compendium. Note that the App delivers 620,000 font specimens — 19 times more than the printed FontBook 4. With FontBook 4, in 2006, we had to make compromises to host all available typefaces in one volume. For example, we downsized the showing of FF Meta (26 fonts) from three pages in 1998’s FontBook 3 to one page, despite the fact that the family had grown to 300 weights in the meantime. We did that by squeezing the stylistic sets into four lines of sample text — not a very user-friendly compromise. FF Meta is now shown in its entirety. The app also allows you to combine and compare type specimens — completely impossible with previous editions unless you were willing to tear your book apart.

Is there an iPhone version of the FontBook?

Not yet, but a rough test delivered promising results.

Is there an Android version of the FontBook?

Not currently. While we are watching the growth of the Android tablet market, we would first like to experience the transition from print to digital FontBook on one platform.

Can I use the downloadable Fonts on my iPad?

The iPad does not support the installation of fonts by the user. However you can download font files that have been purchased on FontShop with mobile Safari once you log into your account from a desktop computer.

Does FontBook for iPad contain the actual files of the shown fonts?

No. The FontBook app delivers raster images of typefaces that are generated and stored on a server. FontBook is an online browser.

Can I use the FontBook app without an internet connection?

The app is primarily an online browsing application and can only display its full content when your device has live internet access through a WiFi/WLAN or 3G mobile connection. However, if you have no online access, you can temporarily switch the “Include online content” setting to “off”. This will enable the app to display a reduced pool of selected content which will work offline. Whenever you do have online access, you can switch back to the full version by switching the “Include online content” setting to “on”.

Why is the developer on the app listed as fStop?

We are in the process of changing this with the iTunes App Store to FontShop. The FontBook app was developed by long-standing editorial team members Andreas Pieper (code) and Mai-Linh Truong (database), with the collaboration of designer Jan Rikus Hillman (user experience), and Jürgen Siebert (chief editor).

Sharing & comparing tutorial on The FontFeed

One of the major advantages of the FontBook app in comparison to the previous printed editions is that it allows easy combining and comparing of typefaces, as well as one-click sharing over Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. Here’s a little tutorial to get you acquainted with the new functionalities.