Usage of non installed fonts

[DamianB]

I have a big collection of fonts. They are not installed in system (Windows) but gathered in separate folder on non-system volume. Despite this several programs I use allow me to use these fonts directly (e.g. by pointing the folder in preferences). Does Designer have such feature or possibility? It is important for me. For now I use trial version and I do not see possibility - I can use only limited number of installed fonts.

[v_kyr]

Just use a capable Font management software,  an overview of such tools.

[DamianB]

Thank you for advice. Yes, I know such software. I even was using NexusFont, but it is only "workaround", unfortunately having some faults. "Direct" usage of chosen font set is always the best solution.
In this situation, I have to think about, whether to buy Designer.

[Fixx]

Direct usage is that you install fonts in your system. Application accessing fonts on its own is more workaround and non-standard way of using fonts.

[DamianB]

Thank you for your interest. Maybe you are right, but I am not going to install in system over 1200 fonts because I use them rarely and only in 1-3 graphic programs (home DTP or vector/pixel illustrations only for own use). I do not need them in Word, Excel and generally in whole system (it would probably affect system performance). So feature of usage by application of non-installed fonts is quite valuable for me.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, DamianB said:

I have a big collection of fonts. They are not installed in system (Windows) but gathered in separate folder on non-system volume. Despite this several programs I use allow me to use these fonts directly (e.g. by pointing the folder in preferences). Does Designer have such feature or possibility?

FWIW, I doubt there is any way to do this in the Affinity apps. That is because (like quite a few other apps) on startup it opens & reads from the installed font files so it can show samples in font menus. This also makes it possible to provide 'live' non-destructive previews of different fonts in Artistic & Frame texts & greatly simplifies using mixed fonts & typographic features or anything else managed by OS level font services.

Supporting uninstalled fonts, particularly those on a non-system volume, would be problematic for several reasons, not the least of which is the delays caused by the need to open all those fonts 'on-the-fly' to provide samples & previews.

[Alfred]

2 hours ago, DamianB said:

I even was using NexusFont, but it is only "workaround", unfortunately having some faults.

What faults have you encountered?

15 minutes ago, DamianB said:

I am not going to install in system over 1200 fonts because I use them rarely and only in 1-3 graphic programs

That’s exactly why you should use a font manager! I use High-Logic MainType, which allows me to ‘load’ (i.e. temporarily install) fonts as and when I need them. I think Xiles NexusFont works slightly differently, loading the entire contents of a selected folder instead of allowing individual selections, but the principle is the same.

[DamianB]

1 hour ago, αℓƒяє∂ said:

What faults have you encountered?

By "faults" I mean mainly inconvenience. There are two options. Font manager starts every time with system and runs even I do not need them (i.e. most of time in my case)  and wasting system resources. Otherwise I have to remember to start it manually before I want use graphic app. I forgot about it many times

 

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

That is because (like quite a few other apps) on startup it opens & reads from the installed font files so it can show samples in font menus.

Supporting uninstalled fonts, particularly those on a non-system volume, would be problematic for several reasons, not the least of which is the delays caused by the need to open all those fonts 'on-the-fly' to provide samples & previews.

Other applications (e.g. GIMP,  Scribus) work the same but instead open & read from installed font files (system cache) they read fonts from folder pointed in preferences. But you are right - it causes notable delay every time when app starts. But it is not a problem for me.

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, DamianB said:

Other applications (e.g. GIMP,  Scribus) work the same but instead open & read from installed font files (system cache) they read fonts from folder pointed in preferences. But you are right - it causes notable delay every time when app starts. But it is not a problem for me.

System & application caches are not infinitely large, certainly not large enough to hold everything needed for realtime previews of font changes, or all the typography options, glyphs, etc. for anything remotely close to 1200 different fonts! This is why OS level font management & a font manager of some sort are essential for avoiding delays not just during app startup but also to improve performance throughout the app.