: Should clients pay twice for the same fonts used in different projects? Suppose a client ordered a project and paid for the typography I used. Some time after, 2 months, 5 months, or a year

@Sims5801359

Should I include the whole price I paid for that font in every project I design, even if the client is the same? Or do I not apply this cost for the same client?


You can pass on the font license costs, if the font license was necessary to fulfil the job. If you have the license and there won’t be any additional costs in the future (as it often is the case with desktop licenses), why would you even think about charging again? The license was paid already. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a different project or client. There is nothing that needs another payment.

(It gets more complicated though with digital publish licenses, e.g. webfonts, ebook fonts and so on.)

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@Caterina889

No.

If the client paid for a license to use a specific typeface, then the client owns that license and should not be charged every time the typeface is utilized.

In addition, if the client specifically paid for the license, you should only be using that typeface for their projects. For this reason I much prefer to purchase typefaces for me/my company than for specific clients.

If a client has a request for a specific typeface I don't already own, and they can't transfer a license to me (which is most likely), I purchase the typeface myself. That inevitably means I cut into my profits for the first job or two using that typeface, but in the long run it's a business asset I've acquired, which is a tax deduction. And, if I own the license, I'm free to use the typeface on anything I choose.

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