How to Hand Off Font Files, Licenses, and Specimens

Hand off a typeface as one folder: the licensed font files (OTF or TTF for design apps, WOFF2 for the web if the license allows web use), the license or a short note of what it permits, a specimen showing the weights the project actually uses, and the CSS font stack as text. Share the folder or its location rather than a screenshot of the type. A picture of a font can't be installed, and font files passed around without checking the license can break its terms.

What goes in a font handoff folder

type/acme-sans/
  LICENSE.pdf
  license-notes.txt
  desktop/AcmeSans-Regular.otf
  desktop/AcmeSans-Medium.otf
  desktop/AcmeSans-Bold.otf
  web/acme-sans-regular.woff2
  web/acme-sans-bold.woff2
  specimen-acme-sans.png
  css-notes.txt

One family per folder keeps it simple, and the names inside should match what the design file uses.

How to prepare a font handoff, step by step

1. Get the files from the source. Download them from the foundry account or your company's font portal, not from a lookalike site.
2. Check what the license covers. Desktop, web, app and document embedding are often licensed separately. Write the answer in license-notes.txt in one or two lines so nobody has to read the full PDF to find out.
3. Install on design machines. On Windows, unzip the download, right-click the font files and select Install. Microsoft 365 apps pick them up from there. In Figma, the desktop app reads installed TTF and OTF fonts directly; in the browser you also need Figma's font installer. Everyone editing a Figma file needs the same font styles installed, or Figma shows a missing font warning.
4. Make the specimen from the installed files. Set the family name, each weight used in the project, a paragraph, numerals and any special characters the brand needs. Export it as PNG or PDF and name it so it sorts next to the fonts.
5. Write the CSS stack as text. Include the @font-face rules and the fallback stack.
6. Share the location. Put the folder in the repo (web fonts only, if the license allows), the shared drive or your asset library, and send the path.

For the web, MDN recommends serving fonts as WOFF2 because it compresses better than WOFF or OpenType. A minimal css-notes.txt looks like this:

@font-face {
  font-family: "Acme Sans";
  src: url("/fonts/acme-sans-regular.woff2") format("woff2");
  font-weight: 400;
  font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Acme Sans";
  src: url("/fonts/acme-sans-bold.woff2") format("woff2");
  font-weight: 700;
  font-display: swap;
}
body { font-family: "Acme Sans", system-ui, sans-serif; }

Fonts for print: package the document

When the destination is a printer, InDesign's File > Package collects the document, linked graphics and fonts into one folder, with options to add an IDML file and a print-ready PDF. Fonts activated from Adobe Fonts aren't copied into the package, so check those separately. For packaging jobs, also check which dieline file format the printer wants. How to hand off design assets to developers covers the equivalent for screen work.

Keeping fonts findable later

A folder per family works for most teams. If you manage a lot of type, Eagle's font manager previews and categorizes font files without installing them, which makes a large collection easier to browse; Eagle vs Billfish compares it with a free alternative. At the start of a project, put the font folder alongside the logos and brief so everyone starts from the same set; how to stage logos, fonts and briefs has a checklist.

What the clipboard can carry

The clipboard is good for the text parts of a font handoff: the exact family name (Acme Sans, not AcmeSans), the CSS stack, a feature setting. Windows clipboard history (Win+V) keeps text, HTML and bitmaps only, so copied font files never appear there, and a copied specimen image is just a picture.

Copied formatted text can also carry font names into documents where you didn't want them; why pasted text brings mystery fonts with it explains how to paste without that.

If you're moving font files between folders during setup, Edge Drop keeps files you copied in Explorer as references to the originals and lets you drag them into another folder or app later. It moves the files; it doesn't install fonts.

FAQ

Can I send font files over Slack or email?

Only if the license allows sharing them with the people receiving them. Many teams send a link to the font portal or shared folder instead, so the license stays next to the files.

Do developers need the OTF files?

Usually not for a website. They need WOFF2 files licensed for web use, plus the CSS. Developers who also open the design files need the desktop fonts installed.

Why does Figma say a font is missing when I have it?

Figma looks for fonts installed on the computer of whoever is editing. If a teammate doesn't have the same style installed, or uses Figma in a browser without the font installer, they'll see the missing font warning.

Related reading

• Design Project Kickoff: How to Stage Logos, Fonts and Briefs
• How to Hand Off Design Assets to Developers (Checklist)
• Why Pasted Text Changes Font in Word (and How to Fix It)
• Eagle vs Billfish: Asset Managers for Windows Designers

Sources

• Add a font (Microsoft Support) — installing TTF and OTF fonts on Windows with right-click Install.
• Add a font to Figma (Figma Help) — TTF/OTF support, font installer for the browser, missing font errors.
• @font-face (MDN) — syntax and the recommendation to serve WOFF2.
• Package InDesign files for output (Adobe) — what File > Package copies, and the Adobe Fonts exception.
• Eagle (official site) — font manager that previews fonts without installing them.
• Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — clipboard history formats.

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