Fontdue is a platform built specifically for independent type foundries.
Fontdue was founded in 2017 when Stéphane Elbaz asked us build the website for General Type Studio. We knew from experience that these websites have particular, complex requirements. We searched for existing technology that would do the heavy-lifting while allowing us to customize the look-and-feel, and it simply didn’t exist.
We quickly realized that this is the biggest hurdle for starting and running an independent type foundry, and that such technology would greatly benefit the type community. And so Fontdue was born.
We believe that type foundries don’t want to be spending time and money maintaining websites. We also believe you shouldn’t have to settle for only a fraction of the revenue of sales that marketplaces pay out in royalties.
Fontdue is built on the belief that type designers shouldn’t have to choose between independence and viability. What started as a solution for one foundry now supports more than 100 sites worldwide.
Our ambition is to change the landscape of font retail by empowering independent foundries; to make sure that fonts are licensed directly from the designers themselves.
Fontdue’s roadmap is shaped by the foundries using it. We prioritize features by impact, building what helps most foundries the most.
We also accommodate specific requests from individual foundries when they fit the platform, and offer custom website design and development through Fontdue Services for foundries who want us to handle everything.
We release new features frequently – see what’s new for recent updates.
We believe in the value of selling fonts independently. Control the branding and marketing of your typefaces, as well as the relationship with the designers using your work.
Fontdue doesn’t ask for exclusivity – you own and control your font distribution.
Fontdue is a bootstrapped company, wholly owned by its operator. It has grown organically and is fully sustained by its community of foundries.
Our pricing model is what makes that sustainable, and what keeps us accountable to foundries rather than investors. We have never taken outside investment, and we never will.
By partnering with Fontdue you’re trusting us with the systems your business runs on. We take that seriously. We treat your data and your customers’ data with discretion, and we’re committed to being here for the long term.
A small independent core team.
Primarily based in The Hague and Warsaw, occasionally working with freelancers internationally.
Studied type design at Type@Cooper in 2012, later worked as a web developer for Hoefler&Co. in 2014, then developed the website for The Intercept alongside type designer Stéphane Elbaz in 2015. Alongside a small team, Tom built First Look Media’s custom in-house publishing platform, and combined all his experience to start working on Fontdue in the summer of 2017. He left First Look Media to focus full-time on Fontdue in 2022.
Started working with Fontdue in 2025, primarily focused on developing custom foundry sites. He studied graphic design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, and has worked as a freelance developer for international clients and studios.
The people who have shaped Fontdue along the way.
Foundries who have funded features for the community.
Some of Fontdue’s features have been requested and sponsored by foundries from within the community, then generously made available for everyone. If you have a feature in mind you’d like us to develop, send us an email.
The current website was designed and developed in 2026 by Tom Conroy, Céline Hurka, Bartek Pierściński and Jules Janssen. Type set in a custom version of Tonka by Céline Hurka and Huw Williams, engineered by Renan Rosatti.
Re-establishing connection...