Several years ago I bought a rather sizeable collection of typefaces (all TrueType) that are all licensed for commercial use. This was important to me, because I self-publish my own books and, or occasion, I do book design and layout (formatting/typesetting) for other authors. Sadly, some of the typefaces don't include a complete set of files.

There's one in particular that I have been looking at for possible use, but it consists of only one file: the Roman regular version of the typeface. I can't stand using computer-synthesized italics, and it's a rare book that doesn't have any italics in it, anywhere. I know absolutely nothing about creating fonts. Is it possible for me to learn how to create an italic version of this typeface? Is there any free software that would help me do this?

Thank you.

What’s the typeface? Maybe we can recommend an alternative family with italics.

Becoming a type designer takes years of practice. I wouldn’t recommend it just to add styles to an existing font.

A free font editor is FontForge. A list of apps is available in our Directory.

I totally agree with Ralf Herrmann. Besides, there are nowadays so many typefaces being published every month that finding one suitable for your needs will be a matter of minutes. You could even look at the list of free typefaces published here. Do you know of Vollkorn, EB Garamond, Source Serif?

The font is Adderley, from SoftMaker's Megafont NOW collection.

I have EB Garamond and Source Serif. I am not familiar with Vollkorn.

Easy case then! Softmaker’s fonts are usually clones. Their Adderley seems to be based on Minister-Antiqua, which is a full family and several digital versions exist. https://fontsinuse.com/typefaces/4292/minister

Thanks, Ralf -

That looks like a match. It's very frustrating that SoftMaker only provides the Roman regular member of the family. It's a very nice font (although as I look at it more, it doesn't appear to include "curly" quotation marks, so maybe it's not worth pursuing after all).

Consulting ChatGPT (yes, I know ...) for the closest visual match that's free for commercial use, AI suggests EB Garamond, Cormorant, and Crimson Pro.

And I have all three 😁

Thanks again.