AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: RoadsByArco on January 09, 2021, 09:08:56 PM

Title: Do the official FHWA series of fonts still exist online somewhere?
Post by: RoadsByArco on January 09, 2021, 09:08:56 PM
I was browsing through an old thread of a couple of site members saying they had official versions of the FHWA fonts such as Series E(M), but of course, since the thread was from 10 years ago, the links and pictures are obviously dead. Does anyone still have any official .ttf files lying around on their computer they could give me? For personal purposes only, of course.
It would be great if any of you could also provide a thinner version of E(M): (which is called E(EM) on the Roadgeek 2014 fonts)
(https://i.imgur.com/BLxBgKu.png)
Title: Re: Do the official FHWA series of fonts still exist online somewhere?
Post by: Scott5114 on January 10, 2021, 12:16:48 AM
There are no official .ttf files. FHWA has never made any.

FHWA provides the standard alphabets as PDF outlines in the 2004 Standard Highway Signs book. From these outlines, anyone can produce a .ttf/.otf. This is how MikeTheActuary and sammi created the 2005 and 2014 Roadgeek font sets, respectively.

The commercial versions of the FHWA font sets, that are sold by commercial type foundries, were made using the exact same PDF. Those people are just less shameful about asking for money for it.

If you want to go back even further, older versions of the MUTCD from before PDFs existed had mathematical formulas for drawing the fonts from scratch.
Title: Re: Do the official FHWA series of fonts still exist online somewhere?
Post by: Henry on January 13, 2021, 10:41:53 AM
You could also Google "blue highway font" or "interstate font", as those are basically the same as the ones used in the FHWA series.
Title: Re: Do the official FHWA series of fonts still exist online somewhere?
Post by: I-55 on January 13, 2021, 11:42:16 PM
Found a link to what I think you're looking for

https://www.fonts.com/font/urw-type-foundry/saa-series-e

Quote from: Scott5114 on January 10, 2021, 12:16:48 AM
Those people are just less shameful about asking for money for it.

The site has no objections to shoving a 35 dollar price tag in your face so case in point.
Title: Re: Do the official FHWA series of fonts still exist online somewhere?
Post by: Scott5114 on January 13, 2021, 11:46:42 PM
Quote from: Henry on January 13, 2021, 10:41:53 AM
You could also Google "blue highway font" or "interstate font", as those are basically the same as the ones used in the FHWA series.

They bear a resemblance, but they are noticeably different.
Title: Re: Do the official FHWA series of fonts still exist online somewhere?
Post by: US 89 on January 17, 2021, 09:23:24 AM
Quote from: I-55 on January 13, 2021, 11:42:16 PM
Found a link to what I think you're looking for

https://www.fonts.com/font/urw-type-foundry/saa-series-e

Quote from: Scott5114 on January 10, 2021, 12:16:48 AM
Those people are just less shameful about asking for money for it.

The site has no objections to shoving a 35 dollar price tag in your face so case in point.

Only 35 dollars? They want to charge me 39 euros.