Quality and Value
Finding quality made typography, and getting the best value can be just as important as the look of the font selection itself. Today's digitized type is available with the same range of quality as any other commercial product. Designers know the difference when attempting to use a knock-off font compared to having a master crafted family of typefaces in their hands. There are a few ways to make the most of the hunting and gathering process when looking to add to your own toolbox of fonts.

Sources
Today's font sources can be found as large retailers such as MyFonts, FontShop and Veer. Representing for many foundries large and small, they make it easy to find a variety of fonts by multiple designers in one location. In contrast and with it's own appeal, there are many independent foundries bringing us some superb and prestigious type as such by Hoefler & Frere-Jones, Jeremy Tankard and MvB Fonts. An online search for the name of the font you are looking for will likely provide you with the source and foundry to buy from. And like the stock photography industry, numerous foundries have embraced e-commerce making fonts available as immediate downloads; which can keep a project alive when a deadline is eminent and there is no time to wait for a physical delivery. For the most part prices seem to be competitive between the options of sources making the choice of where to buy more of a convenience than anything else.

Whether you buy direct from the source or from a reseller, remember that fonts are like any other software, they require proper licensing and the royalties that a designer receives when you make a purchase only gives us more opportunity to see what other wonderful prolifications these unsung heroes have to offer.

The Font Research Department Is In
Some font retailers offer additional services with their expertise such as custom services like corporate fonts, logo fonts and font identification help for the times that you only know what it looks like and not the name. Some sites have automated font id tools that can come in handy in a pinch. Identifont walks one thru a series of questions narrowing down options by what kind of letterforms are within your perimeters and then provides showings of possible matches. "WhatTheFont" by MyFonts actually compares your digital file to their database of typefaces. And if all you have to go from is your memory, the sophisticated TypeNavigator developed by Hansjörg and Robert Stulle (presented by FontShop) is a superb and addictive search mechanism.

Try Before You Buy
A fun and useful feature that some font sites have implemented is the ability to test-drive the font before making the purchase commitment. The font samplers often have clever names attached to them, like IHOF's TypeCaster™, or Veer's Flont™, and Émigré's Typetease™. Some sites provide a range of features with their samplers such as viewing fonts side by side, displaying characters in a range of point sizes, printing the images, and linking a URL with your own customized sample. All of which can save time and money when the final design choice is still pending.

Read All About It
Foundries love to show off their wares. Most font sites have mailing lists, or e-news that you can opt-into, which is a great way to hear about what promotions and special pricing are being offered, as well as to see what's new and "hot". Often the limited edition printed catalogs and type specimens that foundries publish become collector's booty for their design and artistic qualities. Émigré's magazines and catalogs are a great example of this phenomenon. Recently I've been enjoying Rian Hughes' Device Fonts Ten Year Itch, which is a cool and beautifully smart little book showing off a decade of type talent. The cool stuff doesn't always come in print form either. FontShop's Calendar is a perfect example of a successful digital exploration by font designers that is offered free with a click.

The First One’s Free
Another way to explore good type without an initial cost is to find the foundries that offer free fonts. In this case I don't mean the quick and dirty 1001 free font sites, but the reputable foundries releasing a teaser as a limited time offer. Sometimes these are announced in e-news, and often they are available just from the website. FontShop and MyFonts seem to keep this feature regularly in their repatoire.

More Is Less
Depending on your font needs and budget there are a few ways to stretch the dollar to get the most from a purchase. Some foundries have gathered popular favorites, best sellers, or fonts by theme, and made them available as special collections with a price tag that is much less than if one purchased each font family individually. A few good examples are, Linotype's Font Compilation Value Packs, Bitstream's Cambridge Collection, and FontFont's Select Libraries CD.

And if it's within reach, licensing the complete library by a foundry offers an expanse of options to a designer without having to obtain them piecemeal. One tip to remember is foundries often run specials near the end of the 2nd and 4th quarters of the year (budget closing times), reducing the price of their treasure troves at a fraction of the regular cost.

Just Can’t Get Enough
When your thoughts turn to fonts when you aren't a consumer, there are other places to go to find sympathetic kin in your passion for typography. Being involved in, and supporting the type community can be an inspiring and educational journey. There are forums for folks like you and blogs that announce news, and ask and answer questions about all aspects of type and design, such as Typographica, and Speak Up. There are also some great events put on by tireless and wonderful Typophile's such as the aforementioned's own Film Festival, and SOTA's yearly TypeCon. These events are a great way to meet the font designers themselves and the folks that use them as well as engaging in workshops that delve further into the technical process, business and philosophy of typography. Who knows?, maybe your own HandFont will one day be along side Herman's swashbuckling Zapfino.