Support FAQ
Find answers to common questions about installing fonts, accessing OpenType features, licensing, and more.
Can't find what you need? Reach out — we're happy to help.
Font Installation
- Download and unzip the font package
- Locate the
.otffiles - Right-click and select "Install"
- The font will appear in all applications
- Download and unzip the font package
- Double-click the
.otffile - Click "Install Font"
- Available in Font Book and all apps
All Borges Lettering fonts are delivered as OpenType PostScript (.otf) files — the professional standard for desktop publishing, fully compatible with Mac, Windows, and all major design applications. OpenType PostScript offers superior outline quality and full support for advanced typographic features.
OpenType Features & Alternates
Most Borges Lettering fonts include stylistic alternates, standard ligatures, and contextual alternates. Here's how to access them in each application:
Adobe Illustrator: Go to Window → Type → Glyphs to open the Glyphs panel. Select your text, then double-click any alternate glyph to replace the selected character. You can also click the Show dropdown and choose "Alternates for Current Selection" to see only the alternates available for the character your cursor is on.
Adobe InDesign: Same as Illustrator — Window → Type & Tables → Glyphs. You can also enable automatic alternates via Type → OpenType and checking the features you want (Ligatures, Contextual Alternates, Swash, etc.).
Adobe Photoshop: Open the Glyphs panel via Window → Glyphs(CC 2015.1 and later). For earlier versions, use Type → Character → OpenType options.
Canva: Select your text, then look for text spacing or style options in the text menu. Canva has partial OpenType support — some alternates may be accessible, but not all features.
Microsoft Word: Select your text, right-click → Font → Advanced tab. Under "OpenType Features" you can enable Ligatures and Number Spacing. Full glyph access is limited.
Procreate: Tap your text, then tap Edit Style → Aa. Some OpenType alternates are available through the font options.
For the best experience with alternates and ligatures, Adobe Illustrator or InDesign are recommended — they offer full access to every glyph in the font through the Glyphs panel.
Features vary by font family, but commonly include:
- liga — Standard Ligatures (fi, fl, ffl, and custom ligatures)
- salt — Stylistic Alternates (alternate letter designs you can choose from)
- calt — Contextual Alternates (letters that change shape based on surrounding letters)
- kern — Kerning (automatic letter spacing adjustments)
- frac — Fractions and advanced numerals
- locl — Localized forms for specific languages
- ornm — Ornaments and decorative elements
- smcp — Small Capitals
Check the Features tab on each font's product page for the full list, or use the TypeTester on the product page to try features live before purchasing.
Not all applications support OpenType features equally. Here's a quick compatibility guide:
- Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop — Full support via the Glyphs panel (recommended)
- Affinity Designer / Publisher — Good support via the Typography panel
- Canva — Partial support; some alternates accessible through text options
- Microsoft Word — Limited support via Font → Advanced settings
- Google Docs — No OpenType feature support
If alternates aren't appearing, try these steps: make sure the font is properly installed, restart the application, and verify you're selecting individual characters before browsing alternates in the Glyphs panel. If the issue persists, email us at support@borgestype.com with a screenshot and we'll help you sort it out.
Licensing
Yes — all Borges Lettering fonts include a standard desktop license for commercial use. You can use them for logos, branding, print materials, advertising, social media, and client work. The license covers one user on up to 5 devices.
For larger teams, broadcast use, app embedding, or web use, additional licenses are available. Contact us at support@borgestype.com for custom licensing.
You may provide the font files to your printer or service bureau temporarily for production purposes — they must delete the files when the job is complete. You cannot share, transfer, or give the font files to clients, coworkers, or anyone else. Each user needs their own license.
Purchasing & Downloads
After completing your purchase, you'll receive an email with a download link. Click the link to download your font package as a .zip
file. Unzip the file to access your .otf
font files.
If you didn't receive the email, check your spam folder or contact us at support@borgestype.com with your order number.
Because our products are digital downloads delivered immediately, all sales are final. Exceptions may be made for duplicate accidental purchases or materially defective files. Contact us within 14 days of purchase at support@borgestype.com with your order number.
Yes — email us at support@borgestype.com with your order number or the email address used at checkout and we'll get you sorted.
Digital Tools — Illustrator Actions
After extracting the download, you'll find folders for Actions, Graphic Styles, and Swatches, plus an Illustrator file. There are three installation methods:
Easiest method:
Open the included .ai
file (e.g., "Old Stock.ai", "Old Stock II.ai", or "Rough It!") directly in Illustrator. This file has the Swatches and Graphic Styles already saved into it. Then skip ahead to loading the Actions (below).
Manual method: In Illustrator, open the Swatches panel ( Window → Swatches), click the dropdown menu, select Open Swatch Library → Other Library, and navigate to the Swatches folder in your download. Select all swatches and choose "Add to Swatches." Repeat the same process for Graphic Styles via Window → Graphic Styles → Open Graphic Style Library → Other Library.
Permanent install:
Copy the .ai
files from the Swatches and Graphic Styles folders directly into Adobe Illustrator's Presets folders on your system. On PC: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [version]\Presets\en_US\
. This makes them available in every new document.
Loading the Actions: Go to Window → Actions, click the panel dropdown menu, select Load Actions, and navigate to the Actions folder in your download. Choose the action set you want to load (e.g., "OS Drop Shadow Minus Outline Small.aia").
Old Stock, Old Stock II, and Rough It! require your document to be set to CMYK color mode. The actions will not work correctly in RGB mode. When creating a new document in Illustrator, make sure you set the Color Mode to CMYK under the Advanced options. If your existing document is in RGB, go to File → Document Color Mode → CMYK Color.
The actions work best with text or objects sized between 72pt (1 inch) and 140pt (1.5 inches). Here's the basic workflow:
- Type your text using the Type Tool
- Switch to the Selection Tool(the black arrow) and click your text to select it
- In the Actions panel, click the action you want (e.g., "Diagonal Tight") — it should highlight
- Press the Play button at the bottom of the Actions panel
You can combine multiple actions (e.g., a drop shadow plus an inset fill) using layers:
- Run your first action on the selected text (e.g., Drop Shadow → Diagonal Tight)
- Select the text portion (not the shadow) and Cut it (Ctrl+X / Cmd+X)
- Open the Layers panel ( Window → Layers or F7) and create a new layer
- Lock the layer containing the first effect (the drop shadow)
- On the new layer, use Edit → Paste in Front(Ctrl+F / Cmd+F)
- Select the pasted text with the Selection Tool and run your next action (e.g., Inset Fill → Line Fade Top)
Repeat this process for each additional effect. Always lock previous effect layers before running the next action. Once you're done, you can apply color to each layer individually.
If an action produces unexpected results or errors, check these common issues:
- Wrong color mode — Make sure your document is set to CMYK, not RGB
- Swatches not loaded
— The actions depend on the included Swatches being present in your Illustrator Swatches panel. Open the included
.aifile or manually load them - Graphic Styles not loaded — Same as swatches — load them via the Graphic Styles panel
- Text not selected correctly — Use the Selection Tool (black arrow), not the Type Tool, to select your text before running an action
- Text too large or too small — Actions are optimized for 72pt–140pt. Scale your text and try again
Still stuck? Email support@borgestype.com with a screenshot and we'll help.
Troubleshooting
Try these steps:
- Restart the application — Most apps need to be relaunched to detect newly installed fonts
- Restart your computer — Some systems cache fonts and need a reboot
- Check the font name — Search for the font by its family name (e.g., "Desire" not the filename)
- Re-install the font — Delete it from your system fonts first, then install again
Still having trouble? Send us a screenshot and your system details at support@borgestype.com.
Windows: Right-click the .zip file → Extract All. If Windows can't open it, try 7-Zip (free).
Mac: Double-click the .zip file — it should extract automatically. If it doesn't, try The Unarchiver (free from the App Store).