Install a new typeface / font in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion?

First off, a bit of a diatribe. What you're asking about is the installation of a typeface, not a font. A font is a specific version of a typeface. For example, Times Roman is a typeface, while Times Roman 14pt is a font. It's an ongoing pet peeve of mine (muchly because my Dad was a typeface designer) that we've lost the important difference between the two words. Remember, a font is specific, a typeface is general, and a typeface family? Well, that's even more generic.

Now, on to your question!

Turns out that it's rather amazingly easy to install a new typeface -- cough, cough, not font -- in Mac Lion. In fact, it's really just a double-click away from being installed.

Here's a typeface that a colleague sent me for a project we're doing together:

To install it, I simply double click on the icon and it shows me a preview of Velocette in the Finder:

Nice typeface, eh?

To install it, I simply click on the "Install Font" button (even though it should really say "Install Typeface", right?) and it not only copies the font data file to the correct place in Mac OS X, but it also then opens up the Font Book app so I can see that it's installed:

That's it. Done deal.

To test it, I'll pop open a Stickies note and change the font to Velocette:

Now you can delete the original file to save space. Easy enough? :-)

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