Fontwise features font discovery software, an online font database creation and management facility and a licence service for any fonts operated by the user that need validation.

Agfa Monotype managing director John McCallum said the introduction of the service followed a survey conducted last year of customers in the UK. Almost half of the respondents found it difficult to keep track of fonts.

The Fontwise server scans the company software and reports on all files found. The user can then set up a database and determine which ones to keep, with all unwanted fonts being deleted.

The user is then able to provide font licences for all fonts kept to Agfa Monotype, which reconciles this record with the list of all font files found.

Any gaps can be updated directly with Agfa Monotype or the relevant font supplier or publisher.

Fontwise was launched at the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) annual conference in Droitwich, Worcestershire, last month. It is now available for distribution in the UK only.

Story by Andy Scott