Hangul Day is a nice excuse to refresh the lettering on a shop notice or blog heading. But is the word “free” enough to start? First decide what you are making and how you will deliver it. A free tasting is not permission to take home the restaurant kitchen; finished images and font files deserve separate checks too.
The providers’ official guidance was checked on October 9, 2026, Korea time. These examples are not a universal permission chart for every free font. They show how to find the terms for the font you actually use.
Key points
- Identify the exact font and official terms rather than relying on “free”.
- Finished images, editable documents and font files are different deliverables.
- Keep the download address, licence and check date in the project folder.
1. Can Naver fonts be used commercially?
Naver says its fonts are free for individuals and businesses and allow commercial use except selling the font itself. The guidance covers Nanum, MaruBuri and Clova Nanum handwriting fonts. Naver font collection and usage guidance
Do not extend this to every font downloaded free online. Identify the exact font and distributor. If similar names appear in your editor, match the menu entry to the file you obtained first.
2. Sending an image is different from supplying the font
Naver’s full licence requires copyright and licence notices with redistributed fonts. Modified versions also have conditions concerning reserved font names. Full Nanum font licence
In a hypothetical example, compare a café owner receiving a poster PNG with a designer also handing over TTF or OTF files. The deliverables themselves are different. List “final image”, “editable document” and “font files included?” separately in the brief. That makes the terms needing review much clearer.
3. Installation does not automatically grant copying rights
Microsoft’s Windows font FAQ does not permit general font-file redistribution or server uploads. Document embedding is a separate, conditional case. This guidance concerns fonts supplied with Windows. Microsoft’s official FAQ
Do not start by uploading a PC font to a server simply because you want matching website text. Write down whether the task is posting an image or serving a webfont, then check the distributor’s terms for that method. “It appears on my screen” and “I can give the file to others” are different questions.
Check the delivery method
| Planned task | Question to check | Record to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Create a shop graphic | Does this font allow commercial use? | Official usage guidance |
| Send an editable document | How will the recipient use the font? | Installation source and embedding terms |
| Include font files | Are redistribution conditions met? | Copyright and licence notices |
| Apply a website font | May it be served as a webfont? | Terms for that method |
Make a small “font receipt” today
Our editorial suggestion is to record font name → official download address → licence → check date in the project folder. Think of it as keeping the source and terms instead of a purchase receipt. This is a planning sequence, not a certificate.
Instead of telling a client “It’s free, so it’s fine”, explain which font terms you checked and what form you are delivering. If the conditions are unclear, ask the provider about the specific use or choose a font with clear permissions. Add one useful record to the pleasure of choosing attractive lettering.