Agfa Monotype Launches Fontwise from Monotype, the World's First Font Licence Management Solution.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SALFORDS, SURREY, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 2003

For the first time companies are able to easily keep control of font software to help save money, reduce support issues and maintain corporate identity. Font technology developer Agfa Monotype Ltd. has launched Fontwise(TM) from Monotype(R), a service for auditing, managing and purchasing font licences.

John McCallum, managing director of Agfa Monotype Ltd. said, "A year ago we surveyed our customers in the UK. Forty-seven percent of those asked found it difficult to keep track of fonts. I am proud that our new service, Fontwise from Monotype, is leading the way with a solution to the complex and time consuming task of managing font licences. This blends the strengths of Agfa technology with the service excellence synonymous with the Monotype brand."

Fontwise from Monotype comprises client-server font discovery software, a licence reconciliation service and online font database creation and management. The Fontwise client-server software scans the network at intervals determined by the user and reports on all font files found. This information can be added to the company software inventory or used as the starting point for a full font audit. When the user has determined which fonts to keep, the Fontwise software can be used to delete all unwanted fonts. The user provides font licences for all wanted fonts to Agfa Monotype who reconciles this record with the list of files found. Any gaps in licensing can then be advised and updated directly with Agfa Monotype or the relevant font supplier or publisher.

Ken Davis, IT director at Five, one of the first users of Fontwise, gave his perspective on font auditing: "Fonts are a specialised area. They are very difficult to audit and manage without the help of specialist software. Fontwise gave us a much better handle on our fonts and we were able to delete a number of fonts which were not required or used. We now have an ongoing program of font control and usage monitoring and have found the service excellent."

For ongoing maintenance, an online company font database can be created. Users can refer to the database to view available fonts and check their licensing position. For instance, if the company has purchased 10 licences and only one is in use, the user can see there is no need to purchase a new licence. This has proven to reduce costs while avoiding the risk of using unlicensed fonts.

The first public demonstration of Fontwise took place at the FAST Annual Conference, held last week at the Chateau Impney, Droitwich, UK. Evaluation of Fontwise from Monotype and further details about the product can be obtained by contacting Julie Strawson at Agfa Monotype on ([phone], by e-mail [e-mail], or by visiting www.fontwise.com.

Availability

Fontwise from Monotype is now shipping in the UK only.

PC Server, PC Client and Mac Client now available.

The Mac server discovery software is due for release in Q4 2003.

Further information

A white paper about font license management issues, by Stephen Cosby, Ph.D., is available by contacting [e-mail].

About Agfa Monotype Ltd.

Agfa Monotype Ltd., based in the U.K., is part of Agfa Monotype Corp. Agfa Monotype Ltd. specialises in font licensing, design and technology for design professionals. Most of the world's computer users employ many of Agfa Monotype's original typeface designs daily, such as Times New Roman(R) and Arial(R), as they are included in the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) operating system. The company's extensive typeface collection includes the Monotype(R) Classic Library and the ITC(R) typeface library. As a distributor of typefaces, Agfa Monotype offers a wide choice of typefaces from over 200 foundries worldwide. World leading organisations such as British Airways, Opel, Microsoft X-Box(TM) and The British Council have worked with Agfa Monotype to develop their corporate typefaces. Agfa Monotype is also the recognised source for multi-language solutions, Unicode(TM) implementation, consumer font products, font rasterisation, font compression and embedded type. Additional information about Agfa Monotype and its products can be found on the company's Web sites at www.agfamonotype.co.uk and www.fontwise.com.

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