font wars

computer science

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Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

The "font wars" refer to a dispute in the late 1980s primarily between Adobe Inc. and Apple Inc., with Microsoft Corporation also involved. The conflict centered on PostScript, a page description language developed by Adobe, and its licensing fees. Apple, which had been a licensee of PostScript, announced plans to develop its own font-rendering technology called TrueType and collaborate with Microsoft on a PostScript clone. This disagreement significantly impacted the computer and publishing industries before a compromise was reached, leading Microsoft to adopt TrueType for its Windows operating systems. A font is a set of type in a coherent style, now stored as digitized images.12

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Adobe Inc.
Font wars
Adobe made its initial public stock offering in 1986. Although revenues grew to $168.7 million by 1990, Adobe’s relations with Apple deteriorated in the late 1980s over PostScript licensing fees, and in 1989 Apple announced plans to sell its Adobe stock, collaborate with…
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Adobe made its initial public stock offering in 1986. Although revenues grew to $168.7 million by 1990, Adobe’s relations with Apple deteriorated in the late 1980s over PostScript licensing fees, and in 1989 Apple announced plans to sell its Adobe stock, collaborate with…
Read More