Where do System Fonts reside?

In some instances it almost becomes a matter of disable, until you're satisfied that it might be OK to actually delete.

Yup, which is how I determine the font lists. But it is of course not possible to test every single app in existence. 🙂

Be aware though, I will probably be back and renewing this thread with more irritating questions.

Uh, oh! 😉

Missed a little bit above. Suitcase will also automatically populate its font lists with whatever is in the Fonts folder of your user account when installed.

Kurt Lang wrote:

I got an error message when launching DxO Optics Pro that a system font used by the application was missing.case of the OS X Tiger install disk, it won't even open on the desktop. I would have expected the Kaku and Mincho fonts to be very safe to remove. Go figure. DxO Optics Pro seemed to function OK when the font was missing, however.

In 99.99999% of cases, it would be. But as mentioned, that's a very odd font to require for a software package to work. Something to add to the "exceptions" section. Thanks much for the info!

That was my reaction: huh? That font? Before I got in touch with DxO tech support, I tried activating the Avenir fonts, thinking that they were a likely candidate. However, now that I think about it, I wonder if using Hiragino Kaku Gothic simplifies making that language-specific version of the application.

One of the few things I miss about the classic Mac OS was managing fonts using Suitcase or Adobe Type Manager, and Adobe Type Reunion, which I remember as being a much simpler process.

Note to Garnick: I never trash any of the fonts that I move. My Fonts folder lives in a specific location on each system. In there I create, among other things, sub-folders called "Fonts from system library" and "Fonts from library" and move fonts into those as appropriate. That way I don't have to remember what font came from what library's font folder. I also organize fonts within that folder by source (Linotype, Bitstream, Monotype, Adobe, webfonts, etc.)

I wonder if using Hiragino Kaku Gothic simplifies making that language-specific version of the application.

That's what I was thinking, too. It's one of those apps that doesn't check the language setting in OS X to see if it even needs to use a font coded into the app. It just checks to see if every font it may depend on is present.

In there I create, among other things, sub-folders called "Fonts from system library" and "Fonts from library" and move fonts into those as appropriate. That way I don't have to remember what font came from what library's font folder. I also organize fonts within that folder by source (Linotype, Bitstream, Monotype, Adobe, webfonts, etc.)

That's exactly the same thing I do. I have every font installed by every version of OS X from 10.3 forward, each in their own folders. Every font from Office 2004, 2008 and 2011. And all LinoType, Adobe and other font vendor sets separated out.

It's pretty easy to switch things around. Copy the Font Book app to another drive. Then remove it from the Applications folder. Follow the rest of the Font Book removal steps to clear its database and font cache data.

Now install the Suitcase demo. You have 30 days to play with it as a fully functioning app. If you decide it's not what you expect, or like, Extensis has an uninstall tool you can download.

Since all of the rest of the pieces Font Book relies on to function are still on the main drive, all you have to do is copy the main app back into the Applications folder.

There is no uninstall feature to remove items OS X installs. You have to manually trash it.

I sometimes zip the unwanted apps, and then trash the apps but keep the zipped archives in place, just to make restoring them brain-dead simple.