You’ve bought a font, opened Instagram or Ads Manager and now you’re wondering whether the licence you already have actually covers what you’re about to make.
The short answer is: a Desktop Font Licence will often cover static social-media graphics, but paid advertising, video, HTML5 ads and embedded font use can require additional rights. The exact answer always depends on the font foundry’s licence agreement.
Which licence do I need for a Simon Stratford font?
Foundries differ, which is why the rest of this article explains the general picture. If the font came from me, you don’t need to interpret anything:
- Static social graphics, organic or paid. Feed posts, carousels, Stories, Pinterest pins and Facebook or Instagram adverts exported as a flattened JPG or PNG are covered by a Desktop Licence. Follower count does not change this, and neither does boosting a post.
- HTML5 display ads and email. A Digital Ad/Email Licence is required whenever the font file is loaded or served rather than baked into a finished image.
- Reels, TikTok, YouTube and broadcast. Moving image is licensed separately from static artwork. I quote it individually, based on territory, campaign duration and expected reach.
- Websites and apps. A live website needs a Webfont Licence. A font embedded in an app needs an App Licence.
- Agencies and freelancers. Anyone who installs the font must be covered by a licence. They can work under yours only if they fit inside your user allowance; otherwise they need adding to it.
Still not sure? Don’t buy three licences to be safe. Tell me what you’re making and I’ll point you at the one you need.
That last bit matters. There is no single universal font licence that every foundry follows. One foundry might include static paid ads within a Desktop Licence, while another might sell advertising rights separately or price them according to reach, impressions or campaign spend.
What font licence do I need?
Here’s the simplest way to think about it. If you are creating a finished, flattened image such as a JPG or PNG, a Desktop Licence is often the starting point. If the font file itself is being loaded, embedded, distributed or used in moving image, you may need a different licence.
| Use | Licence commonly required |
|---|---|
| Organic Instagram post exported as JPG or PNG | Desktop Licence |
| Organic Facebook, LinkedIn or Pinterest graphic | Desktop Licence |
| Static paid social advert | Desktop or paid-advertising rights — check the EULA |
| Boosted Instagram or Facebook post | May require paid-advertising rights |
| HTML5 advert that loads the font | Digital Ad Licence |
| Instagram Reel, TikTok or social video | Moving-image, video or broadcast rights may be required |
| YouTube commercial or branded video | Moving-image or broadcast rights may be required |
| Font embedded inside an app | App Licence |
| Font served live on a website | Webfont Licence |
This table is a general guide, not a universal industry rule. Always check the licence supplied with the specific font you are using.
How do I work out which licence I need?
Start by asking four questions:
- Is the finished work static or moving?
- Is the font file being embedded or only used to make finished artwork?
- Is the content organic or paid advertising?
- Who needs to install the font?
Those four answers point to a Desktop, Webfont, Digital Ad, App or tailored moving-image licence. The rest of this article works through each of them in turn.
Can I use a font on social media?
Usually, yes — provided your font licence includes commercial design use. For static social-media artwork such as Instagram posts, carousels, Stories, Facebook graphics, LinkedIn posts and Pinterest pins, the font is normally used to create a finished image rather than being distributed to the viewer.
A Simon Stratford Desktop Licence covers static social-media graphics created as finished artwork. You can read the broader breakdown in my Font Licences Explained guide.
The important distinction is between using a font to make an image and distributing or loading the actual font software. Those are very different things from a licensing point of view.
Do I need a font licence for Instagram?
If you are using a commercial font to create branded Instagram content, you need a licence that covers that use. For most static posts, the relevant licence is usually a Desktop Licence.
- Feed posts: normally Desktop Licence use when exported as a flattened image.
- Instagram carousels: normally Desktop Licence use when each slide is a finished image.
- Stories: static artwork will often fall under Desktop use.
- Reels: these are moving image, so separate video or broadcast rights may apply.
- Boosted posts: once money is being spent to distribute a post, paid-advertising terms may apply.
The platform itself does not decide the licence. The font’s EULA does.
Do I need a different font licence for paid social media ads?
Sometimes, and paid social is the area where foundries differ most. A static advert exported as a flattened image is often covered by a Desktop Licence; an advert that loads the font file usually is not.
Some licences allow a font to be used to create flattened advertising graphics under a normal Desktop Licence. Other foundries sell paid-advertising rights separately, or scale the licence according to audience size, impressions or media spend.
The key question is whether the font is simply being used to create finished artwork, or whether the font software is being embedded or served inside the advert itself.
A static Facebook or Instagram advert exported as a JPG or PNG is fundamentally different from an HTML5 display advert that actually loads the font file.
What about boosted Instagram and Facebook posts?
A boosted post starts life as ordinary social content, but once you pay Meta to distribute it to a wider audience it becomes paid media.
That does not automatically mean you need an entirely different licence, but you should check whether your font’s EULA distinguishes between organic social use and paid advertising.
In other words:
- Organic post: you publish it and people encounter it naturally.
- Boosted post: you pay to increase its reach.
Some foundries treat those uses identically. Others do not.
Can I use a font in Instagram Reels or TikTok videos?
Video is where things change. A font licence that covers Photoshop, Illustrator and static social artwork does not automatically mean it covers commercial moving image.
A Simon Stratford Desktop Licence does not cover commercial moving image. Social video, YouTube, streaming and broadcast are licensed separately, and I quote each one on territory, campaign duration and expected reach.
This applies whether the type appears for two seconds in an Instagram Reel or throughout an entire branded film. What matters is the type of use, not simply the length of time the font is visible.
If you are planning a campaign involving Reels, TikTok, YouTube or other commercial video, get in touch and tell me where the font will appear, the territory and the expected campaign use. I can tell you exactly what licence you need.
Do I need a special font licence for Google Ads?
A static Google display ad is usually covered by a Desktop Licence, while an HTML5 ad that loads the font needs a Digital Ad Licence. The ad format decides it.
Static Google display ads
If you design an advert in Photoshop or Illustrator and export it as a flattened JPG, PNG or similar image, the font itself is not being delivered to the viewer. That is usually treated in the same way as other finished static artwork, subject to the font’s EULA.
HTML5 display ads
An HTML5 advert can load a font dynamically. In that situation the actual font software is being served as part of the advertisement, so a Digital Ad Licence may be required.
For Simon Stratford fonts, the Digital Ad/Email Licence covers uses such as HTML5 display advertising where the font is embedded or served digitally, with licensing based on the appropriate level of use.
Does the number of followers matter?
Sometimes. There is no standard rule across the font industry.
Some foundries price social-media licences according to follower count. Others use advertising impressions, audience reach, company size or campaign media spend. Some simply include static social graphics within a Desktop Licence regardless of follower count.
That is why it is worth checking the actual EULA rather than assuming that every font shop works in the same way.
Does Canva change the font licence I need?
No. The software you use to create the design does not override the font licence.
Whether you are working in Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma or another design tool, your right to use the font still comes from the licence supplied by the font owner or foundry.
Uploading a font into Canva also does not magically turn it into a Canva-licensed font. If you upload your own commercially licensed font, the original licence terms still apply.
Can my advertising agency use my font licence?
Not automatically. A font licence normally limits who can install and use the font software.
If your agency, freelancer, production company or external designer needs to install the font on their own computers, check whether your licence covers those additional users. Depending on the licence, they may need to be included in your user allowance or obtain their own licence.
Sending a finished PDF, JPG, PNG or outlined artwork to a supplier is not the same as sending them the editable font file.
What is the difference between a Desktop and Digital Ad font licence?
A Desktop Licence generally allows the licensed user to install the font on a computer and create finished design work such as logos, packaging, posters, presentations and static graphics.
A Digital Ad Licence is intended for situations where the actual font software is embedded, loaded or served within digital advertising — for example, an HTML5 display advert.
The difference sounds technical, but the rule of thumb is simple:
If the audience only sees pixels, you are usually dealing with finished artwork. If their browser or app has to load the font file, you are dealing with font embedding.
Frequently asked questions
If I outline the type, do I still need a licence?
Yes. Converting type to outlines turns the letters into shapes, but you still used the font software to make the artwork, and that use is what the licence covers. Outlining is a sensible way to send files to a printer or a supplier without handing over the font itself. It is not a way around buying a licence in the first place.
I am a designer working on a client’s social media. Who needs the licence?
Whoever installs the font needs to be licensed for it. If you are designing the graphics on your machine and delivering finished images, your licence needs to cover your use. If the client also wants the font file so their in-house team can make posts, they need their own licence — you cannot pass yours along with the artwork.
If you are buying on a client’s behalf, tell me who the licence is for. It is much easier to put the right name on it at the start than to untangle it two years later.
Can I use a free font on social media?
Only if that specific font is licensed for commercial use. Fonts released under an open licence such as the SIL Open Font License are generally fine for social media, including business accounts. Fonts described as “free for personal use” are not — a brand post or anything promoting a product falls outside personal use, and plenty of designers have found that out the expensive way.
Download sites are inconsistent about labelling this. Check the licence file that came with the font rather than the category it was filed under.
Can I sell Canva templates made with a licensed font?
Almost certainly not under a standard Desktop Licence. Selling a template means distributing an editable file that other people will set their own text in, which is a different thing from making finished artwork. Some foundries treat this as redistribution and will not permit it at all; others license it specifically. Ask before you list anything.
Do I need a font licence for email newsletters?
You need an email licence if the newsletter loads the font as live text, because the font software is then being served to every recipient. If the type is inside an image you exported and dropped into the email, that is finished artwork and a Desktop Licence covers it.
It is worth checking which of the two your email platform is actually doing. The answer is not always obvious from the editor.
Can my agency use my font licence?
Only if your licence covers the number of people or computers that need to install the font. External agencies and freelancers should not assume they can install a client’s font file without being properly licensed.
What happens if I have been using a font without the right licence?
Usually it is resolved by buying the licence you should have had, sometimes backdated to cover the period of use. It is a conversation, not a catastrophe, and it is far cheaper to raise it yourself than to have it raised with you. If you think you have got this wrong somewhere, get in touch and we will sort it out.
For a complete overview of my licence types, see Font Licences Explained, or browse my font collection.