Hi! I want to use the font "Simon" for my business - https://www.dafont.com/es/simon-2.font . I wanted it to be the typeface of my shop, but I'm not sure I have a license to use it that way. Please help!

No, you cannot use it for your business unless you have permission, as clearly stated in the readme file.'

Contact the font creator.

As above, most font creators are approachable and thrilled that you have chosen their font.

As I understand it, personal use means you can use it for example to make a Tshirt for yourself but if you decide to sell that Tshirt design, you need their consent or you need to purchase a licence from them.

so, i'm primarily an illustrator, and i do some graphics work stuff too, such as album covers. i'm doing a quick treatment on one right now that's mostly just choosing the right font and placement for a chosen photo. i've always gone to Dafont.com for my font projects, and for most purposes i don't really pay attention to the licensing details, if it's for soemthing i know will not be a mainstream moneymaking thing, even if it's technically a commercial project. i'd love to support the font makers and all, but i'm basically a starving artist doing work for other starving artists, so i'm trying to keep any additional costs to .. well, zero.

so my question is, can i use a free font that's not free for commercial use, as a 'base' font to edit? how much editing until it becomes not the original font? is there any legal specifics on how this works? i'd be shocked if anyone notices one of the fonts i'm considering out in the wild, but the last thing i want to do is create a headache for my client, or have a developer feel like they've been stolen from.

also open to suggestions for better free-for-commercial-use font resources. (i actually love dafont, but most of them are either 'demo' or 'free for personal use')

thanks for your advice!

The short answer is "No."


Any editing at all and it becomes "not the original font." And even if the typeface is free for commercial use, editing is not
permitted.

No matter how many ways you ask the question, the answer is still the same. If you're using the font for something not specifically
addressed in the Readme file, check with the font creator. Don't assume anything.

That depends on the license of the font. If it has a No Derivatives restriction, then editing is not allowed without permission from the font creator. (well, if it is edited, you may not distribute the modified font).

IMO if the font is not public domain or open source, do not touch it.