Consolodating Font Locations Question

[PGB1]

Hi All
I use a MacBook Pro 3,1 with OS X 10.6.8. It has two user accounts.
Today's question concerns making fonts available to all user accounts. I tried searching & reading to figure this out, but found much conflicting information.

The situation is that not all fonts are available to all users because some are not in the HD/Library/Fonts folder. They're only in one or the other user's folder. (UserName/Library/Fonts)

For example that when logged in to the administrator account and using Turbo CAD, I do not have some of the fonts I have when logged in to the non-administrator account. A few examples are Bank Gothic, Copperplate, Bookman Old Style

I have no idea how this came about because yesterday was the first time I ever looked in Fonts folders or opened Font Book app. All programs have been installed while logged in as Administrator.

My Question Is-
Can I move (by drag-and-drop) all of the fonts from each user account's Font folder to the HD/Library/Fonts folder so that all users can use all fonts or, will this cause slowdowns or other problems?
This will leave each user's Fonts folder empty.
Will it cause long boot time or program opening time?

Plan B- Copy fonts from each user's Font folder to the other user's Font folder so they match? (Of course, I hate to waste disk space duplicating.)

Of course, I will leave any fonts in system folders alone. And, I have no knowledge of special Adobe fonts for Reader, Photoshop Elements, etc.; so, I probably should ignore them (assuming I can find them).


More Details
What I Have Done So Far-
Used Font Book to resolve duplicates.

A search with Font Book and Finder shows me the following (not counting system or Adobe fonts):
Hard Drive/Library Fonts = 227 Fonts 835.2 mb
Administrator Account/Library/Fonts = 90 Fonts 85.9 mb
Non-Administrator Account/ Library/Fonts = 78 Fonts 84.1 mb

Examination-
None of the fonts that are in one user's folder are in the other user's folder.
Some, but not all, of the fonts in a user's folder are in the HD/Library/Fonts folder.

Also Found =
HD/Library/ Fonts Disabled = 16 Fonts 66mb
Neither user account has anything in their Fonts Disabled folder.
I think they came in when I installed Microsoft Office 2011. I read an article saying that Microsoft Office will move Apple fonts with the same name as theirs to Fonts Disabled.



Thank You for ideas & suggestions!
Paul

 

[cradom]

The easiest way to have fonts available to all users is to put them in /Library/Fonts.
However, you need to be admin to copy them there. Or at least know the admin password to authorize it.

 

[PGB1]

ThankYou Crandom for taking the time to reply to my question. I appreciate your direct & concise advice.

I copied the fonts from each user's directory to the HD/Library/Fonts folder. After looking at several programs in both accounts, it appears that all fonts are now available to all users.

Do you think it will be safe to delete the fonts from the individual users' folders now that they are in the HD/Library/Fonts folder?

Thank You Again,
Paul

 

[cradom]

Just run Fontbook and do a "Search for Duplicates" from the Edit menu.
Having multiple copies of fonts is not good.

 

[PGB1]

Thanks Crandom.
I ran Fontbook to resolve duplicates. I was surprised how few were found, since I copied dozens from user folders to the HD folder. Resolving the duplicates turned off the duplicates, but didn't add them to the Fonts Disabled folder or remove them from the users' individual folders.

I manually moved the fonts from each user's folder to a USB drive and deleted them from the user folder. Next, I restarted the computer and then cleared the font cache via Onyx. A second restart was done. It seems everything is working fine.

If, after a few days, all is still A-OK, is it safe to delete those fonts removed from the users' folders & leave the folders empty?

Thanks Again!
Paul

PS: I like your Schwinn logo! I recently bought a basket case a 1968 hard tire Pixie to rebuild & donate. Some kid will love having it. Last week, at a flea market in Detroit, I saw a Racer with a nice Sturmey Archer for a low price. But, the serial number was scratched off. Left that one behind.

 

[cradom]

Unless you still have the originals, or can easily get them, I wouldn't erase the fonts.
Things happen...

1981 Sports Tourer converted to 700c wheels and upgraded to Shimano 105 gear. Got a few thousand miles on it.

 

[PGB1]

I didn't work my last reply too well at all. The originals from the user folders are copied into the HD/Library folder. But, until I'm in a pinch for hard drive space, I suppose there's no harm in leaving the copies in the user folders.

Thanks Again for all your help. Now to find time to explore all the fonts I never looked at before!

Paul

I'll bet your Sports Tourer is one really fast bike. I like the Schwinn ultra lights.

 

[cradom]

No, You didn't understand me...
Having them only in /Library/Fonts is fine. If they're there you don't need them anywhere else.
What I meant is keeping the originals that you downloaded or whatever in case the system went south and you need to reinstall.
Keeping them in the system folder AND in the users folder is redundant and potentially harmful.

And a bike is only as fast as the motor. My 60 year old motor is about burned out
I also have a Dawes tourer which is faster but I'm tired of skinny tires.

 

[PGB1]

I sure did misunderstand your posts. Thank you for clarifying this. I guess I was in Duh? Huh? What? mode.

I followed your advice & ditched the duplicates in the users' folders after I made sure they all got transferred safely to HD/Library/Fonts. (In case I goofed up.) I noticed boot up time is at least 20 seconds shorter now that I have all fonts in one place and took care of duplicates. Word and Excel open a bit faster, too.

I chuckled when I read about your "60 year old motor" being almost burned out. My "few months from 60" motor ain't what it used to be, either. But, I'm bound & determined to keep it running for as long as I can. (If God is willing ...)

Like you, wider tires are better for me these days. The big kids may laugh, but I like the 1-1/4" on my daily rider. (1973 CCM Concorde). When I can scrounge up some parts, my 63 Typhoon is a candidate for balloons so I can ride in snow.

Thanks Again for all of your help! I sure appreciate your advice.
Paul