Laptops for Font Design: Seeking Insights

Ray Larabie

I've noticed some discussions about using laptops for font design, and I've been asked why I don't use one myself. For me, the reasons are straightforward:

• Cost-effectiveness: Desktops typically offer more power for the price.
• Screen size: Laptop displays are often too small for detailed font work.
• Input quality: Desktop keyboards generally provide a better typing experience.
• Maintenance: Desktops are easier to repair and upgrade.

Additionally, I rarely need to work on fonts outside my office. For mobile business tasks, I use an Android tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard, which covers most non-font-related work, except for creating promotional graphics.

I'm curious to hear from those who use laptops as their primary typeface design tool: What advantages do you find in using a laptop for font design? Do you work on fonts in multiple locations? If so, how does this benefit your workflow?

Thomas Phinney

I like the POTENTIAL to be able to take my computer elsewhere, either in the house or away, even though I rarely do so. Having it with me while traveling is incredibly helpful, including right now. 

Mark Simonson

I use a laptop, even though it's at my desk, connected to a large display, external keyboard and mouse, 90% of the time. But I like being able to take it with me to conferences and work on fonts while I'm traveling.

Mac laptops since the M-series chips have been faster than all but the fastest Intel-based Mac desktops of a few years ago. There's almost no advantage to using a desktop Mac over a laptop these days unless you're doing very high-end tasks. Or, in the case of the Mac Mini, if you're on a budget and don't really need portability.

Previous to this, I was using a fairly high-spec Intel-based iMac Pro (2017), which at the time ran faster (and quieter) than any Mac laptop available at the time.

Qualcomm has been working on similar chips for Windows laptops, so we may see a similar shift in the Windows world.

James Puckett

I use a laptop so I can take it on vacation in case some Fortune 500 company wants a custom font with circles for periods, it needs to be an enterprise license, and they need it yesterday. (That has never actually happened but anything’s possible).

Other than that the laptop stays put on my desk and only gets moved when the housekeepers dust around it. I’ve thought about taking it to coffee shops or co-working spaces but I really prefer working with a big screen and loud speakers.

James Hultquist-Todd

I have a 2019 MacBook Pro that I'll likely be upgrading this fall (mostly due to how laggy Adobe apps are now and how hot my laptop gets when it's on my lap in the summer). My setup is based around a 16" laptop so I can be just as efficient whether I'm in my office, on a trip, or even on the sofa or in the backyard. I don't use any external monitors other than my Ipad via sidecar, and even that is very rare.

There have been times when a client has needed changes while I was traveling and basing my workflow around a laptop has saved a vacation.

I almost forgot, I do use a mechanical keyboard at my desk, but I don't need it (that setup is described in the keyboard thread).

PabloImpallari

For 10 years or so I used the big iMac 27inch and I loved it.
About a year ago, someone broke into my house and stole it.
And  now I bought a 14inch macbook pro... really really small compared the previous one.

it took me about 6 month to get used to it.
At first I hated it, but now I love it!
And the small screen sort of help me to stay more focused.. not sure how to explain it.
I still use the magicmouse from the old iMac. I really don't like the touchpad.

And best of all: I can hide the macbook on a secret spot and be less worried when I leave my house. (Rosario city was transformed into the the most dangerous city in Argentina, with almost 1 homicide per day, full of armed robbery and poverty since the socialist took the government. What a pity... it used to be a beautiful and peaceful city).

Georg Seifert

I had a iMac and a 15" MacBook Pro for years. But now a 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro and a Studio Display. So I can just grab the laptop and leave and have all my data. Before, It was tricky.
I use the mobility a lot, working form conferences, the garden, cafés …

About Performance: all M processors are plenty fast. 

I can highly recommend the 15" MacBook Air. The current ones are much faster than my M1, the screen is almost as big and it is so beautiful and light  

Yves Michel

I must agree with all the members' answers who are satisfied to design fonts on laptops.
I work on a 17" PC Dell XPS17 Laptop with 2 external monitors.
And I bring the laptop when I'm travelling.

Kent Lew

For the past decade, I used a 2013 15" MacBook Pro as my main machine. It sat on my desk 99% of the time, attached to a 27" LED Cinema Display, extended keyboard, and trackball. I originally opted for the laptop for the same reason as others: the potential to take it with me when needed.

But recently, as I faced the need to finally retire that machine and move to a contemporary version of MacOS, I recognized a couple realities:

I rarely travel, and post-pandemic even less than ever. When I did travel to conferences, etc., I rarely did any actual font-related work, and even then very little of any productive value. Similarly, around the house I would rarely work outside my office. I never found the small screen and trackpad and lack of keypad conducive to my working style.

The biggest liability with the laptop was the battery, which is the thing that finally forced the retirement. That and the trackpad started to go.

So, since I didn't actually utilize the portability, I decided earlier this year that it was more affordable for me to get to an M-chip machine by switching to a MacMini M2 for computing, allowing me to also afford to upgrade the monitor to a new 27" Studio Display (retina, finally).

I’m happy with the decision so far. Time will tell whether I ever regret the lack of portability. (I do have an iPad Pro for general, non-font, non-deskbound use.)

Ermin Međedović

I bought a new MacBook Pro (M3) a few months ago, and it has more power than I’ll need for a long time. I don’t upgrade often, so when I do, I opt for a high-end model.
While I can work directly on the laptop if necessary, I prefer using an external keyboard with a num lock and a Mighty Mouse, along with an external display. At home, I use an LG HDR 5K monitor, and at my other location, I have an old 27-inch Dell

Jasper de Waard

I like being able to move around while working, even if it's just around the house. Change the way I sit, change my environment. Better for the mind and the body, I think. And then there is the benefit of being able to work while in the train. For me, type design is something I do often at weird hours when I have some time to spare, so the flexibility of a laptop is worth a lot, but I also use it for my day-to-day job as a PhD. 

Macbooks these days have such high resolution displays that I find them very nice for type design. If I had to choose, I would always opt for a smaller but higher ppi screen than a bigger screen with lower ppi, because it allows me to make the design small while still accurately perceiving it. And yes, sometimes a bigger screen would be nice, but to me it rarely feels like it would be worth being stuck in one position.