When non-designers ask me what my favorite fonts are for their home newsletters, or announcement cards, or stationery, I usually point them in free alternative that don’t look horrible. There are a bunch of really wonderful open source or free fonts that publishers have made available on the web. Wonderful fonts like Open Sans, Junction, or League Gothic. These are not bizarro creations by amateurs, these are strong typefaces in their own right.
Adobe’s first forray in open source fonts Source Sans Pro, however, has become my defacto recommendation. It has a lot of weights, it is very easy to use, holds up even at large sizes, and looks incredible on-screen and printed. This is a totally free $350 font and is definitely comparable to fonts like Scala Sans, Din, and the like.
If you don’t have this in your arsenal, even for seasoned designers, you are missing out. It allows for any organization to have a quality san-serif typeface at their beck and call. It is even available for all websites on Google’s web fonts.