VanderLans and Licko were quick to adopt the Macintosh computer as a design tool when it was first introduced, a move that ultimately propelled the magazine to a higher level. By being at the right place at the right time and applying her knowledge of font design to the new technology, Licko used the early bitmap design tools on the Macintosh to create some of the first digital fonts. Emperor, Oakland, and Emigre were designed for low-resolution printing and, by the third issue, became available for purchase. The sale of fonts has created enough economic flexibility that the magazine is now published quarterly.

It takes a sustained effort as well as a persistent and keen business acumen to run a magazine. In terms of creative return, however, for VanderLans, the magazine format offers everything a designer could wish for: a chance to mix texts of all kinds, images, and headlines and deal with sequencing of pages. "And every time you're done with one issue, you start afresh with the next one."