lidnariq wrote:
(Vector fonts would also be deemed too utilitarian, if separated from the microcode that runs the hinting algorithms.)
There are other formats for fonts, though. For example, there is METAFONT, which uses a program which contains vector outlines and whatever other stuff is needed (including hinting, parameters, etc) and then a device-independent metric file is generated, and a graphic file is generated which is specific to the device. (However, you do not need vector fonts for use with NES/Famicom.)
The IBM CP437 font used in PC is also a bitmap font and I do not expect anyone to file a lawsuit against you for using this though.
Other possible fonts you might want to have available for use with NES/Famicom includes the Commodore 64 font (it has two shift states; this could be the two pattern tables, two CHR ROM banks, or you could combine two characters into one as shown below), or a font ordered for use with the Famicom keyboard, or a font for use with Z-machine.
If you are just using monochrome text, you could encode two chaacters into one character, so that it is selected by the attribute table (or the sprite color). There is the limitation due to the 16x16 attribute areas (except MMC5), and this might still be suitable for some purposes, although you can also use sprites (but in this case you still have the limit; you have eight characters per row only).