Try Arial.

More Trebuchet, i'd say.

Yes, Trebuchet is the closest I've got too...

Check if Gill Sans is on your computer.

Nick, good one!

hhp

Well you may laugh at my request, but I'm in a position where I have to lay out a document for a brand and the agency I'm working for "cannot" provide me with their signature font (Bliss)... And well, I'm sorry but I'm not going to pay for it myself... They just said "use a similar font". While this is none of my work ethics, this job is a real pain in the arse and I want to get it done quicky...

Actually Nick's comment being appropriate doesn't mean your request is invalid! In fact Nick might have been taking a jab at your client, not you, if you get my drift. I mean, if your client is limiting you to spending no money on a font...

hhp

... get new clients.

Working on it everyday... But in time of recession, you hafta make some sacrifice ;)...

I know what you mean; almost every day I disagree with the phrase 'The client is always right'.

Me too. But saying "no" is something else. :-/

hhp

When I saw the subject of this thread, I was expecting someone to suggest Chinese characters as a substitute for Bliss symbols - but I see that this is not about them.

My answer to the poster's original question, now that I've found out what Bliss looks like, would be Gill Sans; not a free font, but it might be one he already has.

Gill Sans has the same "feel" as Bliss, while Trebuchet doesn't; on the other hand, Trebuchet has the unusual lowercase l of Bliss. So one could use Gill Sans, and then go back and change all the lowercase "l"s to Trebuchet.

So one could use Gill Sans, and then go back and change all the lowercase "l"s to Trebuchet.

Dear lord, I hope not.

I realize my suggestion is perhaps even worse than Nick Cooke's suggestion "Arial", but the weight of Trebuchet differs so slightly from that of at least Bitstream's Humanist 521 (if not a more "real" Gill Sans) and its ascender height is also only slightly higher, so that a naive person might indeed note that the "feel" of Gill Sans matches that of Bliss (that of Trebuchet conspicuously does not; it's more like News Gothic) and then see that, oh, yes, it's got the right lowercase "l", and so it must be the right font.

The fact that the lowercase "p" and "q" have an extra bit that Bliss avoids, though, would still be a way to notice that Bliss isn't really being used. But what I suggest is indeed a way of "faking it".

Buy Bliss and charge the client more (not necessarily the font's full whack). That way, JT gets what he deserves, you get what you deserve (Bliss on your machine) and the client gets what they deserve.

Are you recreating the client's logo? If you're just laying out a document use something that compliments the Bliss.

Is Bliss that expensive? I couldn't find the price on their website.

Bliss family is 755£.

Why would you need to license the full 14-style family for this purpose? 2 styles are available for £125, 4 for £230.