Thanks Meta, I've had a hard time finding information about this online, and I do indeed want to make sure I'm not taking advantage of someone elses work. Please don't presume that "all I wanted in the first place" was to get the blessing of typographers to rip them off; I'm here asking questions about a topic that is by many accounts fairly widely misunderstood, to avoid exactly that.
Thanks again for the help!

Hi, and thank you for any help.
I am still really having a hard time grasping font/typeface law; if I format text digitally using a font, have it printed, and then trace the text onto signs for paid artwork, must I purchase a license to use the font/typeface?

Again, tracing printed fonts (using transfer paper) for hand-painted signs, a paying gig/event, but the signs will not be sold in any way, just used for an event.

Thank you for any clarification.