Fonts for Unicode

This Page

  1. Encoding
  2. Print Quality
  3. Finding Fonts
  4. Download Fonts
  5. Windows Install
  6. Mac Install
  7. Links and References

Encoding

You normally want to use a encoded font compliant with the Unicode Standard. It will likely be able to work with other encodings, but a font designed for another encoding may not be able to work with Unicode.

  1. Unicode – Complies with Unicode encoding and is ideal for Web viewing. If you need to type with this font, you would have to install a separate keyboard utility.
  2. Encoded (Not Unicode) – Complies with a specific encoding scheme. These should only be used to work with and hopefully convert older documents to Unicode.
  3. Print Font (Avoid) – Encoded as ASCII/Latin 1, but with special characters replacing English letters. If you DON’T need to activate a keyboard utility, it is likely not a Unicode font. Many newer icon fonts and dingbat fonts are actually this kind of font and can be problematic on the web.
    Note: These fonts were originally designed for print. There was no need for the text to be readable across platforms.

Note: For some under supported languages, you may need to install both a Unicode font and a Print font.

Print Quality

If you want to use a font for high quality typography, the OTF font is usually the most desirable (but could be pricey). TrueType or Postscript can also work for most scripts. The Bitmapped font is not designed for print, but could work for computer monitors in some situations.

It should be noted that many free or low-cost fonts may be missing crucial typographic features due to the lack of expertise or resources in the designer. A designer may have to pay for a commercial font (if available for that script) to get fully professional results.

  1. OpenType (.otf) – A standard from Adobe which supports Unicode and the
    high-quality typographical capabilities. This is a vector font meaning that characters are stored as shapes which can expand or contract depending on the desired point size.
    Note:
    Open Type is preferred for scripts in which letter forms
    change depending on its position within a word. In other scripts, TrueType may be acceptable.
  2. Web Font (.woff +) – A set of vector font files designed to be embedded into a Web page. Before using or creating a Web font package, you need to ensure that it includes the characters from the scripts you need to support.
  3. TrueType (.ttf) – This is a vector font specification with fewer typographic features available, but still very print high quality and appropriate for many scripts.
  4. PostScript – An older Adobe vector font standard still widely recognized in the industry. The quality is comparable to an OpenType font, but with fewer typographic options.
  5. Bitmapped – These fonts are designed specifically for montors and contain shapes for certain sizes only. The shapes are mapped out pixel by pixel resulting in smaller file sizes than more complex vector fonts. They are designed for devices with less memory and not intended to be connected to a printer.

Finding Fonts for Scripts

Operating System

The good news is that most modern operating systems (Windows, Macintosh, iOS, Droid) already provide fonts to support major world scripts, math and technical symbols and phonetic symbols. The Language pages provides some information for the different scripts.

Repository

If your system does not have the right font or you want more options, you can choose to download a low-cost or free font.

For best results, look for an educational instution, governmental agency or organization devoted to the script you are interested in. The site should give technical information about Unicode encoding, using with a keyboard utility and file format.

Places to Start

Licensing Terms

To determine the license for a font, you should read the Web page or the "ReadMe" file.

  1. Freeware – Fonts which can be used for free. Some licenses restrict free usage to educational or personal use only. Other licenses allow you to distribute font packages to students, but not to sell it for a profit.
  2. Shareware – Low-cost fonts available on the Web. Some allow you to download it for free, but you are obligated to pay a fee if you decide to use it permanently.
  3. Commercial – You must pay a license fee before you can download the font.

Install Fonts and Keyboard Utilities

Download

  1. Select a file to download. It could be a .ttf, .otf, .woff or .zip file. See font file extensions for other options.
  2. If you download a .zip file, you need to extract the font files from the folder.
    Note: Some .zip files may contain multiple font files. Read documentation to determine which files need to be installed.

Note: Windows fonts for South Asian and RTL scripts may be only partially functional on a Mac. The built-in fonts from Apple have the best performance, particularly in the TextEdit application.

Windows

  1. Quit all applications. Fonts can be installed by one of these options:
    1. Opening the Fonts window in the Control Panel and dragging the font file into it.
      Note: A search for "fonts" can usually find this window.
    2. Opening the font file and clicking Install on the top.
    3. Dragging the file directly to the Fonts folder in the C drive (e.g. C:\WINDOWS\Fonts).
      Note: This folder is usually hidden by default, but can be unhidden by someone with Administrative privileges.
  2. After installing the font, test it in a word processor or text editor.

See Micorosoft Documentation for details.

To install a Keyboard utility for a script, read the instructions provided by the developer. You can also refer to the Windows Keyboard setup page.

Macintosh

Fonts can be installed with one of these options.

  1. Quit all applications. Fonts can be installed by one of these options:
    1. Open the Font Book application (free from Apple). In the File menu, click Add Fonts. Browse for the file to upload.
    2. Dragging the file directly to the ~Library/Fonts folder (for just one user) OR the Mac’s Library/Fonts folder (for all users).
      Note: The Library folder is usually hidden by default, but can be unhidden by someone with Administrative privileges.
  2. After installing the font, test it in a word processor or text editor.

To install a Keyboard utility for a script, read the instructions provided by the developer. You can also refer to the Windows Keyboard setup page.

Links and References

Online

Books

Haralambous, Yannis (2007) Fonts & Encodings. Trans by P. Scott Horne. O’Reilly – very technical, but very comprehensive

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