Fonts are a fundamental part of digital communication, especially in multilingual environments like India where Hindi, Punjabi, and other regional languages are widely used. In IT systems, fonts are not just about appearance—they define how text is encoded, stored, displayed, and shared across platforms.
This article provides a detailed technical understanding of:
Font typing systems (Remington vs Phonetic vs Unicode)
Font file formats (TTF, OTF, PFB, PFM)
Compatibility, usage, and practical differences
A font is a set of characters (glyphs) with a specific style and encoding. It defines how text appears on screen or in print.
Serif (e.g., Times New Roman)
Sans-serif (e.g., Arial)
Monospace (e.g., Courier New)
Display/Decorative
Remington fonts are legacy non-Unicode fonts based on typewriter keyboard layouts.
Kruti Dev
Devlys
Chanakya
Characters are mapped to ASCII codes (not actual Unicode Hindi letters)
Each font uses its own encoding → not standardized
Requires specific font installed to read correctly
Fast typing for trained typists
Widely used in government offices (older systems)
Not web-compatible
Copy-paste issues
Data corruption when font missing
Phonetic typing allows users to type Indian languages using English keyboard sounds.
Google Input Tools
Indic Input
Baraha
Typing: namaste → Output: नमस्ते
Easy for beginners
No need to learn keyboard layout
Works with Unicode fonts
Social media
Blogging
Office documentation
Unicode is a universal character encoding standard that assigns a unique code to every character.
Mangal (Hindi)
Nirmala UI
Arial Unicode MS
Cross-platform compatibility
Web and database friendly
Supports multilingual text
No font dependency issues
SEO friendly
Works in browsers, apps, databases
Unicode: नमस्ते → Stored as actual Hindi characters
Legacy: Stored as symbols (like dsoy) depending on font
Developed by Apple & Microsoft
Extension: .ttf
Uses quadratic Bézier curves
Widely supported
Good for screen display
Easy installation
Developed by Microsoft & Adobe
Extension: .otf
Supports advanced typography
Ligatures, glyph substitution
Better for professional design
Contains glyph data
Contains spacing and metrics
Adobe PostScript systems
Old printing workflows
Obsolete in modern systems
Requires both files together
| Feature | Remington | Phonetic | Unicode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encoding | Non-standard | Unicode-based | Unicode |
| Typing Method | Fixed keyboard | Sound-based | Any (with IME) |
| Compatibility | Low | High | Very High |
| Web Support | No | Yes | Yes |
| Data Safety | Poor | Good | Excellent |
| Usage Today | Declining | Growing | Standard |
Government offices (legacy → Remington)
Websites & apps → Unicode
Typing tools → Phonetic
Legacy fonts → Unicode conversion
Essential for:
GST systems
Online portals
Databases
Garbled text (legacy fonts)
Font mismatch errors
Data migration issues
Kruti Dev ↔ Unicode converters
Online Hindi converters
Custom scripts for bulk conversion
Mapping inaccuracies
Formatting loss
Understanding font types is crucial in IT, especially in multilingual environments. While Remington fonts played a historical role, modern systems rely on Unicode for universal compatibility, with phonetic input methods making typing easier.
For any current or future IT system, Unicode + TTF/OTF fonts are the recommended standard.
