To begin explaining what PUA encoded fonts are, I first want to break down fonts into three distinct categories.
Fonts that come with no additional hidden characters.
Fonts that come with additional characters using Open Type
Fonts that come with additional characters using PUA Encoding
Okay, so lets rewind a little. Why do fonts come with additional hidden characters at all? Well simply put there are only so many characters or letters on your keyboard. When a designer wants to include two versions of a particular letter, they insert the second as an additional character. Using the two images below, we can see a great example of additional characters in use.
Notice anything different between the two examples? Example one is only using standard characters. An uppercase T and everything else in lowercase. In the second example, we have edited the uppercase T to the alternate uppercase T that was included within the font file. Ultimately additional characters are created to give users more flexibility when designing.
I hope you are have enjoyed reading our guide on PUA encoded fonts. I promise after a little time practising this will become second nature. If you have any questions or comments, please write them in the comments area below.
What are PUA Encoded Fonts?
To begin explaining what PUA encoded fonts are, I first want to break down fonts into three distinct categories.
Okay, so lets rewind a little. Why do fonts come with additional hidden characters at all? Well simply put there are only so many characters or letters on your keyboard. When a designer wants to include two versions of a particular letter, they insert the second as an additional character. Using the two images below, we can see a great example of additional characters in use.
Notice anything different between the two examples? Example one is only using standard characters. An uppercase T and everything else in lowercase. In the second example, we have edited the uppercase T to the alternate uppercase T that was included within the font file. Ultimately additional characters are created to give users more flexibility when designing.
I hope you are have enjoyed reading our guide on PUA encoded fonts. I promise after a little time practising this will become second nature. If you have any questions or comments, please write them in the comments area below.