Courier std font vs courier new
A question that gets to the heart of typography!
Courier and Courier New are both monospaced fonts, which means that each character has the same width, making them ideal for typesetting code, text, and other content where uniform spacing is important.
Here are some key differences between the two fonts:
Courier
- Designed by Howard Kettler in 1955 for IBM
- Original font, also known as Courier Std
- Has a more traditional, mechanical feel
- Character set is limited, with only 128 characters
- Not as widely supported as Courier New
Courier New
- Designed by IBM in 1992 as a replacement for Courier
- Has a more modern, digital feel
- Character set is expanded to 256 characters, including Unicode support
- More widely supported and available on most platforms
- Has a slightly more rounded and refined appearance compared to Courier
In terms of usage, Courier is often preferred for:
- Traditional, nostalgic purposes (e.g., retro-style designs)
- Limited character sets or specific font requirements
- Printing or publishing applications where a more classic look is desired
Courier New is often preferred for:
- Modern, digital applications (e.g., coding, programming)
- Wider character set support and Unicode compatibility
- General-purpose text and document formatting
Ultimately, the choice between Courier and Courier New depends on your specific needs and design goals. If you're looking for a more traditional, mechanical feel, Courier might be the better choice. If you need a more modern, widely supported font with a larger character set, Courier New is likely the better option.