View source for Calibri

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Short description|Humanist sans-serif typeface family}}

{{Infobox typeface
| image = Calibri sample image.png
| name = Calibri 
| style = [[Sans-serif]]
| classifications = [[Sans-serif#Humanist|Humanist]]<ref name="NowReadThis">{{cite book|last1=Berry|first1=John D.|title=Now Read This: the Microsoft ClearType Collection|publisher=Microsoft Corp|year=2004|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/cleartype/clear-type-font-collection|location=Redmond, Washington}}</ref>
| creationdate = 2002–2005
| releasedate = 2006
| creator = [[Lucas de Groot|Luc(as) de Groot]] (Standard Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, and Hebrew); [[Mamoun Sakkal]] (Arabic); Ruben Tarumian (Armenian and Georgian)<ref>{{cite web |title=Calibri Font Family |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/calibri |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=8 October 2021}}</ref>
| foundry = [[Microsoft]]
| license = Proprietary
| metrically_compatible_with = [[Carlito (typeface)|Carlito]]
|}}
'''Calibri''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|l|iː|b|r|i|}}) is a digital [[sans-serif]] [[typeface]] family in the [[humanist sans-serif|humanist or modern]] style. It was designed by [[Luc(as) de Groot]] in 2002–2004 and released to the general public in 2006, with [[Windows Vista]].<ref name="Lucasfonts">{{cite web|last1=Berry|first1=John D.|last2=De Groot|first2=Lucas|title=Case Study: Microsoft ClearType|url=http://www.lucasfonts.com/case-studies/calibri-consolas/|website=Lucasfonts|access-date=11 July 2017}}</ref> In [[Microsoft Office 2007]], it replaced [[Times New Roman]] as the default font in [[Microsoft Word|Word]]<ref name=MS>{{cite web|title=Microsoft typography: Calibri|url=http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fonts/family.aspx?FID=287|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=10 December 2002}}</ref> and replaced [[Arial]] as the default font in [[Microsoft PowerPoint|PowerPoint]], [[Microsoft Excel|Excel]], and [[Microsoft Outlook|Outlook]]. In [[Windows 7]], it replaced [[Arial]] as the default font in [[WordPad]]. De Groot described its subtly rounded design as having "a warm and soft character".<ref name="Lucasfonts" /> In January 2024, the font was replaced by [[Microsoft]]'s new bespoke font, [[Aptos (typeface)|Aptos]], as the new default Microsoft Office font, after 17 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mather |first=Victor |date=28 February 2024 |title=Microsoft Word's Subtle Typeface Change Affected Millions. Did You Notice? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/technology/microsoft-word-font-aptos.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229042904/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/technology/microsoft-word-font-aptos.html |archive-date=29 February 2024 |access-date=11 March 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A change of typeface: Microsoft's new default font has arrived |url=https://microsoft.design/articles/a-change-of-typeface-microsoft-s-new-default-font-has-arrived |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Microsoft Design |date=19 July 2023 |language=en}}</ref> 

Calibri is part of the [[ClearType Font Collection]], a suite of fonts from various designers released with Windows Vista.<ref name="Microsoft ClearType Font Collection">{{cite web|title=The Microsoft ClearType Font Collection|url=http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearTypeFonts.mspx|website=Microsoft Typography|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref> All start with the letter ''C'' to reflect that they were designed to work well with Microsoft's ''[[ClearType]]'' text rendering system, a text rendering engine designed to make text clearer to read on [[liquid-crystal display]] monitors.{{cn|reason=Do not use an [[WP:RS|unreliable source]] such as a forum thread|date=June 2024}} The other fonts in the same group are [[Cambria (typeface)|Cambria]], [[Candara]], [[Consolas]], [[Constantia (typeface)|Constantia]] and [[Corbel (typeface)|Corbel]].<ref name="Lucasfonts" /><ref name="Van Wagener" />

==Characteristics==
Calibri features subtly rounded stems and corners that are visible at larger sizes.<ref name="Van Wagener">{{cite web |last1=Van Wagener |first1=Anne |title=The Next Big Thing in Online Type |url=https://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=47&aid=78683 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060604203726/https://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=47&aid=78683 |archive-date=4 June 2006 |access-date=31 August 2017 |website=[[Poynter Online]]}}</ref> Its sloped form is a [[italic type|"true italic"]] with handwriting influences,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Levien|first1=Raph|author-link=Raph Levien|title=Microsoft's ClearType Font Collection: A Fair and Balanced Review|url=http://typographica.org/on-typography/microsofts-cleartype-font-collection-a-fair-and-balanced-review/|website=Typographica|access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref> which are seen in many modern sans-serif typefaces.

The typeface includes characters from Latin, [[Latin script in Unicode|Latin extended]], [[Greek alphabet|Greek]], [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] and [[Hebrew script|Hebrew]] scripts. Calibri makes extensive use of sophisticated [[OpenType]] formatting; it features a range of [[Typographic ligature|ligatures]] as well as lining and [[text figures]], indices (numbers enclosed by circles) up to 20, and an [[Stylistic alternate|alternative]] ''f'' and ''g'' (shown in sample) accessible by enabling the fourth and fifth stylistic sets.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Batchelor|first1=Lee|title=Opentype Features in Microsoft Word|url=http://leeviathan.com/opentype-features-and-how-to-use-them/|website=Leeviathan|date=23 October 2012 |access-date=7 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="OpenType features">{{cite web |title=Package details: OpenType features |url=https://www.lucasfonts.com/fonts/package_details/calibri |publisher=LucasFonts |access-date=2 October 2020}}</ref> Some features in Calibri remain unsupported by Office, including true [[small caps]], all-caps spacing, superscript and subscript glyphs and the ability to create arbitrary fractions; these may be accessed using programs such as [[Adobe InDesign]].

One potential source of confusion in Calibri is a visible [[homoglyph]], a pair of easily confused characters: the lowercase letter L and the uppercase letter i (l and I) of the [[Latin script]] are effectively indistinguishable; this is true of many other common fonts, however.

The design has similarities to de Groot's much more extensive [[TheSans]] family (a [[Sans-serif#Humanist|humanist]] font) and shares similarities with [[Vox-ATypI classification#Humanist 2|humanist]] fonts, although this has straight ends rather than rounding.<ref name="Dutch Type">{{cite book|last1=Middendorp|first1=Jan|title=Dutch Type|date=2004|publisher=010|location=Rotterdam|pages=219–227|chapter=The Two Sides of Luc(as) de Groot}}</ref>

De Groot has also said in 2016 that he would like if possible to add [[Bulgarian alphabet]] variant letterforms at a later date.<ref name="European Cyrillics">{{cite web|last1=Knecht|first1=Sonja|title=European Cyrillics|url=http://txet.de/typofest-bulgaria/|website=TXET|date=9 October 2016 |access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref>

==Availability==
[[File:Calibri carlito comparison.png|thumb|A comparison between Calibri and Carlito in some of the more different glyphs]]
Calibri was the default typeface of [[Microsoft Office]] and much other Microsoft software, replacing the previously used [[Times New Roman]]. Joe Friend, a program manager on Word for [[Office 2007]]'s release, explained that the decision to switch to Calibri was caused by a desire to make the default font one optimised towards onscreen display: "We believed that more and more documents would never be printed but would solely be consumed on a digital device", and to achieve a "modern look".<ref name="Joe Friend Quora comments">{{cite web |last1=Friend |first1=Joe |title=Why did Microsoft change the default font to Calibri? |url=https://www.quora.com/Microsoft-Office/Why-did-Microsoft-change-the-default-font-to-Calibri |website=Quora |access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref>{{primary inline|reason=problematic because not authenticated to be from Friend|date=June 2024}}

Because of the long [[development of Windows Vista]], Calibri's development – from 2002 to 2005 – occurred several years before the release of that OS.<ref name="NowReadThis" /><ref name="Lucasfonts"/> It was first presented in a 2005 beta of Windows Vista, then codenamed Longhorn,{{cn|date=June 2024}} and first became available for use with the Beta 2 version of Office 2007, released on 23 May 2006.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mondok |first=Matt |title=Office 2007 Beta 2 released for the masses |work=Ars Technica |date=23 May 2006 |access-date=18 July 2017 |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2006/05/4091/}}</ref> Calibri and the rest of the ClearType Font Collection were finally released to the general public on 30 January 2007, since when it has been released with most Microsoft software environments.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Calibri is also distributed with [[Excel Viewer]], [[PowerPoint Viewer]],{{cn|reason=Download links no longer available|date=June 2024}} the [[Microsoft Office]] Compatibility Pack for Windows,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3|title=Download Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats from Official Microsoft Download Center|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=19 February 2013|archive-date=29 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429085200/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{verification failed|reason=Page does not mention Calibri|date=June 2024}} and the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=27334|title=Download Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 1.2.1 from Official Microsoft Download Center|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=19 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505191454/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=27334|archive-date=5 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> For use in other operating systems and web apps, a license may be obtained from [[Ascender Corporation]] and its parent company [[Monotype Corporation|Monotype Imaging]].<ref name="MyFonts">{{cite web|title=Calibri|url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/ascender/calibri/|website=MyFonts|publisher=[[Monotype Imaging]]/[[Ascender Corporation]]|access-date=30 August 2017}}</ref>

The Calibri Light font was introduced in [[Windows 8]], and was retrospectively added to [[Windows 7]] as part of a software update.<ref name="Calibri Light update" /> In [[Microsoft Office 2013]], Calibri Light is the default font for [[PowerPoint]] presentations and [[Microsoft Word|Word]] headings.<ref name="Calibri Light update">{{cite web |title=An update is available to add the Calibri Light and Calibri Light Italic fonts to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/an-update-is-available-to-add-the-calibri-light-and-calibri-light-italic-fonts-to-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-717a0bbe-0610-bd3c-3cc1-bad9b7809e55 |website=Microsoft Support |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=17 June 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612040237/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/an-update-is-available-to-add-the-calibri-light-and-calibri-light-italic-fonts-to-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-717a0bbe-0610-bd3c-3cc1-bad9b7809e55 |archive-date=2024-06-12}}</ref>

In 2013, [[Google]] released a [[free license|freely-licensed]] font called [[Croscore fonts#crosextra fonts|Carlito]], which is [[metric-compatible]] to Calibri, as part of [[ChromeOS]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.gnome.org/uraeus/2013/10/10/a-thank-you-to-google/|title=A thank you to Google from Desktop Linux|website=GNOME blog|date=10 October 2013 }}</ref> Carlito's metric-compatibility ensures ChromeOS users can correctly display and print a document designed in Calibri without disrupting its layout. Carlito's glyph shapes are based on the prior open-source typeface [[Lato (typeface)|Lato]].<ref name="CTAN Carlito">{{cite web |title=carlito – Support for Carlito sans-serif fonts |url=https://ctan.org/pkg/carlito?lang=en |website=CTAN |access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref>

On 13 July 2023, Microsoft announced that they would switch the default Microsoft 365 font from Calibri to their new font, [[Aptos (typeface)|Aptos]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=2023-07-13 |title=Meet Microsoft Office's new default font: Aptos |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/13/23793428/microsoft-aptos-new-default-font-office-365 |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Microsoft Design |date=2023-07-13 |title=A change of typeface: Microsoft's new default font has arrived |url=https://medium.com/@MicrosoftDesign/a-change-of-typeface-microsofts-new-default-font-has-arrived-f200eb16718d |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref><!--self-published content allowed as used in "about self" fashion-->

==Awards==
Calibri won the TDC2 2005 award from the [[Type Directors Club]] under the Type System category.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218110153/http://www.tdc.org/news/2005Results/index.html |archive-date=2012-02-18 |url=http://www.tdc.org/news/2005Results/index.html |url-status=dead |title=TDC2 2005: Winning Entries |publisher=Type Directors Club}}</ref> The Arabic typeface of Calibri won the 2nd Award of GRANSHAN 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 June 2017|title=Competition 2016 – Winners|url=https://www.granshan.com/competition-2016-%E2%80%93-winners|access-date=12 January 2022|website=GRANSHAN|language=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130064517/https://granshan.com/competition-2016-%E2%80%93-winners |archive-date=2023-11-30}}</ref>

==In crime and politics==
Because of Calibri's position as the default font in Office, several cases have been reported in which documents presented in Calibri were shown to be [[Forgery|forged]] thanks to a purported creation date before 2006, when Calibri was made available to the general public:

* In 2017, the font came to public attention as evidence in the Pakistani government-related [[Panama Papers case (Pakistan)|"Panama Papers" case]] (also known as Fontgate),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/13/fontgate-microsoft-wikipedia-and-the-scandal-threatening-the-pakistani-pm | title='Fontgate': Microsoft, Wikipedia and the scandal threatening the Pakistani PM | first1=Sune Engel | last1=Rasmussen | first2=Pádraig | last2=Collins | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=13 July 2017 | access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref> in which a document provided by [[Maryam Nawaz]] (daughter of ex-PM [[Nawaz Sharif]]) supposedly signed in February 2006 was found to be typed up in Calibri.<ref name="McKurdy CNN">{{cite web | last1=McKurdy | first1=Euan | last2=Saifi | first2=Sophia | title=At the center of a corruption case involving the Pakistani Prime Minister is a font | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/13/asia/maryam-nawaz-sharif-calibri-font-trnd/index.html | website=[[CNN]] | date=13 July 2017 | access-date=14 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="thenextweb/11july2017">{{cite news|last1=Clark|first1=Bryan|title=Microsoft's default font is at the center of a government corruption case|url=https://thenextweb.com/world/2017/07/11/microsofts-default-font-is-at-the-center-of-a-government-corruption-case/#.tnw_g9h04axJ|access-date=11 July 2017|work=The Next Web|date=11 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="Dawn">{{cite news|last1=Siddiqui|first1=Zarin|title=We asked the creator of Calibri to weigh in on the JIT debate|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1344685/we-asked-the-creator-of-calibri-to-weigh-in-on-the-jit-debate|access-date=13 July 2017|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=12 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="Jafar">{{cite web | last1=Jafar | first1=Ovais | title='Extremely unlikely' Calibri used in Feb 2006 to draft legal document, says font creator | url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/149222-extremely-unlikely-calibri-used-in-feb-2006-says-font-creator | website=geo.tv | date=13 July 2017 | access-date=4 August 2017}}</ref> Inventor De Groot said that there was "really zero chance" that the document was genuine.<ref name="van de Klundert">{{cite web|last1=van de Klundert|first1=Mitchell|date=13 July 2017|title=Het Nederlandse Calibri brengt mogelijk de Pakistaanse premier ten val|trans-title=The Dutch Calibri may cause the downfall of the Pakistani premier|url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2183048-het-nederlandse-calibri-brengt-mogelijk-de-pakistaanse-premier-ten-val.html|access-date=14 July 2017|website=[[Nederlandse Omroep Stichting]]|language=nl}}</ref>

* In 2009, a letter attributed to [[Bob Hayes]], an American footballer and sprinter who died in 2002, was found to be a forgery as it was typed out in Calibri.<ref name="Hayes">{{cite web |last1=Phinney |first1=Thomas |date=6 February 2009 |title=Bob Hayes NFL Hall of Fame forgery |url=https://www.thomasphinney.com/2009/02/bob-hayes-nfl-forgery/ |access-date=29 January 2021 |website=Thomas Phinney}}</ref>

* In 2012, the Turkish government charged approximately 300 people with conspiracy to commit a [[Coup d'état|coup]]. The incriminating evidence was a document alleged to have been written in 2003. The document, however, was written in Calibri, which was not available in 2003.<ref name="Calibri's Scandalous History">{{cite magazine |last1=Arbes |first1=Ross |date=24 July 2017 |title=Calibri's Scandalous History |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/31/calibris-scandalous-history |url-access=subscription |access-date=1 August 2017 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728042718/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/31/calibris-scandalous-history |archive-date=2017-07-28}}</ref>

* In 2017, Gerald McGoey, former CEO of [[Look Communications]], filed for [[personal bankruptcy]]. He produced documents ostensibly showing he had transferred parts of his estate to be held in trust for his children. One of the documents, which had a date of 2004, was typed out in Calibri.<ref name="added source">{{cite magazine |last1=Peters |first1=Diane |date=15 May 2019 |title=The Font Detectives |url=https://daily.jstor.org/the-font-detectives/ |access-date=24 May 2019 |magazine=[[JSTOR]] Daily}}</ref><ref name="Microsoft’s fonts catch out another fraudster—this time in Canada">{{cite news |last1=Bright |first1=Peter |date=15 January 2019 |title=Microsoft's fonts catch out another fraudster—this time in Canada |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/01/microsofts-fonts-catch-out-another-fraudster-this-time-in-canada/ |access-date=21 January 2019 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast]]}}</ref>

* In 2023, Probate Judge Sandra A. Harrison of Macomb County dismissed a man’s claims against his parents for [[breach of contract]] and [[unjust enrichment]] after the defense counsel discovered that a business record, purported to have been signed on 13 December 2000, was typed out in Calibri.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Michael |date=30 March 2023 |title=Font choice exposes fabricated document |url=https://milawyersweekly.com/news/2023/03/30/font-choice-exposes-fabricated-document/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330105212/https://milawyersweekly.com/news/2023/03/30/font-choice-exposes-fabricated-document/ |archive-date=30 March 2023 |access-date=13 April 2023 |work=[[Michigan Lawyers Weekly]]}}</ref>

In January 2023, the [[United States Department of State]] retired [[Times New Roman]] in favor of Calibri for official communications and documents due to superior readability on a computer screen, and accessibility, since its sans-serif nature would cause fewer problems in the usage of [[text-to-speech]] and [[optical character recognition]] tools.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gitlin |first=Jonathan M. |date=18 January 2023 |title=Time(s) for a change: State Department picks a new official typeface |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/01/times-for-a-change-state-department-picks-a-new-official-typeface/ |access-date=19 January 2023 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Coldewey |first=Devin |date=18 January 2023 |title=Font furore as State Department retires Times New Roman for retired Calibri |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/18/font-furore-as-state-dept-retires-times-new-roman-for-retiring-calibri/ |access-date=19 January 2023 |website=[[TechCrunch]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Calibri (typeface)|Calibri}}

{{Microsoft Windows Typefaces}}

[[Category:Typefaces and fonts introduced in 2006]]
[[Category:Latin-script typefaces]]
[[Category:Cyrillic typefaces]]
[[Category:Greek typefaces]]
[[Category:Arabic typefaces]]
[[Category:Hebrew typefaces]]
[[Category:Microsoft typefaces]]
[[Category:Humanist sans-serif typefaces]]
[[Category:Windows Vista typefaces]]
[[Category:IPA typefaces]]
[[Category:Typefaces with text figures]]
[[Category:Digital typefaces]]
[[Category:Typefaces designed by Luc(as) de Groot]]
[[Category:ClearType Font Collection]]