Papyrus (typeface)

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Papyrus
CategoryFantasy
Designer(s)Chris Costello
FoundryLetraset
Date created1982
Date made available1983
Re-issuing foundriesLinotype
ITC
Shown herePapyrus EF Alternatives


Papyrus is a widely available typeface designed by Chris Costello, a graphic designer, illustrator, and web designer.

History[change | change source]

Papyrus was made in 1982. It was hand-drawn over a period of six months by means of calligraphy pen and textured paper. Papyrus has a number of features. This includes rough edges and irregular curves etc.

Variants[change | change source]

An alternative font published by Elsner+Flake is Papyrus EF Alternatives (or Papyrus EF Regular). It provides a slight variation to Costello's font. Its differences include a shorter, sharper capital P, a capital E with a top bar longer than the middle bar, and a swash A.[source?]

Availability[change | change source]

Microsoft Windows[change | change source]

Papyrus has been included in many programs for Microsoft Windows.[1]

macOS[change | change source]

macOS includes Papyrus font as part of its basic installation (starting with version 10.3 Panther, released in 2003).[2]

In culture[change | change source]

  • In James Cameron's movie Avatar, the typeface is used in the title and subtitles.[3] Its use in the film was highlighted in a Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Ryan Gosling.[4] It also said that the font is widely used in Shakira merchandise, as well as hookah bars and off-brand tea companies.[5]
  • Papyrus is the name of a character in Toby Fox's game Undertale. His dialogue is presented in uppercase Papyrus font.[6]
  • The font is used in the logo of heavy metal band Lamb of God. It is featured on several of Viper's album covers.[source?]
  • Papyrus font is also used in the beginning credits of TV show Eureka

References[change | change source]

  1. "Microsoft Typography: Papyrus – Version 1.11". Microsoft Corporation.
  2. "Mac OS X 10.3: Fonts list". Apple Inc. Last updated 2008-07-24.
  3. Simon Garfield (2010). Just My Type: A Book about Fonts. Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84668-301-5.
  4. Kennedy, Mark (1 October 2017). "New Season of SNL Roars Back by Mocking Donald Trump Early". U.S. News & World Report. AP.
  5. Brewer, Jenny (3 October 2017). "Designer of Papyrus font reacts to Ryan Gosling's SNL takedown". It's Nice That. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  6. Michael Reece Ward, Travis (8 April 2021). "Undertale: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Papyrus". TheGamer. Retrieved 23 October 2021.

Other websites[change | change source]