Lateef

Lateef is a free SIL font with seven upright weights and a design background in South Asian Arabic-script languages. It offers a different starting point from a contemporary interface sans when choosing text for a multilingual book.

Understand the design’s language context

The family is named after the Sindhi poet and mystic Shah Abdul Lateef Bhitai. SIL describes its intended style in relation to Sindhi and other languages of South Asia. Treat that background as a reason to test it with the intended readership, rather than as a promise that every language requirement is covered.

For a localization team, collect real strings before comparing fonts. Include headings, personal names, numbers and punctuation. Put Lateef beside Scheherazade New using the same content and comparable visual sizes.

What the seven files contain

This package is version 4.400. It includes ExtraLight 200, Light 300, Regular 400, Medium 500, SemiBold 600, Bold 700 and ExtraBold 800 as separate TTFs. No italic styles are included.

Choose a small working set first. Regular, Medium and Bold may be sufficient for a document with three roles. Inspect the lightest weights on the actual display or paper stock, particularly where small type carries essential information.

Repertoire and line spacing

The supplied files include Arabic and Latin characters. Check the particular letters and marks needed for your language in the target application. A general project description does not replace a repertoire check, especially for specialized educational or linguistic text.

Repeat the test with fully marked words if the content requires them. Compare the tallest lines and the space left for following lines. For a traditional Arabic editorial voice, Amiri provides another useful reference.

Latin in the same document

Try the included Latin for short references and mixed text. The license credits the Latin glyphs to the Crimson Pro project. If a design system specifies a separate Latin family, check emphasis and apparent size within a full paragraph rather than matching the point-size field alone.

Original files and OFL terms

The ZIP includes the original seven TTFs and the SIL Open Font License 1.1. Personal and commercial use, embedding and redistribution are permitted under its conditions. “Lateef” and “SIL” are Reserved Font Names, which distributed modifications must respect. The font may not be sold by itself.

See the Google Fonts Lateef files, browse other Naskh fonts, and prepare an initial sample with the Arabic keyboard. The guide to choosing an Arabic font explains how to compare candidates.

Compare PakType Ajrak’s rounded, substantial forms on the same reading passage. Its single Regular weight and built-in Universalis ADF Latin give another combination to assess for labels, names, and a short bilingual document.