# Alkatra font

> A display family for Bangla, Devanagari, Odia and Latin, modelled on wall lettering drawn with a stick and tar.

Alkatra is a display typeface family for Bangla, Devanagari, Odia and Latin, led by Suman Bhandary and inspired by wall lettering in Bengal. Alkatra is a variable font with a weight axis from 400 to 700 and four named weights. It is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and suits headlines, posters and multi-script branding.

## Facts

- Classification: [Display](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/display)
- Designed by: Suman Bhandary
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 4 (Regular 400, Medium 500, SemiBold 600, Bold 700)
- Variable font: Yes (wght 400–700)
- Glyphs: 1678
- Character sets: bengali, devanagari, latin, latin-ext, oriya
- Last updated: 2025-09-08
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Alkatra
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/alkatra
- Tagged for: Headlines, Posters, Branding, Casual

## About Alkatra

Alkatra is a display typeface family that covers four scripts: Bangla, Devanagari, Odia and Latin. According to the official notes, each script was designed with the same source in mind, the letters painted on walls in Bengal with a stick dipped in tar, and the forms keep the thick, blobby blackness of that tool. In the specimen the Latin leans forward, with strokes that swell and taper, soft rounded ends and low contrast. The family is a variable font with one axis, weight, from 400 to 700, and four named weights: Regular, Medium, SemiBold and Bold. It holds 1,678 glyphs. Suman Bhandary led the design and is credited as the designer; the notes say the Latin was drawn by Lewis McGuffie, with help on Odia and Devanagari from Nehal Mathews and Lopamudra Bose.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright 2022 The Alkatra Project Authors (https://github.com/suman51284/Alkatra)

Allowed:
- Use the fonts in personal and commercial work, in print, on the web and in apps.
- Modify the fonts and build new versions from them.
- Redistribute the fonts, on their own or bundled with software, as long as the license text and copyright notice go with them.

Conditions:
- The fonts cannot be sold by themselves.
- A modified version must stay under the same license and cannot use a Reserved Font Name without the copyright holder's permission.
- The authors' names cannot be used to promote a modified version without permission.

Summary only, not legal advice. Full text: https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/

## Where it works

- **Headlines across Indian scripts**: Bangla, Devanagari, Odia and Latin share one design, so a campaign can run in several languages with the same voice.
- **Posters and wall graphics**: The letterforms descend from painted wall lettering and keep their dark, brushy weight at large sizes.
- **Festival and cultural event branding**: Swelling strokes with soft ends give a title a hand-painted look in every supported script.
- **Packaging with bilingual names**: A product name can sit in Latin beside its Bangla or Devanagari form without a change of style.
- **Fine-tuned heading weight**: The 400 to 700 axis lets a heading be set at any weight between Regular and Bold.

## Things to know

- **One variable file**: The download is a single variable font; Regular, Medium, SemiBold and Bold are named positions on the 400 to 700 weight axis.
- **The Latin is slanted**: In the specimen the Latin letters lean forward in every weight, and there is no upright alternative.
- **Drawn for display**: The official notes say the forms were designed mostly for display purposes, not for long text.

## FAQs

### Is Alkatra free for commercial use?

Yes. Alkatra is published under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, which allows use in personal and commercial work, modification and redistribution. The font cannot be sold on its own, and modified versions stay under the same license.

### Who designed Alkatra?

Alkatra was led by Suman Bhandary, who is credited as the designer. The official notes add that Lewis McGuffie drew the Latin and that Nehal Mathews and Lopamudra Bose assisted with Odia and Devanagari.

### How many weights does Alkatra have?

Alkatra has four named weights: Regular 400, Medium 500, SemiBold 600 and Bold 700. As a variable font it can also be set anywhere in between.

### Is Alkatra a variable font?

Yes. Alkatra is a variable font with one axis, weight, which runs from 400 to 700.

### Which scripts does Alkatra support?

Alkatra carries Bengali (Bangla), Devanagari and Odia character sets alongside Latin and Latin Extended, which includes the letters for English, French, German, Turkish and Polish.

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Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/alkatra (trendhub)