# Bentham font

> A high-contrast modern-face serif by Ben Weiner, drawn from nineteenth-century map, gravestone and machine lettering.

Bentham is a high-contrast serif typeface by Ben Weiner, inspired by lettering found on maps, gravestones and cast-iron machine plates of the nineteenth century. It has ball terminals, swelling curves and old-style figures. Bentham comes in one Regular style with 318 glyphs, is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and suits titles and short texts.

## Facts

- Classification: [Serif](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/serif)
- Designed by: Ben Weiner
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 1 (Regular 400)
- Variable font: No
- Glyphs: 318
- Character sets: latin, latin-ext
- Last updated: 2025-09-16
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Bentham
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/bentham
- Tagged for: Headlines, Editorial, Elegant

## About Bentham

Bentham is a serif typeface in the modern-face manner, the genre of sharp thick-and-thin contrast that was common in nineteenth-century book printing. Ben Weiner did not copy a printing type. He looked at letters made by cartographers, stonecutters and engravers of that period, on maps, gravestones and iron machine plates, and drew what they have in common, coloured by his own hand. The specimen shows vertical stress, thin flat serifs, curves that bulge before they narrow, round bobbles on the ends of a, c, f, r and y, and airy letter spacing. Numerals are old-style figures and the Q carries a long looping tail. The official notes call the result an in-between design, faithful neither to the printing types nor to the lettering. Bentham has a single Regular style with 318 glyphs for Latin and Latin Extended.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright (c) 2010, Ben Weiner (ben@readingtype.org.uk), with Reserved Font Name Bentham.

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

- **Period titles and covers**: Lettering drawn from nineteenth-century maps and inscriptions fits historical novels, museum graphics and heritage brands.
- **Map labels and infographics**: The engraved character and old-style figures suit place names and dates on illustrated maps.
- **Chapter heads and pull quotes**: Strong contrast and ball terminals show clearly at larger sizes above or beside the text.
- **Certificates and plaques**: Open spacing and vertical stress echo the engraved maker's plates among the design's sources.

## Things to know

- **Regular only**: Bentham has one weight, 400, and no italic or bold.
- **Old-style figures**: In the specimen the numerals vary in height and several descend below the baseline, so they do not line up in columns.
- **Loose default spacing**: Letters are set well apart in the specimen. Headlines may need tightening by hand.

## FAQs

### Is Bentham free for commercial use?

Bentham can be used in commercial work at no charge under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. The license also permits modifying and redistributing the file, but the font cannot be sold on its own, and derivatives keep the same license and may not use the reserved name Bentham without permission.

### Who designed Bentham?

Bentham was designed by Ben Weiner, who holds the copyright named in the license.

### What is Bentham based on?

Bentham draws on letters found on maps, gravestones and cast-iron machine plates of the nineteenth century, examined alongside the modern-face printing types of the same century.

### How many weights does Bentham have?

Bentham has one weight, Regular 400, in an upright style.

### Which languages does Bentham support?

Bentham includes the letters needed for English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Turkish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Croatian, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian.

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