# Literata font

> A variable serif for digital reading, first made as the Google Play Books typeface, with an optical size axis.

Literata is a serif family by TypeTogether, originally created as the brand typeface of Google Play Books. Literata is a variable font with a weight axis from 200 to 900 and an optical size axis from 7 to 72, in eight weights with italics. It covers Latin, Greek, Cyrillic and Vietnamese under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

## Facts

- Classification: [Serif](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/serif)
- Designed by: TypeTogether
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 16 (ExtraLight 200, Light 300, Regular 400, Medium 500, SemiBold 600, Bold 700, ExtraBold 800, Black 900; with italics)
- Variable font: Yes (opsz 7–72, wght 200–900)
- Glyphs: 1707
- Character sets: cyrillic, cyrillic-ext, greek, greek-ext, latin, latin-ext, vietnamese
- Last updated: 2025-09-11
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Literata
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/literata
- Tagged for: Body text, Editorial

## About Literata

Literata is a serif family for digital text that began as the brand typeface of Google Play Books and is now in its third version. TypeTogether rebuilt it as a variable font with two axes: weight, from 200 to 900, and optical size, from 7 to 72, so one family reaches from captions to headlines. Eight weights are named, ExtraLight to Black, each with an italic, for 16 styles. In the specimen the serifs are sturdy and nearly slab-like, the contrast is low, and the heavy weights keep open counters. The fonts hold 1,707 glyphs across Latin, Greek, Cyrillic and Vietnamese. Veronika Burian and José Scaglione drew the Latin, Irene Vlachou the Greek, and Vera Evstafieva with Elena Novoselova the Cyrillic. The official notes identify this release as the print version of the family; a separate one exists for ebooks.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright 2017 The Literata Project Authors (https://github.com/googlefonts/literata)

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

- **Ebooks and reading apps**: The family was created for a book-reading product, and its low contrast and sturdy serifs survive small sizes and coarse screens.
- **Captions to chapter titles**: The optical size axis runs from 7 to 72, so footnotes, paragraphs and large titles each get a cut drawn for their size.
- **Greek and Cyrillic editions**: Greek and Cyrillic were drawn by specialist designers within the same project, so a translated text keeps the same texture.
- **Editorial sites with strong heads**: ExtraBold and Black give headlines weight while Regular and Medium carry the article below.

## Things to know

- **Two axes**: Weight spans 200 to 900 and optical size 7 to 72; the default instance is Regular at optical size 12.
- **Print version**: The official notes describe two versions of Literata, one for print and one for ebooks. This is the print version.
- **Large variable files**: The two variable files total about 1.8 MB as downloaded; subsetting or the static cuts from the official source reduce that for web use.

## FAQs

### Is Literata free for commercial use?

Yes, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. Literata may be used in personal and commercial projects, changed and passed on, but it cannot be sold by itself, and a modified version keeps the same license.

### Who designed Literata?

Literata was designed by TypeTogether. Veronika Burian and José Scaglione drew the Latin, Irene Vlachou the Greek, and Vera Evstafieva and Elena Novoselova the Cyrillic.

### How many weights does Literata have?

Literata has eight weights, ExtraLight 200 to Black 900, each with an italic, for 16 styles.

### Is Literata a variable font?

Yes. Literata is a variable font with a weight axis from 200 to 900 and an optical size axis from 7 to 72.

### Which languages does Literata support?

Literata includes the letters needed for English and other Latin-script languages such as German, Turkish, Polish and Vietnamese, as well as Greek, Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian.

### Was Literata made for Google Play Books?

Yes. According to its official notes, Literata started out as the brand typeface of Google Play Books and was later redesigned by TypeTogether as a variable font.

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