# Voltaire font > A condensed, low-contrast sans in one weight, modelled on the lettering of 20th-century Swedish posters. Voltaire is a condensed, low-contrast sans serif credited to Yvonne Schüttler and published by Sorkin Type. Voltaire has one Regular style with 970 glyphs, covers Latin, Latin Extended and Vietnamese, and is not a variable font. It is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and works for headlines, posters and narrow columns from medium sizes upward. ## Facts - Classification: [Sans Serif](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/sans-serif) - Designed by: Yvonne Schüttler - License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/) - Styles: 1 (Regular 400) - Variable font: No - Glyphs: 970 - Character sets: latin, latin-ext, vietnamese - Last updated: 2025-09-10 - Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Voltaire - Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/voltaire - Tagged for: Headlines, Posters, Condensed, Signage ## About Voltaire Voltaire is a condensed sans serif with nearly even stroke weight and a semi-geometric construction. In the specimen A and V come to sharp points, round letters such as O and C are narrow ovals, and the lowercase is tall, so a line of text takes little horizontal space. According to its makers the forms follow the lettering of 20th-century Swedish posters, and the face is intended to work from medium text sizes up to display sizes. There is a single Regular style of 970 glyphs; an update dated January 2023 widened the Latin language coverage and added kerning, and the character set now includes Vietnamese. The catalogue credits Yvonne Schüttler, while the font files also name Eben Sorkin and Emma Marichal, with Sorkin Type Co. as manufacturer. Voltaire is published under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. ## License SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright 2024 The Voltaire Project Authors (https://github.com/SorkinType/Voltaire) 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 - **Poster and flyer headlines**: The forms come from Swedish poster lettering, and the narrow width lets a long title run large across a single line. - **Navigation and tabs**: Condensed letters fit more menu items into a fixed bar than a normal-width sans of the same size. - **Subheads and pull quotes**: The makers describe the face as usable from medium text sizes, so decks and intro lines are within its range. - **Narrow labels and packaging panels**: Even stroke weight and pointed A and V stay clear on a tall, slim label where width is short. - **Vietnamese and Central European titles**: With 970 glyphs, accented titles in Vietnamese, Polish or Turkish stay in the same face. ## Things to know - **One weight only**: Voltaire is a single Regular file. Emphasis has to come from size, colour or a second family, because there is no bold or italic. - **Credits differ between sources**: The catalogue lists Yvonne Schüttler alone; the name table inside the font lists Yvonne Schüttler, Eben Sorkin and Emma Marichal. - **Kerning arrived with the 2023 update**: The official notes date the expansion of Latin coverage and the addition of kerning to January 2023, so older copies of the file behave differently. ## FAQs ### Is Voltaire free for commercial use? Voltaire is free to use for personal and commercial work under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. Modification and redistribution are allowed, the fonts cannot be sold on their own, and any modified version stays under the same license. The license text decides in case of doubt. ### Who designed Voltaire? Voltaire is credited to Yvonne Schüttler. The font files additionally list Eben Sorkin and Emma Marichal, and name Sorkin Type Co. as manufacturer. ### How many weights does Voltaire have? Voltaire has one weight, Regular 400. There is no bold, italic or variable version. ### Is Voltaire suitable for body text? Voltaire is described by its makers as readable from medium text sizes up to display sizes. With a single weight and condensed letters, it is better kept to headings, subheads and short passages. ### Which languages does Voltaire support? Voltaire includes the letters needed for English and other Latin-script languages such as French, German, Swedish, Turkish, Polish, Romanian and Vietnamese. --- Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/voltaire (trendhub)