# VT323 font

> A monospaced pixel font rebuilt from the character set of the DEC VT320 terminal, CRT smear included.

VT323 is a monospaced pixel typeface by Peter Hull, made from the character set of the DEC VT320 text terminal and processed to imitate how its CRT smeared pixels sideways. VT323 has one Regular style with 584 glyphs. It is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and is used for retro screens, game text and terminal-style headings.

## Facts

- Classification: [Monospace](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/monospace)
- Designed by: Peter Hull
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 1 (Regular 400)
- Variable font: No
- Glyphs: 584
- Character sets: latin, latin-ext, vietnamese
- Last updated: 2025-09-16
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/VT323
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/vt323
- Tagged for: Headlines, Retro, Code, Tech

## About VT323

VT323 is a monospaced bitmap-style typeface that reproduces the letters of the DEC VT320 text terminal. Peter Hull, who used that terminal in college, built it with Gimp, Python and FontForge: a script shifted the original dots to mimic the way the electron beam lit the phosphor and stretched each pixel horizontally, drew the result on a square grid, and the grid was traced into outlines. That is why, in the specimen, strokes look like short overlapping horizontal bars and vertical stems are thicker than a single pixel. The author mentions an earlier variant, VT321, that uses plain square pixels. VT323 is a single Regular 400 file with 584 glyphs for Latin, Latin Extended and Vietnamese, and it is not a variable font. It was added to Google Fonts in 2011 under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright 2011, The VT323 Project Authors (peter.hull@oikoi.com)

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

- **Retro computing interfaces**: The letters come from a real 1980s terminal, so a mock console or boot screen looks period-correct.
- **Pixel-art and indie games**: Fixed-width pixel glyphs suit dialogue boxes, scores and menus drawn on a low-resolution grid.
- **Terminal windows**: The author uses it as a command-line font; equal character widths keep output in columns.
- **Headings on developer blogs**: A line of VT323 above ordinary text signals code and hacking culture without an image.
- **Posters with a CRT look**: The sideways smear built into each pixel gives large words the glow of a tube display.

## Things to know

- **Smear is part of the drawing**: Each dot is stretched sideways in the outlines themselves, so the CRT effect appears at every size and cannot be switched off.
- **One style**: There is no bold or italic; the terminal's glyphs were converted as a single font.
- **Built from a terminal character set**: The author notes that the VT320 offered a limited set of characters to start from; the current file holds 584 glyphs.

## FAQs

### Is VT323 free for commercial use?

Yes. VT323 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 VT323?

VT323 was made by Peter Hull, who rebuilt the characters of the DEC VT320 terminal as a font.

### What is VT323 based on?

VT323 is based on the character set of the DEC VT320 terminal, with the pixels repositioned to imitate how that terminal's CRT displayed them.

### How many weights does VT323 have?

VT323 has one weight, Regular 400, with no italic. It is not a variable font.

### Which languages does VT323 support?

VT323 includes the letters needed for English and other Latin-script languages such as French, German, Spanish, Turkish, Polish and Vietnamese.

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Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/vt323 (trendhub)