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In many proportional fonts, numerals (i.e. 0123456789) have identical width to facilitate vertical alignment. My question is simple: are there any characters that conventionally share the exact same width as these ten? For example, I've found one font where the '=' character is the same width as the numerals:

0000000000

1111111111

2222222222

3333333333

4444444444

5555555555

6666666666

7777777777

8888888888

9999999999

========== <- sometimes same as numerals

mmmmmmmmmm <- nearly always wider

llllllllll <- nearly always narrower

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2 Answers

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The answer to the question "Are there any characters that conventionally share the exact same width as these ten?" is a qualified "Yes."

Tabular numerals (whether Lining or Oldstyle) are the default in most fonts. They are designed for tables, as in balance sheets, annual reports and similar financial applications. In any given table, the only things that MUST have the same width are the numerals, so only these are designed that way. In most modern typefaces, #, $ and other currency symbols are given the same width as tabular numerals, but nothing else. Even the # and the British pound symbol (which map to the same ASCII number in the old 7-bit code) can be much wider in older typefaces like Baskerville, so this isn't a universal standard.

If you have an OpenType font, look in the Glyphs panel in AI or ID or a similar application for the Lining Figures section. Most of the glyphs (not all) in that section will have the same set width as the numerals. Beyond that, if a given glyph in a particular font happens to have the same set width as a tabular numeral, it is a coincidence. (The equals sign you found is an example.)

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Alan, I think you're wrong about the equals sign. I'd group it along with #, $ etc as often being the same width as a numeral. – e100 Jul 2 '12 at 14:03
It would make sense to me, too, but apparently not to type designers. :) – Alan Gilbertson♦ Jul 2 '12 at 15:15
(Trebuchet and Cooper Back are two examples to hand, where numerals, £, $, #, = are all the same width) – e100 Jul 2 '12 at 16:47
The # and (especially) most currency symbols are matched with lining figures in almost all fonts, but the = is much less consistent. I guess it's a matter of where you happen to draw the hazy line between "most" and "some." :) The standard "Accounting" cell format in spreadsheets gets around any possible problem by hanging the currency symbol on the left, and aligning the (lining!) figures on the decimal point. – Alan Gilbertson♦ Jul 6 '12 at 16:48
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Any mono-spaced, or fixed-width, font will have the same sizes. This is the entire point of mono-spaced fonts — ensuring each character has the exact same area.

Mono-spaced fonts

This link contains a list of monospaced fonts via Wikipedia. While it is by no means complete, it may give you some choices you currently may not be seeing.

If you are trying to find fixed-width characters in a proportional font, you may as well be looking for a needle in a haystack. Each proportional font is different due to its own kerning settings. You could spend years comparing characters in proportional fonts trying to find characters which happen to have the same widths.

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Thanks, but I'm asking about proportional fonts. Many have a mono-spaced subset which includes 0-9. I'm asking if other characters are commonly found in that subset. – paperjam Jun 25 '12 at 20:38
See the last paragraph of my answer..... – Scott Jun 25 '12 at 21:25
Scott, your last paragraph is not correct. As Alan descibes, there are several symbols which are commonly the same width as numerals in proportional-width fonts. It is not a matter of coincidence. Additionally, it would be fairly simple to automate the search. – e100 Jul 2 '12 at 14:17

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