Panose

Panose is a classification system for typefaces that describes their visual characteristics with a machine-readable code. A Panose string encodes a font's attributes into ten fields, enabling software to compare fonts and locate substitutes when an exact match is unavailable.

The ten fields cover broad attributes such as family kind (text, display, script, decorative, symbol), serif style, weight, width, and other stylistic traits that influence overall appearance. Each field is assigned a numeric value, producing a ten-field code that appears in a font's metadata. This code can be used by font-management tools and layout engines to assess similarity between fonts and to guide substitution decisions.

Panose was developed by Bitstream in the 1990s as part of their typography technology. It has since been incorporated into various font formats and software for font matching and substitution, particularly in environments where automated font selection is important, such as document rendering, desktop publishing, and digital archives.

While useful for approximate matching, Panose data relies on vendor-provided descriptions and subjective judgments about a font's design. Not all fonts publish Panose data, and the system does not capture every nuance of a font, so it is best used as a supplementary signal rather than a definitive measure of similarity.