Free alternatives to Gill Sans
Gill Sans is not an open font. These open fonts come closest by measured letter widths, the property that decides whether text keeps its line breaks when the font is swapped.
Closest open fonts to Gill Sans
Measured on every printable character both fonts contain. A smaller difference means the same words take the same space, so lines break in the same places.
- Belleza Regularloosely similar widths (37.2 units)
- Libertinus Serif SemiBoldloosely similar widths (39.1 units)
- Ysabeau Office Thinloosely similar widths (39.7 units)
- Ysabeau Office ExtraLightloosely similar widths (40.1 units)
- Libertinus Serif Regularloosely similar widths (40.6 units)
- Crimson Text Regularloosely similar widths (40.6 units)
- Ysabeau Office Lightloosely similar widths (41.1 units)
- Libertinus Serif Display Regularloosely similar widths (41.2 units)
- EB Garamond Mediumloosely similar widths (41.3 units)
- Ysabeau Office Regularloosely similar widths (41.6 units)
Gill Sans measured
| Average lowercase letter width | 446.8 units per 1000 em |
|---|---|
| Average capital letter width | 633.4 units per 1000 em |
| Word space | 277.8 units per 1000 em |
| Digits | tabular (every digit is 500 units wide, so columns of numbers line up) |
| Spacing | proportional |
| Width of i compared with m | 28% |
| Printable ASCII characters covered | 94 of 94 |
Editing a PDF that uses Gill Sans
Most PDFs embed only the letters they already use. Type a new letter and many editors either refuse or swap in a different font. Gill Sans is not freely available, so MythosPDF first uses every letter already embedded in your PDF. If a new letter is missing, it asks before using the closest open font listed here, and tells you which one it used.
Questions people ask
+What is the best free alternative to Gill Sans?
By measured letter widths, Belleza Regular: loosely similar widths (37.2 units per 1000 em).
+Can I edit a PDF that uses Gill Sans without having it installed?
Yes. MythosPDF first uses the letters already embedded in the PDF. For a missing letter it asks before using the closest open font.
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