Public Sans
Public Sans is a sans serif font in 9 weights with italics, also available as a variable font. Its lowercase letters are about as wide as the typical sans serif font. Last updated 16 September 2025.
Editing a PDF that uses Public 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. MythosPDF recognises Public Sans from the widths stored in your PDF, loads the complete open font, and sets your new text in Public Sans itself. The rest of the page is carried over untouched.
Measured metrics
| Average lowercase letter width | 529 units per 1000 em |
|---|---|
| Average capital letter width | 667.8 units per 1000 em |
| Word space | 243 units per 1000 em |
| Digits | proportional (digit widths differ) |
| Spacing | proportional |
| Width of i compared with m | 29% |
| Printable ASCII characters covered | 94 of 94 |
| Category | Sans serif |
Weights and styles
- Public Sans Thin Italic
- Public Sans Thin
- Public Sans ExtraLight Italic
- Public Sans ExtraLight
- Public Sans Light Italic
- Public Sans Light
- Public Sans Italic
- Public Sans Regular
- Public Sans Medium Italic
- Public Sans Medium
- Public Sans SemiBold Italic
- Public Sans SemiBold
- Public Sans Bold Italic
- Public Sans Bold
- Public Sans ExtraBold Italic
- Public Sans ExtraBold
- Public Sans Black Italic
- Public Sans Black
Languages beyond basic Latin
Open fonts closest to Public 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.
- Libre Franklin Regularsimilar widths (19 units)
- Saira Stencil Regularsimilar widths (28.4 units)
- Saira Regularsimilar widths (28.4 units)
- Miranda Sans Regularsimilar widths (28.5 units)
- Huninn Regularsimilar widths (29.1 units)
- Bpmf Huninn Regularsimilar widths (29.1 units)
- Radio Canada Big Regularsimilar widths (29.8 units)
- Bricolage Grotesque Regularloosely similar widths (30.4 units)
Compare Public Sans
Questions people ask
+Can I edit a PDF that uses Public Sans?
Yes. Drop the PDF into MythosPDF and click the text. New letters are set in Public Sans itself, loaded from the open font, so the edit matches the rest of the page.
+Is Public Sans free to use?
Public Sans is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, an open licence that allows free use in documents, including commercial ones. Check the licence text for your exact use.
+Which font is closest to Public Sans?
By measured letter widths, Libre Franklin is the closest match among open fonts (a mean difference of 19 units per 1000 em). Text set in one takes almost the same space in the other.
+Which languages does Public Sans support?
It includes these character sets: Latin, Central European, Vietnamese.
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