Spectral
Spectral is a serif font in 7 weights with italics. Its lowercase letters are 3% narrower than the typical serif font. Last updated 11 September 2025.
Editing a PDF that uses Spectral
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 Spectral from the widths stored in your PDF, loads the complete open font, and sets your new text in Spectral itself. The rest of the page is carried over untouched.
Measured metrics
| Average lowercase letter width | 502.4 units per 1000 em |
|---|---|
| Average capital letter width | 707.5 units per 1000 em |
| Word space | 250 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 | 36% |
| Printable ASCII characters covered | 94 of 94 |
| Category | Serif |
Weights and styles
Languages beyond basic Latin
Open fonts closest to Spectral
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.
- Spectral SC Regularidentical letter widths (0 units)
- Martel Sans Regularloosely similar widths (35.8 units)
- Libertinus Serif Regularloosely similar widths (37.2 units)
- Averia Serif Libre Regularloosely similar widths (37.8 units)
- Libertinus Sans Regularloosely similar widths (37.9 units)
- Tinos Regularloosely similar widths (38.2 units)
- Newsreader Regularloosely similar widths (38.4 units)
- Baskervville Regularloosely similar widths (38.5 units)
Compare Spectral
Questions people ask
+Can I edit a PDF that uses Spectral?
Yes. Drop the PDF into MythosPDF and click the text. New letters are set in Spectral itself, loaded from the open font, so the edit matches the rest of the page.
+Is Spectral free to use?
Spectral 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 Spectral?
By measured letter widths, Spectral SC is the closest match among open fonts (a mean difference of 0 units per 1000 em). Text set in one takes almost the same space in the other.
+Which languages does Spectral support?
It includes these character sets: Cyrillic, Cyrillic Extended, Latin, Central European, Vietnamese.
Ready to fix your PDF?
Free, in your browser, and it takes about a minute. No account needed.