Compatil is the name of a large typeface family designed for interchangeable fonts while maintaining identical document metrics.
History
Development of the Compatil typefaces took place from 1999 to 2001 at Linotype Library GmbH. The name was derived from the word "compatible" and represents an intelligent and modular type system. The projects was led by Bruno Steinert, Managing Director of Linotype GmbH, Bad Homburg. Prof. Olaf Leu and his analysis team at Mainz University of Applied Sciences drew up an extensive range of requirements that Linotype Library’s team of experts incorporated into their new creation, extending and developing the concept as their work progressed. Silja Bilz and Prof. Reinhard Haus were responsible for project design and concept. On 2004-12-07, Linotype announced Compatil 6.0, which introduced italic fonts for all families. The italic fonts have an 11-degree lean angle. In 2005, the typeface families of Compatil were extended with the addition of true cursive typefaces.
Characteristics
Compatil consists of 4 families: Compatil Exquisit, Compatil Fact, Compatil Letter, and Compatil Text. Each family has 2 weights with complementary italics. OpenType features include proportional lining figures and small caps. Each family supports ISO Adobe 2, Adobe CE, and Latin Extended characters. All of the numerals within the Compatil system have the same width, which means that it is possible to interchange the weight and style without having to alter the letter spacing. Numbers are given more open-ended terminals and individual designs to improve legibility. The modular system was designed such that, for a given character with specific weight and lean, it has the same x-height, character width, gray tone, and caps among all families, so that no document reflowing is needed. In this aspect, Compatil behaves similarly to, for example, the typeface family group of Generis.
Usages
The typeface is used in printing newspapers and financial reports. It was used in 2002 Business-to-Business Awards.
