The
4 Basic North American License Plate Font Design Types
License
Plate Fonts of the Western World
Page: Intro |
North America (1) |
North America (2) |
North America (3) |
North America (4) |
North America (5) |
North America (6) |
Europe (1) |
Europe (2) |
Australia & New Zealand
Why North American License Plate
Fonts Look the Way They Do
Now that we’ve covered the available
replicas of North American license plate fonts (previous
page), let’s look at how the fonts were originally designed
and constructed and why they look the way they do. Also presented
here is a simple classification scheme to make sense of the hodge-podge
of different character shape types scattered throughout the various
states’
license plate fonts visible out on the highways.
Fonts in graphic design and commercial printing/
publishing vs. license plate fonts. Most typefaces seen
on everyday items — such as books, magazines, newspapers, brochures,
direct mail pieces, most signage (other than roadway signage), or in
internet communications such as email, websites, and PDF documents —
are created by and for those with experience
in graphic design, commercial illustration, and/or sign painting. License
plate fonts, however, are created by those trained as draftsmen, mechanical
engineers, or product engineers working with the design of industrial
equipment and processes. The approach to font design and creation is
considerably different for each. Since the “font mainstream”
is defined by those working in graphic design, let’s briefly look
at how fonts are designed there, then compare that with how license
plate fonts are created.
Font creation in the graphic design world, past and present.
During the decades prior to the shift to personal computers for doing
graphic design and print publishing (which began in the mid-1980s),
typefaces were drawn by hand. Typically, characters would be drawn either
freehand using pencil, ink, and eraser; by cutting shapes on amberlith
or rubylith (a semi-transparent mylar-based sheeting) with an X-acto
knife; as well as with ruler and compass if appropriate for the particular
typeface (those with a more “geometric” look). Then at a
later, more technical stage, the drawings or amberlith/
rubylith artwork would be transformed into the printing or typesetting
technology of the day. From the first Western printing presses of Gutenberg
in the 1400s up through the 1940s or 1950s, this was metal type, after
that phototype on film, and still later early electronic digital type
in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Even after the creation of the first digital typeface production system
(by Peter Karow of URW in Germany during the early 1970s), typefaces
were still usually drawn by hand to begin with, then digitized later.
It wasn’t until after the release of Fontographer in 1986 that
type designers started converting to digital creation methods en
masse. Even now, some designers or certain kinds of typeface designs
may still utilize hand-drawn methods as the best way to initially
create the artwork for a given style of font before digitizing it.
And even where a typeface may be created from scratch mostly digitally,
hand-drawn sketches of initial concepts (sometimes quite detailed)
to work out the basic design theme and troubleshoot any design issues
might be used to begin with.
Drawing tools and the type of people creating fonts strongly
influence their design. In the printing and graphic arts
industries, character shapes are often very fluid in nature because
of the artistic training or on-the-job experience most professional
graphic designers in the business
typically have. Even where the type designs are geometrically based,
optical adjustments and subtle variations in stroke weight are almost
always built in to compensate for the quirks of human perception and
refine the appearance to the human eye.
In the license plate industry, fonts have been drawn by
draftsmen, engineers, or others
trained in mechanical drawing, however. Ruler and compass rule, so to
speak, so everything has for the most part been drawn highly geometrically.
The business of license plates has been the business of blueprints,
tool-and-die machines, and industrial equipment driven by a mass manufacturing
mindset. Without formal artistic training, the approach to font-making
has been mechanically driven because that’s how those who have been in a position to draw them have been trained. Only individuals
working at the manufacturers supplying the equipment on which the fonts
would be used, or who have a special ongoing business relationship with
them, are typically involved.
Uniform construction with “geometric primitives.”
Thus, the much more constructivist, industrialized look of license
plate fonts: shapes built from perfectly straight lines, perfectly
circular arc sections, and/or oval arcs that can easily be drawn
by ruler and compass or other common drafting tools. In recent decades,
computer-aided drawing (CAD) software has come into play (typically
using AutoCAD), but the approach remains the same. In addition to
perfectly straight lines and perfectly circular or elliptical arcs,
stroke weights are completely uniform with no variation in thickness,
resulting in the industrial monoweight look characteristic of traditional
license plate fonts.
Multiple “cooks” and competing objectives with
license plate fonts = quirky designs. Also, since the fonts
were (and still are) subject to a process of approval and oversight
(and, who knows, perhaps just plain monkeywrenching) by committee
at the state level (DMVs, correctional industries, etc.), any coherent
design plan for a font that may have been present at the beginning
can be lost. Sometimes for good reasons (to prevent confusion of
two different characters such as D and O when seen from some distance,
for example), other times not. A small smorgasbord of varying character
traits that don’t mesh together quite coherently
can occur. Of course, this can also be part of the charm of industrial
products like this — the very quirks themselves can be beguiling
to others of us in the sometimes over-designed information age.
The 4 North American Font Types
Based on Curve Construction/Appearance
What exactly have been the results in
terms of the typefaces passed down through the above process to us
today? Here’s a simple classification scheme grouping together
the license plate fonts of North America into three basic types plus
a fourth hybrid category that together make about as much useful sense
out of the myriad of fonts as can probably be made. Since most of the
characters in North American license plate fonts that utilize exclusively
straight lines (A, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, T, V through Z, 1, 4,
and usually
7) all look very similar, the scheme here is based on how the characters
that contain curves differ in appearance and construction (B, C,
D, G, J, O, P, Q, R, S, zero, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9). These basic
design types are:

Semicircular
Curves / DIN-Style
Curved characters that have straight left/
right sides joined by semicircles (often perfect semicircles)
on the top/ bottom. License plate fonts using
this construction method are similar in appearance to DIN 1451,
covered at length in the section on European number plate fonts
and which served as the prototype for many of the number plate fonts
in use there. North American fonts based on this theme, though, are
typically less consistent in their application of it with more quirks.
The look is different, also, due simply to the more condensed character
widths of North American fonts.

Squarish
Here, characters that would normally be composed of curved sides are
box-shaped, i.e., the bowls have all straight
sides on left/ right/ top/ bottom with rounded
corners (usually perfectly circular 90-degree arcs). Fonts
with this type of construction are similar in concept to the mainstream
typeface Eurostile,
though of course considerably different in implementation — more
condensed and without the refined optical adjustments. For example,
the curves in Eurostile connecting its straight sides aren’t
perfect 90-degree arcs as with license plate fonts, but subtly
finessed for a more refined appearance. Also, fonts for graphic
design like Eurostile contain horizontal strokes slightly narrower
than verticals to compensate for a quirk of human perception
so that they appear equal-width with the vertical strokes to
the eye. The character strokes in license plate fonts, on the
other hand, are typically uniformly thick with no variance. The
mechanical way these design features are handled in license plate
fonts is a key factor telegraphing their more industrial appearance,
over and above any embossing that might be done.

Oval
Curves
Curved characters that have oval/
elliptical bowls and arcs. These could be compared (very
loosely) to the curves seen in mainstream humanist sans
fonts. However, license plate fonts of this type retain a strong industrial
look due to their mechanically derived AutoCAD-wrought shapes and uniformly-thick
stroke weights, with just a hint of humanistic feel.

Mixtures
or Hybrids
Two potential patterns seen in hybrid fonts. Sometimes
a license plate font is a hybrid just because it contains inconsistently
designed characters without much of an apparent plan behind
it. (Such fonts might be better termed mixtures.) However, there
are a number of cases where a font uses one style
for alpha characters but another for the numerals. Here
the term hybrid fits a little better. Even though in such cases
the curved alpha characters may outnumber the curved numerics, here
they’re
still classed as hybrids. This is because numerals in license plate
fonts usually comprise at least half, and in a few cases, all of
the characters used in actual plate numbers, so they therefore
strongly color the overall appearance.
As an example, the most typical case is that
a font’s numerals may contain oval arcs (typically with diagonal
endstrokes on 6 and 9, and sometimes on 2, 3, and 5 as well) while
the curved alpha characters are squarish or semicircular (with endstrokes
on straight-sided alphas terminating vertically instead of diagonally).
The brown license plate example above illustrates a hybrid font with
squarish alphas but numerals using curves based on an oval-arc motif.
Why would a font use one style for alphas and another for numerals?
It isn’t completely clear whether these types of fonts were designed
according to a preconceived plan or simply evolved to be so. However,
assuming that the result is purposeful (given the consistent design
traits within both alphas and numerals but not with each other), presumably
this would be to make the numerals more distinctive from the alpha characters
to aid in easy/ accurate plate recognition.
For instance, sometimes alphas and numerals may be run together as a
continuous string, where different styles for alphas and numerals would
help distinguish them. On most plates, of course, alphas and numerals
are usually broken into two separate character strings totaling 6 or
7 characters overall (typically 3 + 3 or 3 + 4)
as an obvious aid to memory recall. But in either case more unique numerals
would help with overall legibility and recall.
Maintaining a minimum bowl size: Another potential reason
for inconsistent appearance in font designs. Some fonts that
have mainly semicircular curves may nonetheless have squarish ones
for the letters B, P, and R (particularly in license plate fonts that
are the most condensed). The likeliest reason for this is that the
smaller-size bowls on these three characters (compared to C, D, G,
etc.) would tend to end up disproportionately small if they had to
be semicircular within the condensed, fixed-width monospaced lettering
grid used on American license plates. In a proportional font, such
an outcome could be avoided by making such characters a
little wider to enable the bowls to be semicircular, however
condensed monospaced designs like license plate fonts don’t
permit that solution. (Note: Condensed versions of DIN 1451 itself,
which is a proportional font, do implement this basic design adjustment.
Even there, though, the solution also incorporates a modest squaring
of the curves, although the latter has been finessed by professional
typeface designers so that the resulting bowls don’t
appear as squarish as they would otherwise.)
Compromises dictated by monospacing and viewing distance.
So with a font drawn mechanically by draftsmen, the practical solution
would be to make the smaller bowls of B, P, and R squarish to open
up the counters larger, avoiding both the effect of disproportionately
small bowl size on appearance, as well improving legibility at a distance.
For a different reason, of course, one also sometimes sees a squarish
D, where the bowl is large to begin with, even in otherwise fairly
consistently semicircular-theme fonts to better distinguish it from
capital O and/or zero at a distance. Or zero may be made square to
distinguish it from capital O.
In any event, due to these factors, some inconsistency in the design
traits of a given auto plate font is probably inevitable. So when
squaring of curves occurs in otherwise “semicircular” fonts
with the letters B, D, P, and R to maintain more open interiors and/or
better legibility at a distance, we’ll
be disregarding that particular issue for the purposes of our classification
scheme here.
North American License Plate Font Types
by Country/State/Province/Territory
Categorized by most recent consistently
used font on general passenger issues. Because regular passenger
plates dominate the number of plates on the road, the fonts used for
these are the ones by which we’ve classified the states, territories,
and provinces below. (That said, states who produce embossed plates
for general passenger issues but flat digital plates for special issues
and vanities may use separate fonts for each type of plate production.
More on that further below.) In addition, since the font used by a given
state sometimes changes, our classification scheme here generally goes
by the most recent font currently in use. A few exceptions to this are
that in a handful of states/ jurisdictions,
the fonts in use have changed frequently enough that it seemed more
logical to put these in the Mixtures/ Hybrids
category.
Some duplicate use of embossed
die fonts between jurisdictions. Note that there is occasional
reuse of dies from one state for another state’s plates (sometimes
temporarily but other times long-term). In other cases, the dies or
AutoCAD drawings for one state’s font may be used as the starting
point for another state’s font, with alterations of some characters
made when creating the new drawings/dies.
The John R. Wald Company’s role as source for most embossed
font designs. A point related to the above but seemingly
unknown in the license plate collecting community is that the John R.
Wald Company, founded in 1924, has been responsible for the creation
of nearly all of the embossed tooling — that is, the embossed
die fonts — in use on North American license plates today. Not
just the United States, in other words, but Canada and Mexico as well.
At the plate manufacturing level, this includes the embossed tooling
purchased/ used both by prison industries as
well as commercial license plate producers contracted by some states,
such as Irwin-Hodson of the U.S. and its subsidiary Waldale in Canada.
Thus, even in certain instances when an embossed die font is indicated
below as coming from Irwin-Hodson or Waldale, Wald would in all likelihood
have been the ultimate creator and producer of the font. Wald’s
central role here would also explain the reuse or repurposing of embossed
tooling or AutoCAD drawings first created for one jurisdiction, but
later employed or retooled for another one.
License plate production systems suppliers and their roles.
Wald itself has not gotten commercially involved producing plates for
the states except in limited situations, instead serving as the industry’s
dominant equipment and tooling supplier for embossed plate production,
and staying out of competition with its customers. In addition to
its embossed plate production-line equipment systems, Wald also produces
flat digital plate systems (including custom conversions of embossed
die fonts to digital form), as well as integrated end-to-end computerized
systems that can produce embossed plates digitally in all respects
other than the final two stages of stamping and roller-coating the embossed serial-number portion of the plate.
Avery-Dennison and 3M are the other well-known suppliers
to the industry, Avery manufacturing reflective sheeting only, while
3M supplies reflective sheeting and flat-plate production systems
only. 3M has created two digital fonts that we know of for its systems
(see links just below).
Plate fonts described below are embossed die fonts unless
noted as flat/ digital,
since the former still comprise the majority of plates on the road.
States using 3M’s first digital default
font for flat plates, which is based on Univers/
Zurich, have been put into the Semicircular/
DIN-style category here for convenience’s sake, even
though the font would be termed a “neo-grotesque sans serif” in
type design circles. Also, 3M has now created a second
digital font (see flat plate samples only at the link), plus
an additional modified variant, based on Minnesota’s
embossed die font which looks better than the company’s first
digital effort. As well, Wald has to date now recreated digital
versions of at least three states’ previous
embossed fonts, including Colorado’s
specialty plates font,
which is probably the best of any digital font so far. (See
our assessments of both
companies’
digital conversions of these embossed fonts.) Because of this,
it didn’t seem worthwhile to create an extra category for digital
fonts, since 3M’s initial effort appears to have been an aberration
(hopefully not to be repeated), and the design differences between
embossed and digital fonts will probably increasingly blur in the
future.
6-digit vs. 7-digit fonts. Indicated for each state
or jurisdiction below in addition to its basic font category are the
number of digits the font is designed to accommodate on standard 12x6”
North American plates. Less-populous juridictions typically use 6 digits,
while more populous ones utilize 7 (or even 8 in rare cases). This
may seem somewhat insignificant on the face of it, however the number
of digits on a plate that a font is designed to work with is a good
indicator of how condensed the font is. This in turn significantly
affects the font’s
appearance. Although there is some variance in character width within
each group, 6-digit fonts usually correspond
to what would be called a “condensed”
font by mainstream type designers, while 7-digit fonts
are most often equivalent to “extra-condensed.” (One exception
here would be Pennsylvania’s 7-digit font,
of which Keystone
State is a replica,
which lies about halfway in character width between typical 6 and 7-digit
fonts.)
About
the plate example links below. The links below refer to plate
photo pages from Plate Shack and 15Q.net, the two most comprehensive
collectors’ sites on the net for North American license plate
photos.
Plate
Shack has two different types of license plate photo
pages:
- The first type of page, designated here after each state or jurisdiction’s
name with a link labeled “PS,”
shows a plate example for each year the “base plate”
has changed. “Base plate” here is collector lingo for
the underlying plate layout and graphics — in other words,
everything appearing on a plate “underneath” the large
alphanumeric serial and small plate stickers. (For plate collectors,
the differences in base plate artwork — regardless of font
— are the main criterion for how plates are classified.)
- The second type of page, indicated here by links abbreviated
as
“PSY2K,” “PSY2K-2,”
“PSY2K-3,”
“PSY2K-4,” or “PSY2K-5”
contains compilations of the latest plates in use for a given state,
which may sometimes utilize a newer/ different
font since the current base plate artwork was first instituted.
For that reason, the “Y2K” examples are of special
interest here since plate examples at the “PS” links
document only changes in base-plate artwork, not necessarily
the most recent serial fonts being used. PSY2K-2,
-3, -4, and -5
links show the very most recent examples when PSY2K pages have
become too big and needed to be split. (Note: “Y2K” is
Plate Shack’s slang term loosely referring to plates produced
roughly after the year 2000, though there isn’t any strict
dividing line, and rare or oddball plates going back to the 1990s
and earlier are occasionally included.)
15Q.net’s
plate example pages are designated by links abbreviated as “15Q.”
Like the “PS” links, 15Q’s plate examples document
each year the base plate art for a state’s passenger plates
has changed. However, additional plate examples highlighting any font
changes are also included in the chronological sequence, when available.
A bonus at 15Q rarely seen anywhere else is the well-written commentaries
accompanying each plate example. These often provide insight into
circumstances behind the plate’s design and manufacture, as
well as information about events related to die/font changes when
known. Notations of this type in the font descriptions below are thanks
to such commentary provided on 15Q.net.
If you see any corrections to be
made to the font descriptions below, please email
.
United States
Semicircular Curves
/ DIN-Style (currently 18 states plus District of Columbia)
EMBOSSED PLATES
USING
WALD FONT DIES
- California (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit. Mostly DIN
theme alphas, and oval numerals except 5, 8, zero (numeral 3 intermediate).
Serifs on B, D. Squarish O to distinguish from zero. Floating Q.
Long diagonal spine on S and top counter much smaller than bottom.
The replica font Penitentiary
Gothic is based on California’s plate lettering.
- Louisiana (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. Mostly DIN,
although diagonals on numerals are oval-arc style.
- Maine (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit-capable but
used for 6. 1994 onward: DIN-style. 1993 and previous: Ovalish numerals,
softish square theme for alphas.
- Massachusetts (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 6-digit, mostly DIN,
with diagonal-arc tails on 6 and 9, ovalish curves on 2. Angular
corner on top half of numeral 3.
- Missouri (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6 digit. DIN-style.
Bent angled 2.
- New Hampshire (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 7-digit, mostly
DIN. Serifs on capital I. Serifless numeral 1, bent angled 2.
Use of all numerals on plates starting in 2000. 1999 and prior:
6-digit, DIN-style including alphas with angled tails on 6 and
9. Angled top on 3.
- North Dakota (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit DIN-theme
with angled oval-arc diagonals on 6 and 9, gently curved spine on 2.
- Ohio (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): 7-digit, DIN-theme
with a few squarish (D, P, R, for example), virtually identical
to Ontario dies. Short Q. Bent angled 2. Square zero presumably
to distinguish from zero.
- Washington (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): 7-digit-capable,
used for 6. DIN-like overall with exception of small-bowled characters
that are squarer like B, P, R; plus D (to differentiate better from
zero). Dave Hansen’s License Plate
font is a replica based on scans of the state’s plates.
- Wisconsin (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit style since
1995, but using 6 digits plus hyphen, except for 7 allowable digits
on vanities. DIN theme with exceptions that include diagonal strokes
on 2, 6, and 9. Almost identical to Ontario dies other than 6 and 9.
STATES WITH PAST EMBOSSED PLATES IN SEMICIRCULAR CATEGORY
- Arizona (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Switched to flat plates in 2008 (Mixed/Hybrid). Prior to that, a
7-digit-capable embossed font, used
for 6. DIN-theme plus squarish B, D, P, and R.
- Idaho (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Flat digital since
2008 (Semicircular). Before that: 7-digit DIN-style
embossed font from 1995, with squarish B, D, P, and R, ovalish numeral 2, curved diagonal on 7.
- Montana (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): Went to flat digital
plates in 2003 (Semicircular). In prior years:
7-digit narrow DIN-style, with squarish B, P, and R.
- Tennessee (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Began using flat plates in 2006 (Mixed/Hybrid). 1985–2006 prior to
3M: 6-digit. DIN-style alphas but with serifs
on B, D, P, R. Diagonal spine on 2, angled 3, diagonal terminals
on 6 and 9.
Note: Driver
Gothic, which was inspired by Ontario’s
license plate font, is also extremely similar to several states’ embossed
fonts in this category. In all likelihood, these similar juridictions’ fonts spring from a shared initial set of AutoCAD drawings by Wald for the
font dies, with occasional later modifications along the way.
FLAT DIGITAL PLATES
USING
3M’S DEFAULT FONT
- District of Columbia (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Switched to flat
digital with 6 digits in 2001. See Mixed/Hybrid category for previous font.
- Idaho (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Flat digital since
2008 with 7 digits.
- Indiana (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Flat
plates since 2003. 6 digits (although
including much smaller 7th-digit alpha character code on plate).
- Iowa (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 7-digit using
flat plates since about 1999/2000.
- Montana (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): Flat digital
since 2003 employing 7-digit scheme, but sometimes using only 6 digits depending on circumstances.
- Nebraska (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Producing 6-digit flat
digital plates since 2005.
- Nevada (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Began producing flat digital plates in late 2006 in a 6-digit format.
- Texas (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Switched to 7-digit flat
digital plates in 2009.
- Wyoming (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Producing digital flat plates since 2001 using 6 digits, with room for a 7th.
Squarish (currently 7 states)
EMBOSSED PLATES
USING
WALD FONT DIES
- Colorado (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit capable since
1993, but currently used as 6 digits. Squarish except oval zero.
Serifs on D, none on B.
- Florida (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): 7-digit-capable
since 1997 (8 digits possible if plate design would accommodate
it), but currently used as 6 digits. Squarish, with sheared corners
(same or similar dies used also for Michigan since 2007). Serifs
on B and D. 1992 and prior: ovalish numerals, squarish or DIN-like
alphas. Vehicle,
a font inspired by Florida’s
design (though with some differences for design consistency), is also
similar to both Michigan and New Jersey’s fonts.
- Michigan (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit since 2005.
2007–2008 version became all squarish with sheared corners
(Florida’s or Florida-like dies used) — seemingly intended
to be a permanent font change, as base plate also changed at same
time. 2005 version DIN-like but squarish B, D, P, R. Bent angled
stroke on 2. Nearly identical dies to Ontario and Ohio, if not completely so.
- New Jersey (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): 6-digit. Squarish
font with sheared corners but with DIN-style semicircular zero (since
capital O is squarish). Nearly identical to the 6-digit squarish/
sheared font on Florida’s specialty plates. (The latter
state uses a more condensed 7-digit version of the same font for
its general passenger plates.) One difference is that numeral 4
in Florida’s 6-digit version employs a double-vertex for the
left corner of the main triangular counter, whereas New Jersey’s
version uses a regular single vertex. Another is the more abbreviated
serifs on numeral 1 in New Jersey’s font compared to Florida’s.
- New Mexico (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 6-digit. Squarish
with diagonal tails on 6 and 9, and curved spine on 7. DIN-style
zero, presumably to distinguish from capital O, although it’s not
clear if the latter is in fact a legal character on plates.
- North Carolina (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit. All squarish.
Consistently applied theme throughout. The commercially available font Refrigerator Deluxe
is nearly identical in design concept, albeit with a little wider
characters.
- Vermont (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 7-digit-capable,
currently used as 6. Same font since 1991. Squarish throughout,
with a little more rounded corners than most squarish fonts, except
oval-arc spine on 2 and DIN-style zero. Examples of capital O not seen.
STATES WITH PAST EMBOSSED PLATES IN SQUARISH CATEGORY
- Oklahoma (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): Flat plate switch
in 2009 (Mixed/Hybrid). Previously, 6-digit embossed
font with a squarish design was used. Features of the latter: Angular
3. High-waisted K. Serifs on B, D, P, and R. Fairly similar to Florida’s,
including 4’s truncated left vertex, except for the angular
3, though Florida’s P and R don’t have serifs. Early
plates in 1960s/70s used dies very similar to Kansas.
- Iowa (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Moved to flat plates in 1999/2000 (Semicircular). Prior to
that, 6-digit embossed font, squarish, but softer than usual.
- Nebraska (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Producing flat plates since 2005 (Semicircular). Prior to that, plates were embossed
with a 6-digit squarish font, though with softer rounds on the corners
than some; with angled stroke on 2.
- Nevada (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Flat-plate state since 2006 (Semicircular). Prior to that,
the embossed plates used a squarish font, but with angled curved
tails on 6, 9.
Oval Curves (currently 5
states)
EMBOSSED PLATES
USING
WALD FONT DIES
- Arkansas (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): For the last decade
or so (including the last few years), the state’s plates have
been produced mostly by Waldale using an oval font. Prior to the
last few years, there was some alternation in plate production with
plates manufactured by Polyvend that have used a hybrid font utilizing
DIN-style alphas (but with squarish B, D, P, and R) and ovalish
numerals except for a DIN-style zero.
- Hawaii (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. Ovalish
similar to Kansas.
- Kansas (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. Ovalish
throughout.
- New York (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 2001 onward: 8-digit-capable, currently used for 7. Narrow, oval-curve-style throughout.
Fairly graceful for such a narrow license plate font, except for
the slight hitch halfway between baseline and cap-height on sides
of C, D, G, O, etc. — no doubt an artifact of the AutoCAD-based
design.
- Oregon (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. Oval-shaped
with a similar feel to the fonts of Kansas and Hawaii, however there
are a few anomalies, though not really enough to push it completely
into the hybrid category. Breaking the oval-curve theme are the
squarish B and D, while P and R exhibit a more semicircular style.
STATES WITH PAST EMBOSSED PLATES IN OVAL CURVES CATEGORY
- Alabama (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Made flat digital switch in 2007 (Mixed/Hybrid). Prior to that:
7-digit embossed, ovalish curves throughout.
- South Carolina (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Using flat
digital plates as of 2007/2008 (Mixed/Hybrid). Previous years’ plates
were 6-digit embossed. Oval curves throughout.
Mixtures or
Hybrids (currently 19 states)
EMBOSSED PLATES
USING
WALD FONT DIES
- Alaska (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. DIN-like
alphas. Light-weight oval numerals with end-caps sheared at slight
angle on some terminating strokes.
- Connecticut (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit-capable since
2000/2001, used for 6. Squarish but some DIN-like. Curved diagonal
tails on numerals.
- Georgia (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): Current: 7-digit
DIN-theme but terminals end at diagonal angle, 2 is ovalish. Serifs
on B, D. Short Q. 2000 and prior: Same but less narrow (6-digit).
- Illinois (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): 7-digit. DIN-theme
with some squarish. Mostly numerals on plates. Diagonal tails on
numerals (nice numbers), open 4, curved 7, long diagonal on 2 directly
into curved top. Short Q.
- Kentucky (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 6-digit. DIN-flavored
with ovalish 2, oval diagonal tails on 6 and 9, small/large bowl
combo on 8, but DIN zero. B, P, and R bowls are round rather than
square. Truck plates are pretty much consistent DIN (added serif
on P, though).
- Maryland (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 6-digit. Alphas —
mixture of DIN and squarish. Numerals — mixture of ovalish and DIN.
- Mississippi (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): 7-digit-capable,
used for 6. Narrow. DIN-style alphas. Ovalish numerals with DIN
8 and zero.
- Pennsylvania (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
PSY2K-4,
PSY2K-5,
15Q): 7-digit. Combination
of DIN and squarish alphas, plus oval-shaped numerals. Keystone State
(a replica font) and Pennsylvania
(an “inspired by” version) are both based on Pennsylvania’s
plates.
- Rhode Island (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit font used
for 5. DIN-theme alphas with smaller-bowled characters squarer.
Mostly DIN-style numerals but hooked diagonal tails on 6 and 9,
ovalish 2, slightly curved 7.
- Utah (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. Squarish
alphas. Numbers DIN-style but with oval-arc diagonal tails on
6 and 9, which both have significantly smaller counters than the
norm. Angled 3, odd nearly
disconnected counters on 8 (probably to distinguish from B),
top serif on J, straight diagonal spine on S directly connecting
with curved top/bottom.
- West Virginia (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 6-digit. Squarish
alphas. Numerals close to official DIN.
FLAT DIGITAL PLATES
USING
3M’S 2ND DIGITAL FONT (SQUARISH CURVES FOR ALPHAS, OVALISH NUMERALS)
- Alabama (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit. Switched to flat digital plates
in late 2007.
- Arizona (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit, using
a modified version of 3M’s
second flat digital font since 2008.
- Minnesota (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Flat digital since 2008. 7-digit font
but used for 6. 3M’s
second digital font used by the states in this sub-category is
based on Minnesota’s
previous embossed font.
- Oklahoma (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): Flat digital switch made in 2009. 7-digit-capable,
currently used as 6.
- South Carolina (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Producing flat plates
since 2007/2008.
- South Dakota (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. Began
using flat plates in 2006.
- Tennessee (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Flat plates since 2006,
using 6 digits.
OTHER FLAT DIGITAL PLATES
USING CLASSIC-STYLE FONT
- Delaware (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit-capable
but used for 6. Delaware’s plates had been flat but screen-printed
for many years prior to its switch to digital plates in 2002. Up until
that time, its plates used a classic-style font following a DIN-like
design template with ovalized influences.
When the switch to digital production was made, a pseudo-condensed
version of Arial was substituted to much subsequent public
outcry. Over the following few years a couple of different attempts
were made to create a new digital design that matched the previous
screen-printed plate font, with a reasonably close facsimile of
the traditional font achieved by late 2006. Numbers only are used
on the general passenger issue. As mentioned, the font design is
mostly DIN-like with a bit of ovalized-curve influence, plus a
couple of other differences: The endstrokes on otherwise-DIN-like
2, 3, 5, 6, and 9 are angled (rather than vertical), numerals 2
and 3 are constructed with an overall oval-curved theme, and numeral
4 includes a bottom serif.
STATES WITH PAST EMBOSSED PLATES IN MIXED/HYBRID CATEGORY
- District of Columbia (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Switched to flat digital plates in 2001 (Semicircular). Prior to
that: 6-digit
embossed hybrid font with DIN-style alphas and oval numerals (except
for DIN zero). Unique 3 combining angled top with oval bottom,
though not particularly attractive.
- Indiana (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Switched to flat digital in 2003 (Semicircular). Before that, 6-digit embossed font based on oval curves
(and using same 7th-digit smaller alpha code). Plate serials both
then and now have used all numerals other than the lone single-digit
alpha code. The previous classic embossed font was a hybrid of oval-curve
alphas plus mostly DIN-style numerals with some ovalish elements
thrown in, such as the diagonal-curve tails on 6 and 9, and oval-arc
curve on spine of both 2 and 7.
- Minnesota (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Moved to flat digital
tags in 2008 (Mixed/Hybrid). 7-digit font
but used for 6. Previous embossed plates used same font design — squarish
alphas but with numbers based on oval curves — and was used
as the model for 3M’s second flat digital font.
- South Dakota (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Began producing
flat plates in 2006 (Mixed/Hybrid). Prior to that, used a 6-digit mostly
DIN-style font from 2000–2006, but some years were squarish.
Hooked diagonal tails on 6 and 9. Diagonal central stroke many
years, but ovalish another year.
- Texas (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): Switched to flat digital font in 2009 (Semicircular). Before
that, 7-digit-capable embossed, but spaced widely and used for 6. Combination of DIN and squarish alphas, with ovalish
numerals. Letters are often high-waisted such as K, P, R, S, X,
Y, or the bend in 7. Open 4 like California’s.
- Wyoming (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Switched to flat
digital in 2001 (Semicircular). Previous embossed plates employed
a 7-digit-capable font, though used for 5, 6, or 7, with ovalish
numerals. Alphas were mostly DIN with some oval, though not as prominent,
either at smaller size on plate using a two-digit stacked code,
or single-digit code at
full-size.
Serif (1 state currently)
EMBOSSED PLATES
USING
WALD FONT DIES
- Virginia (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit. The only
book-typography font style with bracketed (tapered) serifs seen
on any Western country’s license plates. (All other license
plate fonts are sans-serif — with only occasional slab-style serifs
added on some letters to prevent confusion with similar characters.)
Numerals have some resemblance to Times Roman in condensed form.
The serif style of the alphas is different, with characters inconsistent
in form and weight from one character to the next.
Note: All
North American general passenger-issue plates outside the U.S. are embossed.
U.S. Territories
Semicircular /
DIN-Style
- Canal Zone (PS):
7-digit-capable but used for 5. DIN-style since 1976.
- Puerto Rico (PS,
PSY2K):
6-digit consistently used die style since 1973 for passenger plates.
DIN-style but more squarish on smaller bowls (B, P, R). Diagonal
hooked tails on 6 and 9, ovalish 2. Recent specialty plates as of
at least 2008 use 3M’s newer 6-digit digital font printed
on flat plates.
- Virgin Islands (PS,
PSY2K):
6-digit. Up through 2004, the general passenger issue used oval-style
embossed dies of a consistent make since 1993. In 2005, the dies
used are the Irwin-Hodson DIN-style font employed on Mississippi’s
plates and those of several Canadian states (see below). Specialty
plates have used a few different fonts including Colorado’s
squarish digital font.
Squarish –
none
Oval Curves
- American Samoa (PS,
PSY2K):
6-digit-capable, used for 4. Numerals only, oval-style, though there
has been little stability in the font style with several changes
over the years. One guess as to the reason for the frequent font
changes over the years may be that various prisons in the 48 continental
states were contracted to print the plates, since such a small terroritory
would not normally have the facilities to print the plates themselves.
Mixtures or Hybrids
- Guam (PS,
PSY2K):
Frequent changes over the years. Currently uses what appear to be
Alaska’s 6-digit oval dies for numerals, however alphas are
thicker, small-size DIN-style. As with American Samoa above, the
frequent style changes may be due to different prisons in the mainland
U.S. having been contracted to print the plates from one time period
to another.
Canada
Semicircular /
DIN-Style
- British Columbia (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit DIN-style.
- Northwest Territories (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 7-digit-capable
font, but used for 5 digits on small plate stamped out in the shape
of a polar bear. This embossed font takes the Neo-Grotesque typeface
Univers as its obvious model, and therefore falls somewhat outside
the typical license plate font style categories. What’s interesting
about this is that Univers was the original typeface designed in
1956 that a later typeface, Zurich, is an inexact clone of. Zurich
is in turn the typeface on which 3M based its first digital default
font which has been heavily critiqued elsewhere in this article.
Differences between the Northwest Territory implementation
compared to 3M’s digital takeoff are that it’s less
condensed and also is not monospaced, retaining Univers’ proportional
spacing, which together open up the counters some and improve the
legibility somewhat. Nunavut also uses the same dies, and
the proportional lettering (for example the wide
letter M) can be better seen in the link given below for Nunavut.
- Nunavut (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): Same 7-digit-capable
font as the Northwest Territories (see above), but used for 6 digits
(despite just 2,000 registered vehicles) on small plate stamped
out in the shape of a polar bear. Nunavut used to be part of the
Northwest Territories and therefore retained the same polar bear
plate after separation since Nunavut is where most of the bears
are concentrated.
- Ontario (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
PSY2K-3,
15Q): 7-digit, DIN-style
except zero, D, and small-bowled B, P, and R. This font was the
inspiration for Driver Gothic
designed by Canada Type, which is based in Toronto, Ontario.
Squarish
- Quebec (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit squarish style.
- Saskatchewan (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit. Squarish
throughout with only a few exceptions. Diagonal tails on 5, 6, and
9. Sheared corners on Z. Diagonal spine on 2, top half of 3 angular,
double left vertex on 4. Unique 5 with unusual transition from square
top to diagonal/oval bottom. Horizontal top strokes on 5 and 7 are
terminated with angled cut.
Oval Curves
- Alberta (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit oval. Same
Waldale dies as Arkansas, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and a few others.
(Thanks to David Nicholson’s 15q.net site — no relation
to this author — for this piece of information.)
- Manitoba (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit Waldale oval dies.
- New Brunswick (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit Waldale oval dies.
- Newfoundland and Labrador
(PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 6-digit Waldale oval
dies starting in 2007. Previously, Irwin-Hodson 6-digit DIN-style
dies had been used from 2004–2005, which were a variant of the 7-digit
DIN-style Irwin-Hodson dies used by Mississippi. The switch was
due to Irwin-Hodson and Waldale having merged in late 2006/ early
2007, with the Newfoundland contract returning to Waldale in Canada.
- Nova Scotia (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit Waldale
oval dies, using a version since 2002 that’s very similar
to but slightly different from the oval Waldale dies used for
Alberta, Manitoba, and New Brunswick. See David Nicholson’s discussion at 15Q.net for a bit of additional insight (bottom of page).
Mixtures or Hybrids
- Prince Edward Island (PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q): 7-digit-capable
(as seen on vanity plates), used for 5 digits on general passenger
issues. DIN-style alphas similar to Ontario’s plates, but
numbers have a more ovalized-curve theme (other than 8 and 0 which
are DIN-theme) such as 2, 3, and 5, the curved diagonal on 7, and
the diagonal tails on 6 and 9.
- Yukon Territory (PS,
PSY2K,
15Q): 6-digit, used for
5. Font design has varied over the years due to the production
contract going back and forth between competing vendors, and the
fonts for any given contract may themselves be hybrid in design.
As nearly as we can tell, the style since 2003 uses an ovalized
font, but may be changing as of 2008 back to a DIN-style with a
few ovalized elements that had been used at other times in prior years.
Mexico
Oval – All States
- PS,
PSY2K,
PSY2K-2,
15Q – Although
the Mexican states have had individually designed base plate graphics
since 1998, the same font is used on all. Prior to 1998, Mexican
plates regardless of state shared a common base plate design identical
in every respect except for the state identifier, containing only
plate letters/ numbers and no graphics. The current font since 1998
is a 7-digit oval die font with almost the same design as the previous
7-digit font, but smaller in size, the previous one having been
the same larger size normally used on U.S. and Canadian plates.
Both pre- and post-1998 fonts contain oval curves with a design
very similar to U.S. states such as Kansas and pre-2007 Alabama.
(One notable difference, though, is a long, straight diagonal
spine on capital S compared to the all-curved S’s in most
other oval-theme fonts.) Other than the reduction in size, the
post-1998 version retains all but a couple of features from the
pre-1998 font. The previous numeral 4 had a single left vertex
that has now been truncated, so that in its place are two closely
spaced vertexes with a short vertical connecting stroke. Also,
the W now has perfectly vertical sides rather than slanted, and
appears to be identical to M except turned upside-down.
Next:
Flat Digital Plates in the U.S. — End of the Embossed Era?
(North America, cont.)
Previous:
North American License Plate Fonts (U.S., Canada, and Mexico)
License
Plate Fonts of the Western World
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North America (1) |
North America (2) |
North America (3) |
North America (4) |
North America (5) |
North America (6) |
Europe (1) |
Europe (2) |
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