Mandatory is a

typeface A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font. There are list of type ...

developed from the Charles Wright typeface, introduced for use on

vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom Vehicle registration plates (commonly referred to as "number plates" in British English) are the alphanumeric plates used to display the ''registration mark'' of a vehicle, and have existed in the United Kingdom since 1904. It is compulsory fo ...

. Its block letters and numbers are designed to prevent easy modification and to improve legibility, with stroke separation on the M and W which are pointed at the centre, and the tail of the Q which is thinner and clearer. It was developed in the United Kingdom, and is also used by

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where it has been mandatory between 2008 and 2018, before the adoption of Mercosur plates. The Mandatory font can be downloaded free for personal use from K-Type. In the United Kingdom, characters on vehicle registration plates purchased from 1 September 2001 must use Mandatory typeface and conform to set specifications as to width, height, stroke, spacing and margins. The physical characteristics of the number plates are set out in

British Standard British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and which is formally designated as the national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The BSI Group produces British Standards under the a ...

BS AU 145d, which specifies visibility, strength, and reflectivity.

References

{{Reflist Government typefaces Sans-serif typefaces Vehicle registration plates

See also

References