Community hub
0 subscribers8 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Marlett.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Marlett
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
 | |
| Category | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Designer | Virginia Howlett et al. |
| Foundry | Microsoft |
| Date released | 1995 |
| Classification | Pi font |
|---|---|
| Other related encoding | Webdings |
Marlett is a TrueType font that has been used in Microsoft Windows since Windows 95. The operating system uses this font to create user interface icons that are used in the menus and windows.[1] Examples are the close, maximize and minimize buttons that are made from the individual glyphs in the font. This was important to allow the users to scale the user interface and have the icons scale with the elements.[2]
Character layout
[edit]
Due to the specialised nature of the Marlett glyphs, many of the mappings shown are approximate.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0x | ||||||||||||||||
| 1x | ||||||||||||||||
| 2x | ||||||||||||||||
| 3x | 🗕[a] | 🗖[a] | 🗗[a] | ⏴[a] | ⏵[a] | ⏶[a] | ⏷[a] | ⭳[b] | 🞂 | 🞃 | ||||||
| 4x | ||||||||||||||||
| 5x | .svg){kind=logo} [c]
|
|||||||||||||||
| 6x | ✔[a] | ✓ | 🭽 | 🭿 | ⎾[d] | ⏌[e] | ⬛[a] | • | ● | ◜[f] | ◞[g] | ◜[h] | ◞[i] | ⬤[a] | 🮞 | |
| 7x | 🮞[j] | ─ | 🗙[a] | ❓[a] | ⯅ | ⯆ | ⬍[b] | 🞀 | 🮟 | 🮟[j] |
See also
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Compare this position in Webdings.
- ^ a b Approximate mapping: Marlett character lacks a vertical stem.
- ^ The character 87 (hexa 0x57) represents the Windows icon, which as a corporate logo has no Unicode point. Similar Unicode characters include U+1FA9F 🪟︎ WINDOW. Compare the status of the Apple logo in Mac OS Roman and Mac OS Symbol.
- ^ Approximate mapping (smaller version of 🭽)
- ^ Approximate mapping (smaller version of 🭿)
- ^ Larger version, 180° arc on top left (mapping to quadrant arc is approximate)
- ^ Larger version, 180° arc on bottom right (mapping to quadrant arc is approximate)
- ^ 180° arc on top left (mapping to quadrant arc is approximate)
- ^ 180° arc on bottom right (mapping to quadrant arc is approximate)
- ^ a b Bold version
References
[edit]- ^ "Description of and Troubleshooting the Marlett TrueType Font". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. 2006-11-15. Archived from the original on 2010-12-28.
- ^ Chen, Raymond (2012-01-16). "Why was there a font just for drawing symbols on buttons?". The Old New Thing. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2012-01-20.
External links
[edit]- A bit about Marlett on MSDN Blogs
- Marlett Characters documented by ReactOS
 | This typography-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
Marlett
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Marlett is a TrueType font developed by Microsoft specifically for rendering scalable icons within the user interface of the Windows operating system, including elements like menu symbols and radio buttons.[1] First introduced with Windows 95, it was designed and produced collaboratively by the Windows 95 User Interface team and the Microsoft Typography team to ensure consistent, resizable iconography across applications and system components.[1] The font's character set is optimized for symbolic representations, supporting features such as full radio button designs through a limited set of six key characters, and it operates under the Symbol Character Set code page.[1]
Over its evolution, Marlett has been included in subsequent Windows releases, from Windows 98 through Windows 11, as well as server editions like Windows Server 2003 and 2008, and integrated into Microsoft Office applications for consistent UI rendering.[1] Technically, the font file is named marlett.ttf, features a single style and weight, and is not fixed-pitch, allowing for flexible scaling without loss of quality in vector-based displays.[1] Its copyright is held by Microsoft Corporation since 2006, with version updates reflecting platform advancements, such as version 1.00 in Windows 95, 1.01 in Windows XP, and 5.00 in Windows Vista.[1] This enduring utility underscores Marlett's role in maintaining visual coherence in Microsoft's ecosystem, particularly for legacy and core system icons that require precision and adaptability.[1]
This selection represents core UI mappings; full details can be viewed using font utilities on Windows systems.[13]
Overview and History
Introduction and Purpose
Marlett is a TrueType symbol font developed by Microsoft for rendering scalable user interface icons in its Windows operating system. It consists of glyphs designed specifically as symbolic representations rather than alphabetic characters, enabling the creation of consistent visual elements across various display sizes.[2] The core purpose of Marlett is to generate icons for essential Windows UI components, such as close, maximize, minimize buttons, and menu symbols, ensuring uniformity and scalability without relying on bitmap images that could distort at different resolutions.[1] This approach allows the operating system to render these elements vectorially, maintaining clarity and professionalism in user interactions regardless of screen density or zoom level.[3] Designed by Virginia Howlett and her team at Microsoft Typography, the font was produced by the Microsoft Corporation foundry and initially released in 1995 as part of Windows 95.[2] Over subsequent Windows versions, Marlett has evolved to support ongoing UI needs while preserving its foundational role.[4]Development and Release Timeline
The Marlett font originated as part of the Microsoft Windows 95 user interface redesign, where it was developed to provide scalable vector-based symbols for menu icons and controls, replacing earlier bitmap-based graphics to support varying display sizes.[1] It was specifically designed and produced by the Windows 95 User Interface team and the Microsoft Typography team, leveraging TrueType font technology for its vector outlines and hinting capabilities to ensure clear rendering at small sizes.[1] This approach built on the TrueType framework introduced in Windows 3.1, allowing for efficient scalability without the need for emerging vector formats like SVG, which were not yet available.[5] Marlett debuted with Windows 95 in 1995 at version 1.00 and remained at that version in Windows 98.[1] It saw a minor update to version 1.06 in Windows 2000, followed by version 1.01 in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.[1] A more significant version increment to 5.00 occurred with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, after which it persisted across Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11 with a minor update to version 5.01 in Windows 11 and ongoing inclusion as a core system component.[1][6] As a proprietary Microsoft font, Marlett is embedded within Windows system files as marlett.ttf and is not intended for redistribution or standalone use outside the operating system.[7] Its licensing restricts copying to other systems, format conversions, or commercial embedding beyond standard document previews and prints generated within licensed Windows environments.[7] Maintenance has focused on compatibility with evolving Windows rendering engines, ensuring its symbol set remains integral to UI elements without fundamental alterations to the glyph designs established in its initial release.[1]Design and Technical Specifications
Font Characteristics and Structure
The Marlett font is distributed as a TrueType (.ttf) file named marlett.ttf, employing vector-based outline glyphs that support scalable rendering without embedded bitmap versions for fallback at specific resolutions.[1] This outline structure allows the glyphs to be smoothly scaled for use in user interface elements, maintaining clarity across varying display sizes.[1] Key metrics of the Marlett font include a non-fixed pitch design, where individual glyphs exhibit proportional widths rather than uniform monospacing, though the overall structure facilitates alignment in Windows UI contexts.[1] The font incorporates limited kerning pairs tailored for specific symbol combinations to optimize spacing in interface rendering, as determined through GDI text measurement functions.[8] Baseline alignment is handled via standard TrueType vertical metrics, with the ascender set at 1920 units per em and descender at 0, supporting typical UI rendering heights.[9] Design principles emphasize a minimalist approach with simple, geometric forms for its symbols—such as arrows and checkmarks—to ensure legibility at reduced sizes, while omitting a complete alphabetic character set in favor of UI-focused icons.[1] The font includes approximately 37 glyphs, all dedicated to symbols rather than text letters, enabling efficient representation of interface elements like buttons and menus.[9] Rendering of Marlett relies on the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) for output, which applies anti-aliasing and hinting instructions embedded in the TrueType outlines to preserve edge sharpness on lower-resolution screens.[8] The file itself measures about 24 KB in size and is embedded as a protected system resource in the Windows font directory at C:\Windows\Fonts\marlett.ttf, restricting direct user modifications to maintain OS integrity.[10][11]Character Set and Glyph Mappings
The Marlett font has glyphs mapped to positions in the ASCII range from 0x20 to 0xFF, consisting of approximately 37 unique symbols, with many glyphs featuring custom designs that lack direct Unicode equivalents.[1][9] These symbols are primarily intended for rendering scalable user interface elements in Microsoft Windows, such as buttons and icons, rather than standard text.[1] The font omits lowercase letters entirely, relying instead on uppercase forms and specialized symbols to support its UI-focused purpose.[12] Key glyph mappings in Marlett include representations of common interface controls. For instance, the code 0x33 renders a left scrollbar button. The code 0x62 produces a checkmark glyph, closely matching ✔ (U+2714). At 0x72, a close button 'x' appears, akin to × (U+00D7). Additionally, 0x57 maps to the Windows logo, which has no standard Unicode point and remains a proprietary symbol.[13] Special characters in Marlett emphasize UI controls, including directional arrows and buttons for window management and scrolling. Examples include 0x30 for the minimize button (a downward arrow, approx. ↓ U+2193), 0x31 for the maximize button (a square outline, approx. ▪ U+25AA), and 0x32 for the restore down button (approx. ↕ U+2195), as well as scroll arrows at codes like 0x35 (up arrow, approx. ↑ U+2191) and 0x36 (down arrow, approx. ↓ U+2193). These glyphs enable consistent rendering of interactive elements across Windows applications.[13] Marlett is not a complete text font; its glyphs exhibit proportional widths for flexible UI alignment and are designed in a single medium weight to ensure visibility in interface contexts.[1] The following table summarizes 12 primary glyphs, highlighting their hex codes, descriptions, and approximate Unicode symbols where applicable:| Hex Code | Description | Approximate Unicode (Code Point) |
|---|---|---|
| 0x30 | Minimize button (down arrow) | ↓ (U+2193) |
| 0x31 | Maximize button (square) | ▪ (U+25AA) |
| 0x32 | Restore down arrow | ↕ (U+2195) |
| 0x33 | Left scrollbar button | None |
| 0x35 | Up scroll arrow | ↑ (U+2191) |
| 0x36 | Down scroll arrow | ↓ (U+2193) |
| 0x57 | Windows logo | None |
| 0x62 | Checkmark | ✔ (U+2714) |
| 0x72 | Close button 'x' | × (U+00D7) |
| 0xF0 | Radio button empty | ○ (U+25CB) |
| 0xF6 | Checkbox empty | ☐ (U+2610) |
| 0xFC | Bullet point | • (U+2022) |
Usage in Microsoft Windows
Integration in User Interface Elements
Marlett is deeply embedded in the graphical user interface (GUI) of Microsoft Windows, serving as the foundational font for rendering key interactive elements across core system applications and components. It is prominently used for the title bar buttons in windows, including the close button (rendered via the 'r' glyph), minimize button ('0' glyph), maximize button ('1' glyph), and restore button ('2' glyph), ensuring scalable and consistent iconography. Beyond title bars, Marlett supplies glyphs for menu chevrons (such as the '8' glyph for right-pointing arrows in submenus), dialog box icons like checkmarks and bullets, and scrollbar controls, including up/down arrows and grips, which contribute to the uniform aesthetic of the classic Windows interface.[13][14][3] The integration of Marlett occurs through dedicated Windows API functions that reference its glyphs for drawing these elements programmatically. The DrawFrameControl() API, part of the Winuser.h library, internally leverages Marlett to render frame controls such as radio buttons (using six glyphs such as 'i' for the bullet and 'j' to 'n' for the outlines) and other UI primitives in non-themed environments. This vector-based approach allows for precise, resolution-independent rendering without relying on bitmap resources. While functions like LoadIcon() handle standard system icons (e.g., IDI_APPLICATION), Marlett's symbols are invoked for custom or equivalent UI mappings in legacy-compatible applications.[15][16][3][13] Version-specific implementations highlight Marlett's enduring role, debuting in Windows 95 as the primary font for UI icons in pre-Aero interfaces and remaining central through Windows XP. In contemporary versions such as Windows 10 and 11, Marlett persists for backward compatibility in classic and unthemed UIs but is supplemented by modern symbol fonts like Segoe MDL2 Assets, which handle newer Fluent Design icons while Marlett supports legacy controls. The font file (marlett.ttf, version 5.01 in Windows 11) is included in all recent releases, underscoring its ongoing utility.[1][6][17] Windows accessibility features enhance Marlett's integration by adapting its rendering in high-contrast modes, where the system applies inverted colors and bold outlines to glyphs for improved visibility against backgrounds, benefiting users with low vision. These adjustments ensure that title bar buttons, menu symbols, and scrollbar elements remain distinguishable without altering their core design.[18][19] Developers can access Marlett for embedding in Windows applications using standard font loading APIs like CreateFont(), as it is a system-installed TrueType font available since Windows 95. However, Microsoft recommends against using it for non-UI purposes, such as custom text or graphics, to avoid inconsistencies with the native interface and potential licensing issues in distributed software.[20][1]Scalability and Customization Features
Marlett, as a TrueType font, utilizes vector outlines that enable infinite scalability without loss of quality or pixelation, making it suitable for rendering icons across various display resolutions, including high-DPI environments such as 4K monitors in Windows 10 and later versions.[1] This vector-based design allows the glyphs to be smoothly resized by the operating system, ensuring clarity in user interface elements like menus and controls regardless of the zoom level or screen density.[1] The font integrates with Windows theming mechanisms, where glyph colors are determined by the system's color scheme; for instance, in Windows 11's dark mode, the icons rendered via Marlett adopt inverted or light hues to maintain visibility against dark backgrounds, while size adjustments occur automatically through DPI scaling settings.[21] However, customization options are limited, as Marlett is not designed for user editing or modification—its files reside in protected system directories and cannot be altered without risking system instability. Developers can reference it in applications, such as specifyingfont-family: 'Marlett' in CSS for WinUI-based apps, but Microsoft advises transitioning to contemporary alternatives like Segoe MDL2 Assets for new icon implementations due to Marlett's legacy status and restricted glyph set.[17]
In terms of performance, Marlett benefits from TrueType hinting instructions that optimize glyph rendering for sharpness, particularly effective at common UI sizes ranging from 9 to 24 points, where it avoids artifacts on standard displays. The font lacks support for variants such as bold or italic, maintaining a single style optimized for symbolic use rather than typographic flexibility.[1]
For inspection and viewing, Marlett glyphs can be accessed through the built-in Windows Character Map application, which displays available symbols and their Unicode mappings, or via third-party tools like FontForge, an open-source font editor that allows detailed analysis of its outlines without modification.