A LastResort or fallback computer font is a reserve typeface containing symbols for all Unicode characters. When a display system encounters a character which is not part of the repertoire of any of the other available fonts, a symbol from a LastResort font is used instead. Typically, a LastResort font will contain symbols representative of the various types of Unicode characters. The use of a fallback font is suggested in The Unicode Standard, but the particular implementation and name was suggested by Apple Computer, which included a fallback font in Mac OS 8.5.

Systems that do not offer a fallback font typically display black or white rectangles or nothing at all in place of missing characters. Symbols in a LastResort font can contain annotations such as the relevant Unicode block and the script system used.

Apple's LastResort font

Apple's LastResort font was first included in Mac OS 8.5, for the benefit of applications using Apple Type Services for Unicode Imaging. It is also used in Mac OS X. Designed by Michael Everson of Everson Typography , the symbols adhere to a unified design. The glyphs are square with rounded corners with a bold outline. In the left and right sides of the outline, the Unicode range that the character belongs to is given using hexadecimal digits. Top and bottom are used for one or two descriptions of the Unicode block name. A symbol representative of the block is centered inside the square.

References

• Apple Computer (November 2, 2002). Apple's LastResort font web site. Retrieved 2004-11-02 .
• The Unicode Consortium (March 30, 2004). The Unicode Standard, 4.0.1. Retrieved 2004-11-02 .

External links

• SIL International's Unicode BMP Fallback Font — Free fallback font