PlainBlack

Name: PlainBlack
Author: Paul Lloyd

PlainBlack offers versatile typography with carefully balanced proportions for diverse design applications.

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Blackletterby Paul Lloyd56% Accessible

Characters256

Glyphs307

Typography Tools

Best Ways to Use PlainBlack

Best Font Pairings for PlainBlack

TypeSmith curates 3 expert font pairings for PlainBlack, including combinations with PT Root UI, Mandali and Lexend Tera.

Each pairing includes accessibility ratings, expert reasoning, and usage recommendations for web and print design.

Explore 3 Pairings for PlainBlack

Test PlainBlack Font Pairings Live

TypeSmith's interactive testing tool lets you preview PlainBlack with any font combination in real-time, optimized for blackletter characteristics.

Adjust font sizes, weights, and see live typography specimens including editorial layouts, code editors, and UI components.

Test PlainBlack Pairings Live

In Context

PlainBlack Specimen Gallery

EditorialUI ComponentsPosterWordmark

PlainBlack Editorial Specimen

PlainBlack in Editorial Context

PlainBlack is a blackletter typeface by Paul Lloyd suited for editorial layouts and long-form reading.

Paul Lloyd

Typeface Designer • Blackletter

PlainBlack demonstrates editorial readability through balanced proportions and consistent stroke weight. As a blackletter typeface, it delivers clear letterforms that sustain reader engagement across extended passages of text.

The weight range of PlainBlack supports typographic hierarchy within editorial layouts. Headline weights establish visual anchors while lighter weights maintain comfortable reading rhythm in body text columns.

Designed by Paul Lloyd, PlainBlack balances personality with function — providing enough character to establish visual identity without compromising the legibility that editorial contexts demand.

Email Address

Password

PlainBlack Typography

A blackletter typeface for UI components.

Active2 weights available

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PlainBlack Specimen

PlainBlack

PlainBlack is a blackletter typeface by Paul Lloyd built for display contexts.

2 WeightsBlackletter Typeface

Available on TypeSmith

Wordmark Explorations

PlainBlack

PLAINBLACK

PLAINBLACKTYPE

Tagline Pairings

PlainBlack— blackletter typeface

PlainBlackBy Paul Lloyd

PlainBlackTYPE

Editorial

Magazine-style headline and body text layout

Character Set

PlainBlack Glyphs & Characters

Size48

Showing 62 of 187 charactersDouble-click to copy • Click for details

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Heading Examples

Body Text Table

Body Copy

PlainBlack Used As Body Text

TypeSmith provides optimized body text specifications for PlainBlack, including recommended sizes, line heights, and letter spacing for long-form content. These settings ensure maximum readability across devices and screen sizes.

PlainBlack demonstrates exceptional body text performance with balanced proportions and consistent stroke widths that enhance readability across paragraph lengths.

When setting PlainBlack for body copy, TypeSmith recommends these optimized specifications. The carefully tuned metrics ensure comfortable reading at extended lengths while maintaining the typeface's distinctive character.

PlainBlack small text sizes retain legibility through well-defined letterforms. Caption and footnote applications benefit from the font's clear x-height and open counters.

Element	Weight	Size	Line Height	Tracking	Preview
Body Text	Regular	16px	24px	0.5px	PlainBlack delivers excellent readability for body copy
Italicized	Regular Italic	16px	24px	0.5px	PlainBlack italic provides elegant emphasis
Bold	Bold	16px	24px	0.5px	PlainBlack bold creates strong visual hierarchy
Small Caps	Regular	16px	24px	0.5px	PlainBlack typography specimen
Secondary Text	Medium	14px	20px	0.5px	PlainBlack typography specimen

.your-class { font-family: 'PlainBlack'; }

Quick Start

Adding PlainBlack to Your Website

HTML Link Tag

Add to your <head> section

<link href="https://fonts.bunny.net/css?family=PlainBlack:400,700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">

CSS @import

Add at top of your stylesheet

@import url('https://fonts.bunny.net/css?family=PlainBlack:400,700&display=swap');

CSS @font-face

Self-host the font files

@font-face {
  font-family: 'PlainBlack';
  src: url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=PlainBlack:wght@400;700&display=swap');
  font-display: swap;
}

Implementation

Code Snippets for PlainBlack

Standard CSS

css

Apply directly to any CSS class or selector.

 1.my-text {
 2  font-family: 'PlainBlack', sans-serif;
 3  font-weight: 400;
 4}

SCSS Variable

scss

Define once, use throughout your stylesheet.

 1$font-primary: 'PlainBlack', sans-serif;
 2
 3.my-text {
 4  font-family: $font-primary;
 5}

Tailwind CSS

config

Configure once, apply with utility classes.

 1// tailwind.config.js
 2module.exports = {
 3  theme: {
 4    extend: {
 5      fontFamily: {
 6        'plainblack': ['PlainBlack', 'sans-serif'],
 7      },
 8    },
 9  },
10}
11
12// Usage in HTML
13<p class="font-plainblack">Your text here</p>

About

Understanding PlainBlack

Paul Lloyd

Blackletter

Open Source

PlainBlack is a free font from Paul Lloyd.

PlainBlack was designed by Paul Lloyd. The typeface shows dedication to typographic detail, visible in its letterform construction and optical balance.

As a Blackletter typeface in the Vox-ATypI Fractured classification, PlainBlack features angular fractured strokes with sharp diamond terminals and heavy stroke weight with minimal internal white space. These optical characteristics make it well-suited for heavy metal and gothic music artwork.

PlainBlack is available in a single weight, offering focused typographic consistency for both digital and print applications, with 3 font pairings curated. Standard Latin character coverage serves the majority of Western typographic workflows.

PlainBlack

Typography Judgment

Expert Analysis of PlainBlack

TypeSmith evaluates every font across classification, accessibility, and design heritage. This analysis helps designers understand PlainBlack's strengths and ideal use cases before committing to a typography decision.

Classification

Blackletter analysis. Typographic analysis places PlainBlack within the Fractured (Textura, Rotunda, Schwabacher, Fraktur) tradition, characterized by Angular fractured strokes with sharp diamond terminals and Heavy stroke weight with minimal internal white space. Blackletter originated with Gothic manuscript hands in 12th-century northern Europe. Key technical strength: historical authenticity for period-specific design work.

PlainBlack

Best Ways to Use PlainBlack

Best Font Pairings for PlainBlack

Test PlainBlack Font Pairings Live

In Context

PlainBlack Typography

PlainBlack

Character Set

Type Scale

PlainBlack Used As Body Text

Quick Start

HTML Link Tag

CSS @import

CSS @font-face

Implementation

Standard CSS

SCSS Variable

Tailwind CSS

About

Typography Judgment

Classification

Accessibility

Design Heritage

Overview

Categories

Explore More

Inclusive Design

PlainBlack: Accessibility Considerations

PlainBlack's Legibility

PlainBlack in Context: Readability

Visual Comfort with PlainBlack

PlainBlack Accessibility Recommendations

Best Practices for Using PlainBlack

Get the Font

Available Weights

Weight Reference

Internationalization

Western European

Nordic

Central European

Baltic

Legal

What you can do

Restrictions