# Katagami Serif vs Signifier

Signifier is a commercial serif by Kris Sowersby at Klim Type Foundry. Katagami Serif follows Signifier's published design notes for rectangular baseline serifs, triangular head serifs and chopped terminals. Katagami Serif contains none of its outlines and is free under the SIL Open Font License.

## Comparison table

|  | Katagami Serif | Signifier |
|---|---|---|
| Designer | Kevin Liu | Kris Sowersby |
| Foundry or publisher | Self-published by Kevin Liu | Klim Type Foundry |
| First released | 2026 | 2020 |
| License | SIL Open Font License 1.1 | Klim Type Foundry licences (paid desktop, web and app licences) |
| Free for commercial use | Yes | No |
| Weights | 100 to 900 | Thin to Black (100 to 900) |
| Italics | Not yet | Yes, an italic for each of the 7 weights |
| Variable axes | wght | wght 100 to 900, with the full family purchase |
| Scripts | Latin, Greek, Cyrillic and 19 more scripts, 6,580 characters, plus Chinese, Japanese and Korean companions | Latin |
| Notable features | Rectangular serifs, small capitals, tabular figures, fractions | Rectangular baseline serifs, triangular head serifs and chopped terminals; oldstyle and tabular figures, small caps, alternate zero and one, fractions, superiors and inferiors |

## Differences in Katagami Serif

- Signifier is drawn from the 17th-century Fell Types. Katagami Serif cuts its serifs onto Katagami Text, so it keeps Text's proportions and level cuts.

## Download and web setup

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Download it from the [download page](https://katagami.kevinliu.studio/download), or link `katagami.css` and set the family. [Font-ify](https://katagami.kevinliu.studio/convert) shows any website in Katagami Serif.

```html
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://katagami.kevinliu.studio/fonts/katagami.css">
```

## Questions

**Is Katagami Serif free for commercial use?**

Katagami Serif is free for commercial use. It is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, which allows use in commercial and non-commercial products.

**Is Signifier free for commercial use?**

Signifier is not free for commercial use. Check the license at https://klim.co.nz/fonts/signifier/ before you ship it.

**Sources**

- https://katagami.kevinliu.studio/katagami-serif
- https://klim.co.nz/fonts/signifier/
- https://klim.co.nz/blog/signifier-design-information/

The sources were checked on 2026-10-16.

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Source: https://katagami.kevinliu.studio/compare/katagami-serif-vs-signifier