FAQ
What platforms and software will Padauk work in?
Padauk will work on Mac OS X, Linux and Windows. However, keep in mind that more recent versions (such as Mac OS x v10.8+ and Windows 7+) give the best support. The other key to successful rendering of complex fonts is the support given by the application you are using.
What is so special about Padauk?
This font is designed to work with two advanced font technologies, Graphite and OpenType. To take advantage of the advanced typographic capabilities of this font, you must be using applications that provide an adequate level of support for Graphite or OpenType. These advanced capabilities provide the logic for complex rendering of the Myanmar script. The Graphite supports also allows access to the variant character forms used in many languages.
What characters are included with this release?
Padauk covers all the characters from the Myanmar blocks in Unicode 9.0 standard plus characters from other blocks. See Character Set Support for the full listing.
My language uses variant forms of some Myanmar characters. How do I type these using the Padauk font?
If your application supports Graphite features, you can use these to access the font features built into the font. See Padauk Features on the Padauk Smart Font Features page for more details.
Can I make a web page using this font?
Yes. You can create web pages that request that Padauk be used to display them. In the download package we provide a WOFF font. See Using SIL Fonts on Web Pages for instructions on using fonts on web pages.
Do you supply a keyboard to use with Padauk?
Padauk does not include any keyboarding helps or utilities. If you cannot use the built-in keyboards of the operating system, you will need to install the appropriate keyboard and input method for the characters of the language you wish to use. If you want to enter characters that are not supported by any system keyboard, the Keyman program (www.keyman.com) is available for Windows, macOS, Linux and even mobile devices. For other options, KMFL (kmfl.sourceforge.net), XKB (www.x.org/wiki/XKB) or Ukelele (https://software.sil.org/ukelele/) can be helpful.
The Myanmar Unicode keyboard package including myWin, myWinExt (MyWin adapted for Unicode 1.3, UTN 11-3) and Myanmar3Std keyboard layouts is appropriate to use with this font, and can be downloaded from the Keyman Myanmar3 (SIL) keyboard site. This keyboard was formerly available through Ekaya; however, Ekaya does not work well on Win8+.
If you want to enter characters that are not supported by any system keyboard, and to access the full Unicode range, we suggest you use gucharmap, kcharselect on Ubuntu or similar software. Another method of entering some symbols is provided by a few applications such as Adobe InDesign. They can display a glyph palette that shows all the glyphs (symbols) in a font and allow you to enter them by clicking on the glyph you want.
Can I make changes to Padauk?
Yes! That is allowed as long as you abide by the conditions of the SIL Open Font License.
Are there Unicode issues for Myanmar that I should be aware of?
There is a Myanmar Scripts and Languages FAQ available on the Unicode website.