Symbolmt-normal Font Now
CorelDRAW’s text engine historically relied on Symbolmt for special characters in vector illustrations.
As of 2025, MathType (version 7+) has moved to Unicode-based fonts. Wiris no longer installs Symbolmt-normal by default on new machines unless in legacy mode. Major operating systems do not include it. Therefore, we are in a transition period: documents from 1995–2015 may require it, but newer files must not.
If you maintain an archive of scientific data, consider batch-converting old documents using PanDocs or Pandoc with Lua filters to remap Symbolmt-normal glyphs to Unicode.
If you cannot install Symbolmt-normal but need to read a document, try these alternatives:
For almost every use case, you should avoid relying on the Symbolmt-normal font. Instead, use these modern, cross-platform alternatives: Symbolmt-normal Font
| Use Case | Recommended Font | Why It's Better | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Math & Science | Noto Sans Math | Open-source, covers all Unicode math symbols (U+2200–U+22FF) | | Bullets & Dingbats | Segoe UI Symbol (Windows) / Apple Symbols (macOS) | Native OS support for arrows, stars, and checkmarks | | Engineering Symbols | Arial Unicode MS | Enormous glyph set includes Geometric Shape blocks (U+25A0–U+25FF) | | Icons (Modern UI) | Font Awesome (Web) or Material Icons | Vector icons, scalable, and semantic HTML support |
The critical difference is that modern alternatives use standard Unicode code points. Instead of relying on a font-specific mapping (where "A" looks like a triangle), you can insert ▲ (▲) directly into your HTML or text editor, and it will work regardless of the font.
SymbolMT-Normal is a specific digital version of the classic Symbol font
. To "put together" its identity, you have to look at its history, technical roots, and how it behaves in a design. What is it? in the name stands for Major operating systems do not include it
, the famous font foundry that produced this specific digital version. It is a "Pi" or "Dingbat" font, meaning it doesn't contain standard letters (A, B, C); instead, it maps those keys to Greek letters and mathematical operators. Key Characteristics The Content
: It includes Greek capitals and lowercase letters, figures, basic punctuation, and a wide collection of mathematical signs like : It is designed to match the weight and proportions of Times New Roman
, making it the "go-to" for scientific papers and technical documents that need to look uniform. Standard Status
: It is considered one of the "Base 14" fonts, which are pre-installed on almost every computer and printer to ensure documents look the same everywhere. Common Uses Academic & Scientific Writing : Inserting variables like (Alpha) or (Delta) without breaking the flow of a serif text block. Engineering & Tech : Creating formulas and specialized diagrams. Cross-Platform PDF Stability If you cannot install Symbolmt-normal but need to
: Because it's a standard system font, using it ensures that symbols don't turn into "junk" characters when you send a file to someone else. How to "Pair" It
Since SymbolMT is purely functional, you shouldn't use it for body text. It is designed to be paired with high-quality serif fonts that have a similar "academic" feel, such as Times New Roman Are you trying to fix a display issue
where this font is showing up as boxes, or are you looking for a specific character inside it? Symbol font family - Typography | Microsoft Learn
Here is the important information regarding this font and how to handle it properly in text editing:
font-family: "Symbol MT", Symbol, "Apple Symbols", sans-serif;