5x5 Pixel font for tiny screens

3 days ago

A 5x5 pixel font is designed for tiny screens, where each character fits in a 5-pixel square and can be drawn on a 6x6 grid for safety.
It's based on lcamtuf's 5x6 font, which was inspired by the ZX Spectrum's 8x8 font, and is the smallest size that maintains legibility without compromises.
Smaller sizes like 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 3x5, and 3x4 are explored, but they sacrifice readability or character distinctiveness, with 5x5 being optimal.
The font uses a constant width of 5 pixels, simplifying programming by ensuring predictable string lengths and avoiding layout overflows.
It occupies only 350 bytes of memory, making it suitable for 8-bit microcontrollers with limited RAM, such as the AVR128DA28.
While high-resolution displays are too demanding, low-resolution OLEDs (e.g., 160x128) benefit from this efficient, hand-crafted font for practical use.
On real screens, subpixels can create pseudo-dropshadow effects, and pixel gaps enhance readability, even on monochrome displays.
Alternative tiny fonts like 3x5, 3x4, 3x3, 2x3, and 2x2 are discussed, with diminishing legibility, but some remain usable in constrained scenarios.

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