In a fixed-width font, every character is the same width. For example, the asc814 character cell is 8 cells wide and 14 cells high. A thin letter like i takes up the same space as a wider letter like m. All the ESL fonts are fixed-width. Courier is a fixed-width Windows font.

In a proportional font, a thin letter like i takes up fewer pixels than a wider letter like m. Helv, Tins Rmn, and System are proportional Windows fonts.

Note: Do not confuse the width characteristic of a font with its resolution dependence, discussed previously. All the fixed-cell and resolution-dependent fonts described in the tables are fixed-width