Its thick strokes provide the strong appealing power needed for large-format print media.
Despite its extreme weight, W9 maintains tight counters (the internal spaces of characters) to keep the glyphs legible and prevent them from blurring into solid blocks of ink or pixels. hiragino sans w9
The typeface was designed by Jiyukobo Ltd. (founded by Tsutomu Suzuki, Osamu Torinoumi, and Keiichi Katada) and is published by SCREEN Graphic Solutions . Named after the Hiragino area in Kyoto, the series was originally developed to meet the demands of professional publishing and high-resolution digital displays. Description SCREEN Graphic Solutions Co., Ltd. Designer Jiyukobo Ltd. Weight Class Ultra-Heavy (W9) Release Year 1993 (Initial series) Primary Use Headlines, posters, signage, and branding Key Applications of Hiragino Sans W9 Its thick strokes provide the strong appealing power
The Hiragino Sans family consists of ten weights, ranging from the ultra-thin W0 to the ultra-heavy W9 . While lighter weights like W3 or W6 are commonly used for body text and standard UI elements in macOS and iOS , is specifically engineered for high-visibility applications. It is characterized by: (founded by Tsutomu Suzuki, Osamu Torinoumi, and Keiichi
It retains the traditional letterforms of Japanese Gothic type while removing right-side serifs to create a contemporary, lively impression . Design and Heritage
The typeface is a popular choice for highway signs and other public information systems because of its superior legibility from a distance.
W9 provides the highest degree of "grayness" or visual density on a page, making it the primary choice for headlines that need to stand out against busy backgrounds.