Overview
The Language field helps define how your email content is interpreted. It can also influence how fonts display when your email includes different character sets.
Fonts may not always render as expected across all languages. This is due to how email clients handle unsupported characters.
How Font Rendering Works
Character Support
Each font supports a specific set of characters.
If your selected font does not support a character, your email client may replace that character with a fallback font. The fallback is often a system font available on the recipient's device.
This keeps your content readable.
Email Client Behavior
Your email client controls how fonts are rendered.
An email client may:
Detect the language from the
langattribute or your content.Check whether your selected font supports the required characters.
Use a fallback font when characters are not supported.
This behavior can occur in email clients such as Outlook.
Mixed Character Sets
Your email may contain more than one language or character set.
When this happens:
Supported characters use your selected font.
Unsupported characters use a fallback font.
You may see more than one font within the same email as a result.
Why Fonts Change
Font fallback prevents display problems.
Without a supported fallback font, some characters may:
Appear as empty boxes.
Display incorrectly.
Become unreadable.
A strong font stack helps your content display correctly across different devices and email clients.
Create a Font Stack in Knak
A font stack is a list of fonts in order of preference. If your first font is not available or does not support a character, the email client can use the next supported font.
See Creating Fonts in Knak for more information.
1. Create Your Font
Add a new font in Knak.
Set your brand font as the primary font.
Add fallback fonts in order of priority.
Click Create.
2. Add the Font to Your Font Kit
Open your Font Kit.
Add your new font.
Save your changes.
Your font is now available for templates that use the Font Kit.
3. Apply the Font to Your Email
Open your email in the editor.
Select your Font Kit or font.
Apply the font to your text styles.
4. Test Your Email
Preview your email in different email clients.
Check each language used in your email. Confirm that all characters are readable and that fallback fonts display as expected.
Set the Correct Language
Set the Language field to match the language of your email.
Open your email in the editor.
Go to Email Settings.
Find the Language field.
Select the correct language from the dropdown.
Setting the correct language helps screen readers interpret your content. It can also help email clients apply the correct rendering rules.
Best Practices for Consistent Fonts
Use Language-Compatible Fonts
Choose fonts that support your target language.
Examples:
Japanese → Noto Sans JP
Chinese → Noto Sans SC
Korean → Noto Sans KR
Arabic → Noto Sans Arabic
Use a Clear Font Stack
Add fallback fonts when you create your font in Knak.
Choose fallback fonts that support the languages in your email. Put them in your preferred display order.
Test Every Language
Font rendering can vary between email clients and devices.
Before sending your campaign:
Test every language used in your email.
Test multiple email clients.
Check desktop and mobile views.
Look for unexpected font changes.
Confirm that every character is readable.
Use Email Testing to preview your email across multiple email clients.
Key Takeaways
Your font must support the characters used in your email.
Unsupported characters may display in a fallback font.
Your email client controls when font fallback occurs.
Mixed character sets may cause multiple fonts to appear in one email.
A strong font stack improves consistency.
The correct Language setting improves accessibility.
Testing helps you identify font differences before sending.
Need more help? Contact support via live chat using the chat bubble in the bottom right corner or email support@knak.com.