Kruti Dev and Mangal are fonts; Inscript and Remington GAIL are keyboard layouts. Kruti Dev is an older, non-Unicode font typed with Remington-style key positions, while Mangal is a Unicode font that you can type with either Inscript or Remington GAIL. Several recent notices, including SSC CHSL 2026, now ask for Mangal.
Font versus layout
A font decides how letters look and, for Hindi, how they are stored. A layout decides which key gives which letter. People often mix the two up because the old Kruti Dev font came with its own key positions.
- Kruti Dev (and DevLys): legacy fonts. The computer stores English letters and the font draws them as Hindi shapes. You type with the Remington typewriter key positions.
- Mangal: a Unicode font. The computer stores real Hindi letters, so the text stays Hindi in any font, in search and on any phone.
- Remington GAIL: a layout that uses the familiar Remington key positions but types Unicode text, so the result works with Mangal.
- Inscript: a layout designed for Unicode, with vowels and matras on the left of the keyboard and consonants on the right. You type in the order you speak.
Why Unicode matters
If you copy Kruti Dev text into a normal font, it turns into a jumble of English letters, because that is what was really stored. Unicode text does not have this problem. That is why many boards now ask for Mangal or Unicode: what you type is real Hindi that can be checked word by word.
What each exam asks for
| Exam (notice) | Hindi font and layout |
|---|---|
| SSC CHSL LDC/JSA (2026) | Mangal only. Any other font means you do not qualify (para 13.9.13.7 viii). This rule is new compared with the 2025 notice. |
| CPCT (2026) | Unicode, with Remington GAIL or Inscript |
| BSSC LDC (2026) | Mangal font, Remington GAIL layout |
| DSSSB LDC / Junior Assistant (2026) | Kruti Dev / Mangal (Remington GAIL / Inscript), on a normal English keyboard |
| RSSB Clerk Grade-II (2026) | DevLys 010 on the Standard keyboard |
| RRB NTPC, 2025 cycle | Kruti Dev or Mangal; not confirmed from the official notice, so check yours |
| UPSSSC Junior Assistant (2026 test) | Reported as Mangal (Inscript) or Kruti Dev 010 (Remington); not in the official advertisement |
Which one should you learn
- If your exam names a font or layout, learn that one. It is the only rule that matters.
- If you already type Kruti Dev, Remington GAIL lets you keep your finger memory and still produce Unicode for a Mangal test.
- If you are starting from zero and your exam allows Inscript, it is a clean choice, because you type letters in natural order.
Before the exam, open the board's mock test if it has one and check which layouts are actually offered on screen.
What to do next
Practise in Hindi typing, where you can choose Remington GAIL or Inscript. If you have old Kruti Dev text, turn it into Unicode with the Kruti Dev to Unicode converter. For other Indian languages, see typing in other languages.