Unicode to Tab Tamil Font Converter
It is one of the most common frustrations for a Tamil graphic designer or DTP operator.
You are given Tamil text from a client in a Word document or an email. You copy the text, switch to your Adobe Photoshop, PageMaker, or CorelDraw application, and paste it.
Instead of the text you copied, you see a complete mess—a string of meaningless English letters or, most famously, a row of empty boxes: ☐☐☐☐☐☐.
This isn’t a bug in your software, and your computer isn’t broken. It’s a fundamental technology clash between modern Tamil and the traditional fonts used in DTP. This “font encoding problem” has cost the design industry thousands of hours in manual re-typing.
Today, that frustration ends. We are introducing our fast, reliable, and 100% free online Unicode to TAB Tamil Font Converter.
In this article, we’ll explain why this problem happens, how our tool provides the perfect fix, and a step-by-step guide on how to use it to make your workflow seamless.
The Core Problem: Unicode vs. Legacy ‘TAB’ / ‘TAM’ Fonts
To understand the solution, you must first understand the problem. The “boxes” you see are a conflict between two different “encoding” standards for Tamil.
What is Unicode?
Unicode is the modern, global standard. It assigns a unique, permanent number (a “code point”) to every single character in every language.
When you type “தமிழ்” on your smartphone, a website, or a new version of Windows, you are using Unicode.
The system understands “த” as the specific character “TAMIL LETTER TA” (Code: U+0BA4).
The benefit: It works universally. Anyone, on any modern device, can read Unicode text without needing to install a special font.
What is a Legacy Font (like ‘TAB’ or ‘TAM’)?
Legacy fonts are the old-timers. This category includes popular font families like ‘TAB’, ‘TAM’ (e.g., Adhawin-TAM, Akalya-TAB), Bamini, and Ka. These were created before the Unicode standard became common.
These fonts are essentially clever “hacks.”
They do not contain the real Tamil characters.
Instead, they map Tamil-like shapes to the standard English A-Z keys on your keyboard.
For example, in a TAB font, typing the English letters “jkpo;” might display as “தமிழ்”.
The computer, however, only sees “jkpo;”. It has no idea it’s looking at Tamil.
The DTP (Desktop Publishing) and printing press industry was built on these legacy fonts because early versions of software like PageMaker 7.0 and Photoshop 7.0 could not handle Unicode.
The Conflict: Why Copy-Paste Fails
Now the problem is obvious.
You are copying Unicode text (the real “தமிழ்”) and pasting it into Photoshop, which is set to a TAB font and is expecting Legacy text (the fake “jkpo;”).
Your Photoshop, set to an ‘Adhawin-TAM’ font, doesn’t know what to do with the “U+0BA4” (த) Unicode character. It searches its font file for that code, finds nothing, and gives up, showing you a box (☐).
This is where our converter becomes your most essential tool.
Introducing Our Free Unicode to TAB Font Converter
Our tool is a simple but powerful “translator.” It takes the modern, universal Unicode text and instantly translates it into the old-school Legacy ‘TAB’ / ‘TAM’ font encoding that your DTP software understands.
It converts the “real” Tamil characters back into the exact “hacked” English keystrokes that the ‘TAB’ font needs to display them correctly.
(Here, you should embed your actual converter tool)
[YOUR TOOL NAME] – Instant Unicode to ‘TAB’ / ‘TAM’ Converter
Step 1: Paste your Unicode Tamil text into the box below. (This is the text from your website, Word doc, or email)
[Text Box for Unicode Input - "யூனிகோட் உரை இங்கே"]Step 2: Click the “Convert to TAB” button.
[ CONVERT TO TAB FONT ]Step 3: Your ‘TAB’ font compatible text will appear here. Click “Copy” and paste it directly into your design software. (The text will look jumbled, like “jkpo; nkhop”)
[Text Box for 'TAB' Font Output - "jkpo; nkhop mofhdJ"]
[ COPY TEXT ]
How to Fix Tamil Font Problem in Photoshop & PageMaker (Step-by-Step)
Using the tool is easy, but this next part is crucial. Follow these steps exactly to get a perfect result every time.
For Adobe Photoshop (Any Version: 7.0, CS, CC)
Get Your Text: Copy the Tamil Unicode text you want from a website, email, or Word document.
Convert: Paste this text into our “Unicode to TAB Converter” (Box 1) and click “Convert.”
Copy the Result: Click the “Copy Text” button to copy the new, jumbled-looking legacy text (from Box 2).
Go to Photoshop: Open your
.psddocument.Select Text Tool: Click the ‘T’ icon.
CRITICAL STEP: In the font menu, you MUST select the ‘TAB’ or ‘TAM’ font that you have installed on your computer (e.g., “Adhawin-TAM“, “Akalya-TAB“, “SaiIndira-TAM“, etc.).
Paste: Click on your canvas and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V) to paste.
The text will now appear perfectly. You have successfully fed the font the exact “encoding” it was designed to understand.
For Adobe PageMaker & CorelDraw
The process for PageMaker, CorelDraw, and other DTP software is identical. These programs are even more reliant on legacy fonts.
Copy and Convert: Use our online converter to get the ‘TAB’ / ‘TAM’ encoded text.
Copy the Result: Copy the jumbled text from the output box.
Go to PageMaker: Open your document.
Select Text Tool: Choose the ‘T’ tool.
CRITICAL STEP: Go to the Character Palette and ensure your selected font is the specific ‘TAB’ or ‘TAM’ font you use (e.g., “Akalya-TAB”).
Paste: Draw your text box and paste the converted text. It will display correctly, ready for printing.
Why Choose Our ‘TAB’ Font Converter? (Features & Benefits)
⚡ Blazing Fast: Get your text converted in milliseconds. No loading, no waiting.
🎯 High Accuracy: Our conversion mapping is perfect, ensuring all characters, sri (ஶ்ரீ), conjuncts, and vowel signs are converted correctly for the TAB/TAM encoding.
✅ 100% Free & Online: This tool is completely free, with no limits. Because it’s online, you don’t need to download any software or risk viruses.
📦 Handles Large Text: Convert entire paragraphs or pages at once, not just one word at a time.
🔒 Secure & Private: All conversion happens in your browser. We never see, store, or log your text.
🔄 Solves “TAB to Unicode” Problems Too: (Optional: If your tool has this feature, add it.) Our tool also includes a “TAB to Unicode” converter, allowing you to take old PageMaker files and convert them for use on the web.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
We’ve compiled answers to the most common questions about our Tamil font converter.
Q: Do I need to download the ‘TAB’ font to use this? A: Yes. Our tool converts the text. It does not provide the font file. You must have the ‘TAB’ or ‘TAM’ Tamil font (e.g., “Adhawin-TAM.ttf”, “Akalya-TAB.ttf”) already installed on your computer for the text to display correctly in Photoshop.
Q: Is ‘TAB’ font the same as ‘Bamini’ or ‘Ka’? A: No. They are all different legacy Tamil fonts, and they use different keyboard layouts (encodings). Text converted for ‘TAB’ will not work with a ‘Bamini’ font, and vice-versa. You must use the specific converter for the font you are using.
Q: Can I use this for my website or blog? A: No! You should never use legacy fonts like ‘TAB’ on a website. Websites must always use Unicode so that all visitors can read the text. This tool is only for DTP, graphic design, and printing where legacy fonts are required.
Q: Why am I still seeing boxes after converting? A: You likely missed the most important step! After pasting the converted (jumbled) text into Photoshop, you must select that text and change its font to your installed “TAB” or “TAM” font.
Conclusion: Stop Typing, Start Converting
Your workflow as a Tamil designer is about to get much faster. Stop wasting valuable time manually re-typing client text. Stop the frustration of the “empty box.”
Bookmark this page. Share it with your colleagues at the printing press and your designer friends. Make our free Unicode to TAB Tamil Font Converter your official, go-to solution for all your DTP work.
Try the tool right now and solve your Tamil font problems in seconds!