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The Best Fonts for T-Shirt Designs

By ShirtSpace | Nov 05, 2024 | Updated Nov 05, 2024

Selecting a font can make or break a t-shirt design. Just as important as photography or various forms of graphics, typography is an art. And with any form of art, it often takes practice to refine and improve. Luckily, there are many resources to help you make the decision and enhance your font selection skills! Learn these basic principles about typography, and font selection will begin to come naturally to you!

Hero image credit: pixelshot

The Best T-Shirt Fonts for Your Next Project

The best fonts for t-shirts are often balanced and legible, and they convey the tone of the message. For example, shirts that have the purpose of outfitting a staff of security or volunteers running an event probably want big, thick, bold lettering so that everyone around can easily see them as a leader or person of authority in that space. On the other hand, when designing a monogrammed golf shirt, legibility might be outside the top of the priority list. A fancy script typeface that conveys luxury is probably more of the direction we would go here. So there isn’t one answer for the best fonts for t-shirts–designs will heavily influence the answer to this question.

The back of a person wearing a blue t-shirt with white sans serif text that reads, “STAFF” in all capital letters.
Image credit: nycshooter from Getty Images Signature

What Makes a Font Great for T-Shirt Designs?

A good font on printed materials or digital mediums might not always translate well to a good font on t-shirt material. This is because great t-shirt fonts must be a suitable typeface to match the tone, feel balanced with other elements or additional fonts, and be legible.

Factors to Consider When Selecting T-Shirt Fonts

Understanding basic typography rules will help you design t-shirts much better, similar to having a strong grasp of color theory and complementary colors, which helps up your t-shirt design game. Selecting the right typeface category helps you narrow down the best font for your project. Typefaces are sets of design elements made up of individual characters or glyphs, which together form symbols to communicate messages within a specific visual language. It goes a bit deeper for font classifications than what we have laid out here, but these are the basics.

Typeface Categories

There are several types of fonts to choose from, all with a different aesthetic and purpose. These are not all of the typeface categories, but some of the most popular.

SERIF: These letters have small additions at the end of each stroke, creating the character. If you removed the additional pieces (often called “tails” or “feet”) that sit at each line of the letter or number, you would still be able to read the typography; it would just become a sans serif font. These fonts are classic and formal and usually have a historic or vintage feel. Serif fonts are typically a good choice for reading smaller printed text (such as a novel or textbook) but are not always the best for digital screens.

A woman with blonde hair wearing an embroidered white t-shirt that reads in all capital letters, “WE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD (STRONGER TOGETHER)” in a serif font.
An embroidered serif font. Image credit: Karolina Kaboom.

Serif fonts, including EB Garamond, Georgia Pro, Lora, Playfair Display and Times New Roman.

SANS SERIF: These fonts have straight lines without “tails” or “feet.” Sans serif fonts have a minimalistic feel and often appeal to the general population more than other fonts. They are the preferred choice for digital screens.

A woman with light brown hair wearing a light green t-shirt that reads, “The internet is down today, so I did my laundry instead” in a sans serif font.
A printed sans serif font on a t-shirt. Image credit: Karolina Kaboom.

Sans serif fonts, including Helvetica, Arial, Calibri, Open Sans and Roboto.

SCRIPT: Split into two main categories, script fonts can be formal or casual, although there are some sub-genres of script fonts. Formal scripts have an elegant and traditional look, and casual scripts have a more friendly and inviting appearance. Avoid using these fonts in too small of size; the smaller you go, the less legible they become. Also, avoid using script fonts for large blocks of text. Scripts are often considered display fonts, best used for headlines and short phrases.

A woman and man wearing red t-shirts that say “Thankful” in casual script font.
Red unisex t-shirts featuring casual script font. Image credit: Lucas Lenzi.

Formal scripts such as League Script, Pinyon Script, Meow Script, New Icon Script and Petit Formal Script vs. casual script fonts like Advetime, Brittany, Grand Hotel, Lobster and Pacifico.

MONOSPACED VS. VARIABLE WIDTH: Some fonts are very uniform in their character spacing; this is called monospaced. Each character occupies the same amount of horizontal space in a monospaced font, giving the text a neat, structured look. Monospaced fonts are typically best for clarity in coding or technical writing, though they may lack visual personality.

The opposite of a monospaced font is a proportional font, also known as a variable-width font. In proportional fonts, each character takes up only as much horizontal space as it needs, so narrower characters (like “i” or “l”) use less space than wider characters (like “m” or “w”). This variation in spacing often makes proportional fonts more visually natural and easier to read in large blocks of text than monospaced fonts' uniform spacing. Variable-width (proportional) fonts have varied spacing between characters, resulting in a more natural and sometimes dynamic appearance.

Choosing between a monospaced or variable-width font largely depends on the project's needs.

Monospaced fonts such as Anonymous Pro, Courier Prime, Fira Code, JetBrains Mono and Monoist vs. variable width fonts such as Domen, Homemade Apple, Permanent Marker, Shadows Into Light and Sweet & Salty.

DISPLAY: As previously mentioned with scripts, display fonts are best used for headlines but aren’t an excellent choice for body copy or smaller text. This is because the legibility dramatically decreases as the size decreases. Save display fonts for large displays of single words or short phrases. If additional body copy is needed for the design, select a simpler font (such as a sans serif) and pair it with a display font used for the headline.

A person holding up a freshly screen-printed blue t-shirt that reads “Your Brand” in an orange display font.
Image credit: Odua Images

Display fonts such as Monoton, Luckiest Guy, Pirata One, Battle Scarred Open and Chillout.

PIXEL: These types of fonts are created with small square “dots” that make up the shape of the characters. The blocky, pixelated appearance is also known as a bitmap font. They are often used to give a retro look since these fonts originated in the 80s. Alternatively, if a futuristic look is desired, pixel fonts are frequently used since they are reminiscent of video games and computer-generated design.

General Rules about Typefaces:

Serif and sans serif typefaces are typically used for body copy, headlines, including tiles and logos
Script and Display typefaces are only used for headlines
Avoid using all caps with scripts and cursive fonts
Follow the golden rule of # of fonts to include on a single project: Limit to 2–3 options, depending on the design
Three lines of text or fewer can be center justified. Any more than that should be left justified for readability.

Method of Decoration

A “heather sunset” colored Bella+Canvas 3001CVC t-shirt with Stahls’ “Red Shift” chroma bling HTV reading “Have a Nice Day” pressed onto it.
Products pictured: Bella+Canvas 3001CVC in “Heather Sunset” and Stahls’ 010158 CAD-CUT Chroma Bling in “Red Shift”. Image credit: Stahls’.

When selecting your font, you must consider the type of apparel decorating you will be doing:

HTV: The method of printing using a heat press works best with bolder, solid fonts since it can be difficult to weed and place fine lines of heat transfer vinyl. Additionally, when selecting HTV fonts, skinny characters might hold up poorly over time compared to slightly chunkier fonts. Thin pieces of vinyl may not adhere as well to the fabric as a more substantial piece. Typically, the simpler, the better when it comes to fonts for HTV.

DTF/DTG: Any font works for DTF since the design is printed onto a transparent film that completely adheres to the fabric, and you only need to peel away the backing. With that said, be weary of highly detailed or gradient-filled fonts. You might lose clarity with these fonts, and if printed on a dark shirt with light ink, you could experience ink bleeding with DTG.

SCREEN PRINTING: Although you can screen print any font, that doesn’t mean all fonts are a good choice. Complex fonts with fine details can be challenging for screen printers. Delicate fonts with fine lines, including serifs and scripts, can be challenging to make look crisp and clean, especially in smaller sizes. Grungy or distressed fonts are also hard to translate since their lack of definition can reduce readability. Additionally, tight, condensed fonts leave little room for error, particularly if the ink bleeds or spreads. Bold, clean lines with a fair amount of spacing between work best when screen printing on apparel.

SUBLIMATION: Similar to screen printing, sublimation printers will want to steer clear of very thin lines, tiny font sizes, some serifs and intricate scripts. Textured or distressed fonts are also tricky since sublimation only sometimes translates the texture well.

Choosing the Perfect Font for Your T-Shirts

Once you have considered the message you want to convey and the type of decoration you want to do, you can begin to narrow down your font options. Digitally, try out different options until you come across the perfect one. Or print out your design on a piece of paper and cut out the shape, then space it on the garment to get an idea of how it would look.

Popular Fonts for Different T-Shirt Types

So many fonts are available – over 200,000 and more are being added daily. But which are the best fonts for t-shirts? We will share what we have noticed are some popular fonts for shirts.

Collegiate Block Letters

A navy blue crewneck with SHIRTSPACE est. 2004 printed on the chest in collegiate lettering.

Ideal for schools, sports teams, frats and sororities, collegiate lettering is bold and strong. It’s a great unisex font, appealing to all walks of life. You can also utilize these fonts for businesses and fashion designs.

Collegiate lettering fonts such as Graduate, Princetown, Sports World, Wildcat College and Yearbook Outline.

Looks Great:

On fleece hoodies
On crewneck t-shirts and sweatshirts
On Sweatshirts with a front locker patch
On heavyweight cotton
Screen printed, HTV and DTG/DTF, embroidered

Funky Fonts

Shirt pictured: A Comfort Colors C1717 t-shirt in the color “Bright Orange.”

Funky fonts are some of the best fonts for t-shirts. They give a laid-back and fun vibe. Sometimes, they even have a retro feel to them. They can be serifs or scripts but usually have curved lines and uneven weights throughout the characters.

Funky fonts such as Campfire, Candice, Genty, Laries Script and TAN Songbird.

Looks Great:

On the back of oversized hoodies
When printed using puff or flock vinyl
On garment-dyed, beach wash or vintage wash apparel
In funky color palettes

Decorative Fonts

The back view of a woman wearing a white t-shirt with a colorful, checkerboard gradient-filled decorative text that reads “CHOOSE LOVE” in all capital letters.
Image credit: Malcolm Lightbody

Fonts with a decorative design embedded within the characters are best suited for shirts with a short message or headline. However, they can be real showstoppers, especially when they tie directly into a brand or theme.

For example, a Scottish Bagpipe players club might have a plaid print in their logo’s lettering, reminiscent of a kilt. Or maybe an outdoor association has a scenic view of nature as the background, displayed throughout each character. A baseball team’s booster club might have logos with red stitching throughout solid white lettering. There are many ways to apply this concept, but just be careful not to overdo it. Longer phrases or body copy should be in a simpler font.

If you don’t want to use a decorative font that you find, you can also create a text fill effect using programs like Canva and Adobe Photoshop.

Decorative fonts such as Diplomata SC, Moo Lah Lah, Rubik Moonrocks, Rundeck Texturea and WALBAUM.

Looks Great:

In BIG, bold sizes
With high-contrast apparel colors
Printed across the chest on a t-shirt or sweatshirt
Printed on the back of a fleece sweatshirt
With DTG/DTF, screen printing, sublimation

Creative Font Pairing Ideas for T-Shirts

A young man wearing a ComfortWash by Hanes GDH100 tee in the color “Saltwater”, with a classic car design printed on the front chest.
Sans serif fonts paired with a script font for a retro look that complements a classic car design. T-shirt pictured: ComfortWash by Hanes GDH100 in “Saltwater”.

Two perfectly great fonts could throw a design completely off if they don’t pair well. This is why it’s essential to have a solid grasp of typefaces and general typography rules. Feeling stuck or overwhelmed about choosing the best font for t-shirts once you have to select more than one? Play around with it a bit and do a test run if possible. If one of your fonts has a lot of personality, we recommend choosing more subtle fonts to pair with. On the other hand, do not choose fonts that are too similar since they can compete or cause confusion.

When selecting font pairings, Canva has a font combinations feature that helps find attractive pairings. Additionally, here are a few ideas for inspiration:

Attractive font pairings.

Think Outside the Type – Typography That Breaks The Rules & Still Works

A person at the beach wearing a dark gray t-shirt that reads, “If you can read this, you’re standing too close” in text that does not provide very much contrast to the shirt color, making it difficult to read if you were at a distance. A black t-shirt with the bottom of the characters in the word FRESH distorting into a psychedelic pattern below.
Left image credit: Alexander Grey, Typography that is hard to read due to low contrast.
Right image: Contorted font on an American Apparel black t-shirt.

Here are some typography examples that go against the grain but still work. Just remember to follow the rules of t-shirt typography most of the time, but don’t be afraid to be innovative occasionally!

What is Your Favorite Type of Typography?

Now that you know what to look for when you are considering what the best fonts for t-shirt printing and embroidery projects are. What are your favorite fonts? We would love to hear them and your favorite fonts and font pairings in the comments.

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