127 Best FREE FONTS for Book Design

These aren’t all ideal; professional (paid) fonts are a little nicer and cleaner… but these are free. I’ve added a link to where you can download them, as well as a closeup sample. I may have changed the font size of line height; different fonts will have internal settings.

Some of these are actually too thin, unless you’re using 14pt size. If in doubt, pick one of these, they’re the best choices: Libre Baskerville, Linux Libertine, Junicode, Free Serif, Crimson. 

PS) I took screenshots of a Word Doc to get these pics; but the fonts should look even better in print, and if you use InDesign or another text layout program the kerning and word spacing will be better as well.

1. Theano Didot Modern

theanodidotmodern

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2. Theano Didot OldStyle theano didot modern best serif font for book design and formatting

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3. Theano Didot Regular theanodidotregular

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4. Cardiff

cardiff best serif font for book design and formatting

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5. Oxford

oxford best serif font for book design and formatting

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6. DroidSerif

droidserif best serif font for book design and formatting

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7. Portland

portland best serif font for book design and formatting

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8. Queen’s Park

queenspark best serif font for book design and formatting

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9. LibreBaskerville

librebaskerville best serif font for book design and formatting

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10. Linux Libertine

linuxlibertine best serif font for book design and formatting

 

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11. Open Baskerville

openbaskerville best serif font for book design and formatting

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12. TexGyre

texgyre best serif font for book design and formatting

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13. New Athena

newathenaunicode best serif font for book design and formatting

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14. Junicode

Junicode best serif font for book design and formatting

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15. Free Serif

free serif best serif font for book design and formatting

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16. Neuton

neuton best serif font for book design and formatting

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17. Gilda Display

gilda best serif font for book design and formatting

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18. Cardo

cardo best serif font for book design and formatting

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19. Medio

medio best serif font for book design and formatting

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20. Garogier

garogier best serif font for book design and formatting

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21. Average average best serif font for book design and formatting

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22. Dustimo

dustismo best serif font for book design and formatting

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23. Thryomanes

thryomanes best serif font for book design and formatting

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24. Bentham bentham best serif font for book design and formatting

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25. Angleterre

angletterre best serif font for book design and formatting

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26. Crimson

crimson best serif font for book design and formatting

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27. Lido

lido best serif font for book design and formatting Don’t forget to watch the videos if you need help learning how to format your book for print. You can also download some of the book formatting templates.

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300+ Fool-Proof Fonts to use for your Book Cover Design

I made these for my main site, but it’s worth sharing them all here as well.

The problem with having a huge list of fonts is that, half them aren’t actually that professional looking, for book cover design. Also… not all of these ones are actually free fonts, I wasn’t careful building this list because it’s meant for book cover design.

BUT – I’ve been working on a new book cover maker so I chose a new round of the best free fonts to use, that are genre specific (best fonts for fantasy, scifi, selfhelp, memoir, nonfiction etc… more on that coming soon!

 

best simple free sans serif fonts

best free science fiction technology fonts

best free simple serif fonts

best free bold thriller fonts

best free fantasy fonts

best free script fonts for chicklit

 

PS. I feel like I should apologize for this post: it’s become really popular, because it’s useful, but it was only meant as a suggestion for the *kinds* of appropriate fonts to use for each genre. A lot of these fonts are outdated, overused or too flashy. You’d probably do better to google “best fonts for [genre]” and choose some good ones. Fonts on CreativeMarket tend to be higher quality. Try to avoid free fonts unless you’re sure they’re for personal *and* commercial use – or sometimes you can donate to the designer.

Finally, here’s an updated version with just my favorite fantasy fonts. Of those, there are about 5 fonts I’d actually rely on, and this is true with most genres, certain fonts are go-to, until they become overused.

These fonts are a bit too showy or flashy for most books, but should help point you in the right direction.

Best Fantasy Fonts for book cover design

The above lists are a little old, here’s a newer version of some fancy, beautiful fonts for fantasy book covers. Sorry this image isn’t high quality, not sure what happened to it. Keep in mind, this is kind of too much. Most fantasy and urban fantasy covers use the same *best* fonts which are….

1. Cinzel
2. Brilon
3. Love Moon
4. Yana

But if you’re looking for something more creative, here’s a list.

best fantasy fonts for book design

 

Also here are some of the Free fantasy fonts I included in my online book cover maker. I’ll be adding templates there soon to help make your covers easier.

best fantasy fonts

Best scifi fonts for book covers design

Here’s a list of some free scifi fonts I found. These aren’t necessarily *the best* – those tend to be paid – but I choose free fonts to put inside my online cover creator tool. I’ll be making templates over there soon, and there are a bunch of cover design tutorials to help you avoid common cover design mistakes.

best scifi fonts for book design

Need a book cover?

If so, you should really check out DIY Book Covers to get a bunch of amazing book cover templates you can edit with Microsoft Word. There’s a free sample package to get started designing your own book cover, based on the design secrets of bestselling books.

You can also check out my main book cover design site, or my blog Creativindie.com where I help authors and artists produce and sell their best work.

The Ultimate Collection of Free Fonts for 2023

Embarking on a creative journey can be an exhilarating experience, especially when you have the perfect tools at your disposal. One such essential tool is typography. As a graphic designer, marketer, or DIY craft enthusiast, the right font can dramatically enhance your project’s aesthetics.

In this post, we’ll share our top 100 best free fonts, meticulously organized into ten categories that people most commonly search for. So, let’s dive in, shall we?

Free Serif Fonts

Serif fonts are traditional, elegant, and timeless. They’re most often used in print design and books, but can also add a touch of sophistication to digital designs.

  1. Playfair Display
  2. Bitter
  3. Merriweather
  4. Lora
  5. Libre Baskerville
  6. Crimson Text
  7. PT Serif
  8. Old Standard TT
  9. Arvo
  10. Abril Fatface

Free Sans Serif Fonts

Sans serif fonts are clean, modern, and versatile. They are excellent for both print and digital designs, especially for titles and headers.

  1. Roboto
  2. Open Sans
  3. Lato
  4. Montserrat
  5. Raleway
  6. Oswald
  7. Ubuntu
  8. Exo 2
  9. PT Sans
  10. Nunito

Free Handwritten Fonts

Handwritten fonts are fun, quirky, and informal. They add a personal touch and are perfect for invitations, logos, social media graphics, and more.

  1. Pacifico
  2. Amatic SC
  3. Permanent Marker
  4. Patrick Hand
  5. Satisfy
  6. Indie Flower
  7. Kaushan Script
  8. Great Vibes
  9. Shadows Into Light
  10. Dancing Script

Free Script Fonts

Script fonts are elegant and versatile, perfect for wedding invitations, logos, and other formal designs.

  1. Alex Brush
  2. Allura
  3. Lobster
  4. Sacramento
  5. Parisienne
  6. Tangerine
  7. Cookie
  8. Petit Formal Script
  9. Bad Script
  10. Qwigley

Free Monospace Fonts

Monospace fonts are modern, clean, and perfect for coding, tabular data, or a techy look.

  1. Roboto Mono
  2. Space Mono
  3. Fira Mono
  4. PT Mono
  5. Cousine
  6. Inconsolata
  7. Source Code Pro
  8. Anonymous Pro
  9. Share Tech Mono
  10. Nova Mono

Free Display Fonts

Display fonts are unique and full of personality. They’re great for headers, logos, and any design where you want the text to make a big impact.

  1. Bungee
  2. Fredoka One
  3. Lobster Two
  4. Shrikhand
  5. Chewy
  6. Luckiest Guy
  7. Comfortaa
  8. Sigmar One
  9. Passion One
  10. Bangers

Free Slab Serif Fonts

Slab serif fonts are bold and impactful. They are great for headlines, posters, and other designs where you want to make a strong statement.

  1. Zilla Slab
  2. Roboto Slab
  3. Slabo 27px
  4. Arvo
  5. Bitter
  6. Josefin Slab
  7. Crete Round
  8. Lora
  9. Volkhov
  10. Kreon

Free Brush Fonts

Brush fonts are artistic and informal. They are perfect for designs where you want to evoke emotion, creativity, or a touch of chaos.

  1. Reenie Beanie
  2. Give You Glory
  3. Permanent Marker
  4. Kalam
  5. Nothing You Could Do
  6. Just Another Hand
  7. Shadows Into Light Two
  8. Coming Soon
  9. Crafty Girls
  10. Sue Ellen Francisco

Free Calligraphy Fonts

Calligraphy fonts are elegant and sophisticated, perfect for wedding invitations, logos, and other formal designs.

  1. Great Vibes
  2. Tangerine
  3. Ruthie
  4. Qwigley
  5. Dancing Script
  6. Sofia
  7. Euphoria Script
  8. La Belle Aurore
  9. Sacramento
  10. Mr De Haviland

Free Graffiti Fonts

Graffiti fonts are edgy and cool. They can add a unique street style to posters, logos, and apparel designs.

  1. Chicle
  2. Knewave
  3. Nosifer
  4. Creepster
  5. Eater
  6. Aladin
  7. Freckle Face
  8. Piedra
  9. Pirata One
  10. Sancreek

There you have it – the ultimate list of 100 free fonts across ten popular categories! Remember, the right typography can make or break your design. So, choose wisely, and let your creativity run wild!

Bonus: Free Fonts for Commercial Use

Using fonts for commercial purposes requires special consideration, as not all free fonts are licensed for such use. Here’s a list of 10 free fonts specifically licensed for commercial use.

  1. Bevan
  2. Cabin
  3. Dosis
  4. Exo
  5. Fjalla One
  6. Kanit
  7. Mukta
  8. Noto Sans
  9. Titillium Web
  10. Yantramanav

Remember to always check the license agreement before using any font for commercial purposes.

Whether you’re a professional designer, a small business owner, or a DIY creative enthusiast, we hope our comprehensive list of 100+ free fonts has provided you with plenty of inspiration. The world of fonts is as vast as it is beautiful, and the perfect font can transform a good design into a great one.

So, go forth, experiment, and create something amazing with these free fonts! And remember, creativity is the only limit.