professional essay fonts

The 24 Most Professional Fonts to Use

Selecting the right font is an important design choice that can enhance—or detract from—the professionalism of a document. With thousands of fonts to choose from, the possibilities may seem endless. However, not all fonts are well-suited for professional business communications and documents.

This comprehensive guide explores the 24 most professional fonts to create polished, credible business documents that leave a positive impression. We analyse characteristics like readability, legibility, clarity, formality, visual appeal, and versatility to determine which fonts will top for professional use cases in 2024.

A Serif Sensation: Traditional Serif Fonts Offer Readability & Polish

1. times new roman.

This quintessential serif font designed for the New York Times newspaper 1931 remains a staple choice to exude professionalism. The fluid serifs and sturdy letterforms allow Times New Roman to be readable in print. The versatile design also displays well digitally. This font suggests the competence and trustworthiness key for professional communications.

Designed by Matthew Carter in 1993, this serif typeface contains thick, bracketed serifs for enhanced readability. Slightly wider letter proportion compared to Times New Roman improves clarity while maintaining a highly legible 11-point font size. The chunky, semi-bold weight is warm and refined for formal business uses.

3. Bookman Old Style

This classic, versatile serif face echoes Old Style typefaces used in publishing from the mid-1500s into the 1900s. Designed in 1884 by Alexander Lawson for the Century Schoolbook , the slightly condensed letterforms offer a more compact footprint without compressing readability. The sturdy serifs, graceful curves and horizontal stress suggest Old World heritage, perfect for adding gravitas to professional communications.

Key Takeaway: Traditional serif fonts like Times New Roman, Georgia and Bookman Old Style offer proven readability and polish well-suited for formal business documents.

Distinctive & Dignified: Transitional Serifs Bridge Generations

4. baskerville.

This refined, stately serif face designed by John Baskerville in 1757 defined transitional serif styles, forging a bridge from Old Style to modern looks. The crisp edges offer exceptional clarity, while distinctive ball terminals on letter curves add flair. Baskerville brings heritage elegance to contemporary professional settings, from resumes to reports.

5. New Baskerville

Released in 1917, this refreshed Baskerville interpretation by designer George W. Jones is often preferred for clarity on screens and modern printing presses. The slightly thicker strokes offer a bolder definition without compromising legibility. Pair with Georgia for font contrast that delivers professional polish.

6. Times Ten

Photosetting provider Linotype released this updated take on Times New Roman in 1990 to improve output on low-resolution printers and poor-quality paper stock. Subtle changes like shortened ascenders and descenders optimise modern legibility without forfeiting professional persona. The economical proportions also save space.

Key Takeaway: Transitional serif typefaces like Baskerville, New Baskerville and Times Ten marry historical richness with sharp digital display for today’s professional contexts.

Modern Serifs Marry Heritage With Contemporary Flair

Created by renowned German typographer Jan Tschichold in 1964, Sabon draws inspiration from classic Garamond designs but optimises for modern requirements. The Roman letterforms offer exceptional clarity and even texture suitable for continuous business reading—an excellent choice to communicate expertise.

8. ITC Legacy Serif

This 1993 serif release from the International Typeface Corporation retains Times New Roman’s professional personality but exhibits tighter spacing and finer hairlines for improved modern display. The condensed proportions occupy less real estate, allowing more content presentation.

9. Merriweather

Designed by Eben Sorkin in 2010 for Google Web Fonts, this free serif selection exhibits classic proportions and styling adapted for optimal clarity across print, web and digital media. The understated design promotes continuous reading while conveying competence for various professional communications, from handouts to websites.

Key Takeaway: Modern serif font interpretations like Sabon, ITC Legacy Serif and Merriweather smartly evolve heritage styling for today's professional, multi-media business needs.

Sans Serif Fonts Signal Modernity For The Digital Era

Initially designed by Monotype in 1982 to offer Helvetica -style appeal more economically, this ubiquitous neo-grotesque sans serif font conveys professionalism and modernity. The comfortably spaced proportions ensure approachability while promoting exceptional on-screen readability.

11. Helvetica Neue

This seminal, globally recognised neo-grotesque face originated from the 1957 Helvetica release. Designer Max Meidinger evolved the styling in 1983 to enhance spacing and strokes for improved digital rendering. The Swiss heritage of architectural clarity and purity perseveres through this digitally-optimized typeface.

12. Calibri

As the default font for Microsoft Office programs and Windows since 2007, Calibri offers a humanist sans serif option deeply familiar to modern business professionals. The rounded contours ensure approachability while the reliable rendering remains professionally polished across documents, slides, forms and other uses.

Key Takeaway: Leading neo-grotesque sans serifs like Arial, Helvetica Neue, and Calibri adopt simplified styling that crisply conveys professional digital-age messaging.

Specialised Sans Serifs Target Professional Needs

13. clearviewhwy.

Specifically tailored for road signage by designer Don Meeker in 1998, this humanist sans serif face allows extraordinary readability for content viewed from a moving vehicle. Tested and proven across state transportation departments, Clearview denotes authority for wayfinding signage applications.

14. Frutiger

This Univers-inspired sans serif, designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1976, improves visual hierarchy through letter variation. Numerals and glyphs are easily distinguished from letters to enhance clarity for signage and labelling purposes. The streamlined Swiss styling also denotes modern efficiency.

15. FF Mark

Designed by Erik Spiekermann in 2009, FF Mark offers a simplified, dotless construction derived from industrial German engineering and architectural signage applications dating to the 19th century. The functional format, stripped of superfluous strokes, delivers clear communication of professional content.

Key Takeaway: Field-specific sans serifs like ClearviewHwy, Frutiger , and FF Mark provide optimised displays targeted for professional signage or technical applications.

Authoritative & Distinctive: Professional Slab Serifs

16. rockwell.

Designer Frank Hinman released this bold, sturdy slab serif font 1934 for the Inland Type Foundry. The thick, monolinear strokes offer substantial visual presence, while softened rectangles lend friendlier allure. Rockwell brings commanding gravitas yet approachable warmth simultaneously to business communications.

HCI editor Matthew Carter designed this efficient slab serif family in 2001 for media conglomerate Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia exclusive use. Structured, compact strokes ensure clarity even at small sizes on inferior printing presses, maximising professional polish for publishing at scale.

18. Roboto Slab

Christian Robertson expanded his 2013 Roboto humanist sans serif into serif and slab serif families as core Google Fonts selections. Roboto Slab’s modern appearance and responsiveness across digital platforms offer a distinctive professional personality deviating from traditional expressions.

Key Takeaway: Distinctive professional slab serifs like Rockwell, Archer and Roboto Slab couple commanding visual presence with sturdy legibility to elevate business content .

Specialist Display Fonts Grab Professional Attention

This imposing caps-only Roman square capital's face echoes the solid strokes displayed prominently on Trajan ’s Column monument erected circa 113 AD. The all-caps letterforms project monumentality, allowing this font to emphasise professional titles, logos, signage and headlines with gravitas.

Paul Renner’s 1927 milestone project encapsulated Modernist design with ideological efficiency through ordered, geometric strokes. Branding professionals leverage Futura to communicate focus and innovation, while design principals rely on minimal expression to emphasise information density.

Inspired by architectural signage, designer Tobias Frere-Jones crafted this bold, structural alphabet in 2000 to evoke steadfast New York heritage. Professional designers rely on Gotham’s straightforward style to communicate confidence through headlines, titles, and branding elements .

Key Takeaway: Columnar Trajan, modern Futura, and architectural Gotham offer scalable display fonts to attract professional interest to titles, branding and headlines.

Handwritten Fonts Convey Personal and Professional Approachability

22. dearsarah sf pro.

Software developers Balance Type Foundry crafted this stylish, contemporary handwritten face in 2021 to inject personal warmth into professional communications. Ligatures between specific letter pairs boost intimacy while practising restraint to sustain polish, befitting more formal contexts like event invitations or featured callouts.

23. Sf Handwriting Dakota

This casual handwritten font comes courtesy of the digital agency Design K to resonate authentically with personal correspondence for professional introductions or outreach touchpoints. Designed with multilingual support, the global accessibility remains professionally inclusive.

24. Homemade Apple

Independent type designer Sam Parrett delivers this distinctive, organic handwritten face that combines whimsical, retro warmth akin to scampering chalkboard renderings with the approachability of a trusted neighbour. Professional applications could include feature headers in reports or emphasis lines within newsletters to boost engagement.

Key Takeaway: Casual handwritten fonts like DearSarah SF Pro, SF Handwriting Dakota, and Homemade Apple humanise professional messaging through personalised execution.

Combining Complementary Fonts Creates Hierarchy & Contrast

When combining fonts for professional communications:

• Align Serif & Sans Serif Faces – Pairing a serif such as Garamond or Times New Roman with a sans serif like Arial or Helvetica offers visual hierarchy through contrast.
• Vary Weights For Emphasis – Mix heavy, light or condensed weights of compatible font families to make key content stand out.
• Highlight Display vs Text – Blend sturdy display fonts like Impact or Gotham to accent readable text choices like Georgia or Calibri.
• Maintain Consistent Typography – Limit professional font combinations to 2 or 3 compatible families and remain consistent across branded touchpoints.

Key Takeaway: Thoughtfully blending 2-3 complementary fonts into professional communications clarifies visual hierarchy through strategic contrast.

5 Key Criteria Define Great Professional Fonts

• Readability – Strong letterforms deliver content consumption efficiently
• Legibility – Distinct characters discern at small sizes
• Clarity – Crisp definition promotes engagement
• Compatibility – Adapts gracefully across media formats
• Personality – Unique traits align with context

Key Takeaway: Professional font technical effectiveness must match appropriate contextual emotion and personality to achieve communications goals fully.

Most Professional Fonts – Recap At A Glance

• Serif – Times New Roman, Sabon, Georgia, Merriweather
• Sans Serif – Arial, Helvetica Neue, ClearviewHwy
• Slab Serif – Archer, Roboto Slab, Rockwell
• Display – Futura, Gotham, Trajan
• Handwritten – DearSarah SF Pro, Homemade Apple

Conclusion: Apply Thoughtful Typography For Professional Results

This expansive guide highlights 24 exceptional font faces spanning common professional categories like Serif, Sans Serif, Slab Serif, Display and Handwritten. Each recommended font qualifies for business usage through optimal legibility, compatibility across modern media, and personality characteristics that strategically match professional communications goals.

While the highlighted selections represent esteemed options, designers must carefully contemplate additional criteria like industry context, audience demographics and branded guidelines when specifying fonts for professional documents or communications. Traditional selections like Times New Roman remain prudent choices that reliably convey professional expectations for specific formal uses like legal briefs or financial statements. More progressive companies may incorporate distinctive yet legible modern fonts like Helvetica Neue or Roboto Slab to signal forward-thinking, design-focused appeal.

Above all, professional font selections rely on thoughtful implementation aligned to the specifics of the intended communication and consumption formats. Suitable fonts effectively capture attention, sharpen hierarchy, strengthen retention and promote clarity to optimise audience engagement. As fine dining plates must be expertly paired to complemental courses, precision font selections elevate messaging while underscoring competence and care through thoughtful typographic presentation.

Review these 24 versatile professional fonts for your next communications project, effortlessly conveying your expertise through strategic typography optimised for business results.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Professional Fonts

What are the top 5 most professional fonts.

The five most versatile and professionally appropriate fonts include Times New Roman (Serif), Arial (Sans Serif), Archer (Slab Serif), Futura (Display) and DearSarah SF (Script). Each reliably offers legibility, compatibility and polish for business uses.

What font does Google use?

Product Sans is the primary Google font applied in branding and communications. The custom-designed geometric sans serif offers friendly simplicity aligned with Google's accessible brand personality.

What is the most attractive font?

Beauty proves subjective; attractive fonts vary by audience and context. Classic serifs like Bodoni and Didot offer elegant, fashionable appeal. Friendlier picks like Brush Script and Great Vibes provide emotive warmth. Helvetica Neue and Futura convey sleek modernity.

What fonts do lawyers use?

Legal conventions rely on tradition, so most attorneys use customary fonts like Times New Roman, Arial and Courier New for contracts, rulings and communications upholding document integrity expectations. More progressive firms occasionally incorporate contemporary alternatives like Calibri and Georgia.

What font size is best for professional documents?

Content legibility proves essential for professional communications. Print documents should use at least 11pt font size. Digital presentations can scale down to 8pt font size. Headings should run 2-4pts larger to establish hierarchy. More essential documents may use 12-14pt for optimal clarity.

Stuart Crawford

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Professional Typography: The 20 Best Fonts for Professional Documents

• BY Bogdan Sandu
• 29 February 2024

Picture this: You’ve crafted an impeccable proposal, your arguments are watertight, the data’s rock-solid. Then someone says, “I can barely get through this with that font choice.” Heart sinks.

Fonts, they’re silent persuaders; unsung heroes of readability, professionalism, and impact. And yet, they remain an afterthought for many. This changes now.

Selecting  the best fonts for professional documents  is not just about aesthetics; it’s about sending the right message, ensuring clarity, and upholding brand identity in every line you type.

Within this space, we’ll explore the significance of  font pairing ,  line spacing , and  typography , key elements that turn a bland document into a standout one.

By the close of our journey together, you’ll command a robust arsenal of  typefaces  like Times New Roman and Arial, balanced with design finesse.

We’re not just picking fonts; we’re setting the stage for your words to resonate with utmost professionalism. Strength lies in fine details — let’s dive into the world of serifs, sans-serifs, and document formatting finesse.

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25 Best Fonts For Reports and Professional Documents

The art of crafting a compelling report & professional documents goes beyond just the content; the choice of font plays a crucial role in enhancing readability, conveying professionalism, and setting the tone of the document. Whether the report is intended for print or on-screen reading, the right font can significantly impact the reader’s experience and comprehension.

This guide provides a selection of recommended fonts for reports, considering factors such as readability, professionalism, and the context in which the report will be read. From classic serif fonts like Times New Roman and Garamond to modern sans serif fonts like Arial and Calibri, these fonts have been chosen for their proven effectiveness in professional and academic settings.

In this post, we shall focus on the 25 best fonts that you can use on professional documents and reports.

We shall also see how these fonts enhance readability and aesthetic appeal while keeping readers hooked on the documents’ contents.

Quick word : These fonts include Arial, Calibri, Garamond, Verdana, Helvetica, Georgia, and Cambria, among others.

Read on to find out more.

Also Read : Most Common Fonts & When To Use Them ?

Best Fonts for Reports & Professional Documents

1. times new roman.

Times New Roman is a serif typeface perfect for professional documents and reports. It is based on an old serif font called Plantin and is one of the most popular fonts used in Microsoft Word.

In 1929, The Times hired Stanley Morison to create a new text font. Together with Victor Lardent, Morison created the Times New Roman font, which was unveiled in 1932 for the British newspaper, Times, with great fanfare.

Times New Roman is a top choice for professional documentation for its legibility, narrow spacing, and formal appearance. You can use it for writing business proposals, resumes, academic papers, and business reports.

Another popular font for your professional documents and reports is Arial. Arial is a sans-serif typeface based on the Neo-grotesque style. It comes in many styles, including regular, italic, bold, bold italic, medium italic, and extra bold, just to mention a few.

Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders created the Arial font in 1982 with angled terminals as its identity. The Arial font is one of the few approved fonts for use on court documents.

It is also an excellent choice for magazines, newspapers, advertising, and promotion.

Arial is a top choice font as it is clean, visually appealing, easy to read, and versatile. Its range of weights and styles makes it ideal for various projects. Whether you use it in the body text or headline, Arial remains professional.

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Lucas de Groot designed Calibri, a sans-serif font between 2002 and 2004. The font was released to the public in 2007 with Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. Upon its release, Arial replaced Times New Roman as a default Word typeface.

De Groot gave the Calibri font a subtly rounded design that gives it a warm and soft character. No wonder it easily replaced the Arial font as a default PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel typeface.

Calibri is a modern and humanistic font featuring real italics, small caps, and various numeral sets. While the font works well in both professional and informal settings, it might not suit all projects.

4. Garamond

Garamond is another exciting font fit for professional documents and reports. Its unique styles include Garamond regular, Garamond medium, Garamond medium oblique, Garamond bold, and Garamond Demi, among others.

The Garamond font was designed by URW Type Foundry , a German-based company with a rich history of type design and engineering.

Initially designed for print media, it turned out to be an excellent choice for body text and book printing.

The modern Garamond is preferred for text-heavy printed materials like academic papers and books for its timeless elegance and readability.

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Verdana is another humanistic typeface created by Matthew Carter for Microsoft Corporatio n . It is your go-to font for professional documents and reports, thanks to its readability.

Verdana was created specifically for computer screens. It is an excellent choice, especially for large blocks of text. Some of this font’s standout features include wider spacing, large x-heights, wider typeface, and bigger counters.

Its pixel patterns are carefully crafted to ensure readers can tell the difference between the most confused letters in their small sizes. It might not be an exciting font, but it’s definitely a functional one.

6. Helvetica

Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by a Swiss designer called Max Miedinger. The font instantly became an icon in Swiss designs and could be spotted on numerous advertising posters and billboards across the USA and Europe.

Helvetica’s success and appeal can be attributed to its modern appearance, versatility, and understated elegance.

The font is available in three different versions: micro for small screens, display for larger formats, and text for normal text.

Each size comes in 48 different weights. Its character shapes are better spaced and more legible even on small electronic devices.

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Georgia is another serif typeface designed by Matthew Carter in 1993 . Matthew’s aim was to create a typeface that would appear elegant but be legible even in small print or on low-resolution screens.

The Georgia font has multiple traditional features that make it elegant and flawless. You can use it on multiple platforms, as it’s highly legible and works well with print and display projects.

You can use the Georgia font on your professional website, books, reports, etc. Its notable styles include Georgia Regular, Georgia Italic, Georgia Bold, and Georgia Bold Italic.

Another font that can work well for your professional documents and reports is Cambria. Cambria is a transitional font that was commissioned by Microsoft and distributed by Windows and Office.

Jelle Bosma, a Dutch typeface designer, created the Cambria font in 2004. He designed the font for on-screen reading but still the font looks good even when printed in small sizes.

Its spacing is even and proportional, which is why it’s accepted by many professionals, who term it simple and professional, making it perfectly acceptable for essay body texts.

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9. Open Sans

If you are interested in Google fonts that are perfect for professional documentation and reports, consider Open Sans. The humanistic font was designed by Steve Matson, Type Director for Ascender Corp, in 2011 .

Open Sans is based on an earlier version called Droid Sans, created specifically for Android mobile devices. The current version of the Open Sans font has 897 characters, including Latin CE, ISO Latin 1, and the Cyrillic character set.

The font was also created with upright anxiety and a friendly look. Open Sans was optimized for print and mobile interfaces. But what makes it more ideal for professional documentation and reporting is its outstanding legibility characteristics.

Roboto is a Google font with a dual nature. It features a mechanical skeleton and largely geometric forms, as well as friendly, open curves. The font was developed in 2011 by Google as the system font for its Android mobile operating system.

Roboto is a unique neo-grotesque font that is distinctively modern. Each letter has a unique hand-drawn ink pattern, although it was made with outer grey lines.

While other grotesque fonts twist their letter forms to achieve a more rigid rhythm, Roboto does not compromise. All its letters seamlessly settle in their natural width to give a more natural reading rhythm.

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Lato is another sans-serif font that was created during the summer of 2010 by a Warsaw-based typeface designer called Lukasz Dziedzic.

Lato was considered a corporate font made for a big client. However, the client decided to opt for a different style. Hence, the font was released to the public.

At this point, Lukasz was keen to balance some initial conflicting priorities and make a transparent typeface when used in body texts.

He also ensured that the font would still display its original traits, even in bigger sizes. As mentioned earlier, the font was created for corporate use; therefore, it will look good on your resume or your business report.

12. Montserrat

Montserrat is another exciting Google font designed by an Argentine graphic designer named Julieta Ulanovsky in 2011 .

Julieta was inspired by the old signs and posters in her traditional neighborhood, so she created a typeface that rescued the beauty of urban typography.

Montserrat consists of two sister families, namely Subryada and Alternates. Each family has unique characters, making the font flexible for various uses. You might have known Montserrat for its use on logos, posters, banners, and advertising.

However, it’s essential to note that you can use Montserrat as a primary font for your professional website and documentation. You can also use it for your academic or business projects.

13. Proxima Nova

Proxima Nova is a strong and versatile sans-serif font worth trying for your next professional documentation and reporting. Mark Simonson created the geometric font with industrial quality.

Proxima Nova is a hybrid of modern proportions and geometric appearance. The font was officially released in 1994 with three basic weight characters in italics.

The font was later re-released in 2005 with full features of 42 fonts, comprising seven weights in three widths with italics.

The modern Proxima Nova is fully updated with features, including support for Greek, Vietnamese, Cryllic, and various currency symbols.

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The Futura font is a unique creation of a German designer called Paul Renner . Futura can be used in various contexts thanks to its great readability and aesthetic appeal.

It has been used in social media bios, and it was used on American Football jerseys in 1997 and various video games and movies.

The Futura font family comprises about 20 fonts in six different weights and two widths. Unlike most sans-serif fonts, Futura was created primarily for display. The font is relatively low in weight, making it ideal for body text.

Futura is a work of art based on geometric shapes. The font supports lower and upper case characters and special characters. It contains 22 fonts in otf and tff formats and is perfect for daily use in print or digital purposes.

15. Franklin Gothic

Morris Fuller Benton created the Franklin Gothic font family in 1904 . The sans-serif typeface is a famous typeface you might have spotted in most software in Microsoft, advertisement texts, and newspaper headlines.

Benton gave the font the name Franklin Gothic to honor Benjamin Franklin, whom he admired for his contribution to American history and culture.

Franklin Gothic was inspired by Kabel and Futura . It has different weights, including bold, heavy, and condensed.

16. Century Gothic

Morris Fuller Benton created the Century Gothic font in 1930 . The geometric sans-serif font was initially created to replace the less versatile and legible Futura font.

Its design was heavily influenced by the 1920 and 1930 Art Deco style to reflect its sleek and modern appearance.

Since its creation, the font has become one of the most popular typefaces, best known for its clean lines, versatility, and simplicity. However, its popularity can be primarily attributed to its ability to work well with print and digital projects.

While some users may find it less legible than most sans-serif fonts, especially in small sizes, Century Gothic remains a popular choice for professional projects.

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17. Baskerville

Baskerville is one of the oldest sans-serif fonts. John Baskerville created the font in 1757 in England. The font is regarded as a transitional font since it was a stepping stone from older fonts like Caslon to modern ones like Bodoni and Didot.

Baskerville is popular for its distinct differentiation between thick and thin strokes. This differentiation makes this font look good in large sizes.

Its professional look, readability, and eye-catching appeal make it a better choice for all writing, including headers and website content.

Another excellent font for professional documentation and reports is Didot serif, which promises a clear and enjoyable reading experience. The most popular fonts from the Didot family were created between 1784 and 1811 .

Didot is believed to have drawn inspiration from John Baskerville’s experimentation with increased stroke contrast and condensed armature.

The font is perfect for any project, so go ahead and use it for all your professional projects.

Explore the best alternatives to Helvetica & Helvetica Neue here.

Myriad is a geometric sans-serif typeface created by two renowned American designers, Carol Twombly and Robert Slimbach, in the 1990s .

The Myriad font family provides a variety of styles and weights, including regular, bold, italic, bold italic, and condensed.

One of Myriad’s font family variants, Myriad Pro, has earned a good reputation worldwide for its versatility. It’s a popular logo font but also an excellent choice for multiple assignments, including writing headlines for websites, official tasks, and professional documentation.

20. Palatino

Palatino is an old sans-serif font created by Hermann Zapf in 1948. It is based on Italian humanistic fonts from the Renaissance and named after the 16th-century calligraphy master Giambattista Palatino.

Palatino was primarily created for headings. As time went by, the font became popular for body texts, overshadowing the Aldus font that Hermann had expected to be used for this role.

To date, Palatino remains one of the most widely used text fonts. It is also a creative font that will work well for your design projects.

21. Rockwell

Rockwell was designed by Frank Hinman in 1934 as a first-time font published by Monotype. It features a robust and adaptable design and is made of 15 styles. It is a popular choice for branding, body text, and other display purposes.

Its simple shapes and heaty serifs make it a top choice for brief blocks of text both for print and on-screen reading.

Its light and bold weights are perfect for creating blocks of text, while its extra bold and condensed style brings authority to display copies.

Throw in some color, and be sure to leverage Rockwell’s messaging power. Its regular and italic styles perform optimally even in the most modest screen resolutions.

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Tahoma is a humanist sans-serif font created by Matthew Carter for Microsoft Corporation . Microsoft distributed Tahoma and Verdana as standard fonts for Windows 95.

It is a popular Windows font, which replaced Sans Serif on Windows 2003.

Tahoma is a Truetype font made of two Windows fonts, regular and bold. It was created to address on-screen display challenges, especially the small size of dialogue boxes and menus. You can rotate or scale it to any size.

23. Trebuchet MS

Vincent Connare designed the Trebuchet MS font in 1996 for Microsoft Corporation . Trebuchet MS was used for titles in the Windows XP default theme, replacing Tahoma and MS Sans Serif.

The font was released as part of Microsoft’s core fonts for the web package. To date, Trebuchet is still a popular body text font for most web pages. The Trebuchet font stands out for its appearance.

It borrows elements from geometric and humanistic classifications to infuse energy and personality into any page. Given its narrow letterforms, it’s suited for extended texts, web pages, and user interface scenarios, among others.

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Ubuntu is a sans-serif font with 22 styles and a variable with adjustable weights and width axes. The new Ubuntu font was created to enable the personality of Ubuntu to be felt in menus, buttons, and dialogues.

The scope of the Ubuntu font family includes all Ubuntu users’ languages. The font highly subscribes to the Ubuntu philosophy, which states that “every user should be able to use their software in the language of their choice.”

25. Source Sans Pro

Lastly, we have the Source Sans Pro font. This font family was created by Paul D. Hunt as the first open-source typeface for Adobe.

It draws inspiration from the clear and legible America’s 20th-century gothic typeface designs.

Besides providing clarity in short text sets, Paul’s other fundamental consideration in creating the Source Sans Pro font was a typeface that would read well in extended settings. This has been realized in its generous widths and shorter majuscule letters.

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Best Fonts for Reports – Recap

In summary, Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, and Calibri are among the most recommended fonts for reports due to their readability and professional appearance.

It’s also important to consider the medium of the report when choosing between serif and sans serif fonts.

The font size also plays a big role. A font size of 10 to 12 points is generally recommended for the body text to ensure readability.

For headings, subheadings, and labels, a sans serif font can be used for contrast and emphasis.

Boldface type font can be used sparingly to highlight important words or phrases.

Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.

15 Best Fonts for Essays: Enhance Your Writing Skills

When it comes to writing essays, students often focus on the content, structure, and grammar. However, one crucial element that is often overlooked is the choice of font. Believe it or not, the font you use can significantly impact the readability and overall presentation of your essay. In this article, we’ll explore the 15 best fonts for essays, and explain why and how each font can be the perfect choice for your academic writing.

Why Choosing the Right Font Matters

Affecting readability and comprehension.

The first reason to consider when choosing a font for your essay is readability. Fonts with clear and distinct characters make it easier for your teacher to read and understand your work. Fonts like Times New Roman and Georgia are excellent choices because they have serif characters that guide the eye smoothly from one letter to the next, enhancing readability.

Impact on Grades and Teacher’s Perception

The font you select can also influence how your teacher perceives your essay. Using a professional and legible font can give your essay a polished appearance and suggest that you take your work seriously. This, in turn, can positively impact your grades.

Adding a Personalized Touch

Additionally, your choice of font allows you to add a personal touch to your essay. While it’s important to follow formatting guidelines, selecting a font that resonates with you and complements your writing style can make your essay feel more unique and engaging.

Serif Fonts

Times new roman.

Classic and Formal

Times New Roman is a timeless choice for academic essays. Its classic and formal appearance makes it suitable for various types of essays. The clear serifs and even spacing contribute to its readability, ensuring that your teacher can focus on your content.

Easy on the Eyes

Georgia is another serif font that’s easy on the eyes. It’s a great choice for longer essays, as it combines readability with a touch of elegance. Its slightly larger x-height (the height of lowercase letters) contributes to its legibility.

Sans-Serif Fonts

Modern and Clean

For essays that are intended to be read on screens, Arial is a modern and clean sans-serif font. It’s easy to read on digital devices, and its simple design ensures that your words take center stage.

Legible and Professional

Calibri is a sans-serif font known for its legibility. It’s an ideal choice for typed assignments, as it looks professional and is easy to read both on paper and on screen.

Script Fonts

Adds a Personal Touch

Cursive fonts can add a personal touch to your essay, making it suitable for creative and reflective pieces. However, use them sparingly and primarily for headings or special emphasis.

Lucida Handwriting

Elegant and Unique

Lucida Handwriting is an elegant script font that can make your essay stand out. It’s a unique choice that adds a touch of sophistication to your work.

Decorative Fonts

Attention-Grabbing Headers

Decorative fonts like “Impact” are best used for attention-grabbing headers or titles. However, avoid using them for the main body of your essay, as they can be challenging to read in longer passages.

Playful and Informal

Comic Sans is a playful and informal font. While it’s not suitable for formal essays, it can work well for humorous or light-hearted pieces.

How to Choose the Best Font

Consider the essay type and purpose.

The type of essay you’re writing and its purpose should guide your font choice. Formal essays benefit from serif fonts like Times New Roman, while creative pieces can experiment with script fonts like Lucida Handwriting.

Prioritize Readability

Above all, prioritize readability. Ensure that the font you choose doesn’t distract from your content and that it’s easy for your teacher to read.

Maintain Consistency

Consistency is key. Stick to one font throughout your essay to maintain a professional and organized appearance.

Seek Teacher’s Guidance

If you’re uncertain about which font to use, don’t hesitate to ask your teacher for guidance. They can provide specific recommendations based on your assignment.

Font Size and Spacing

When you’ve chosen the right font, it’s essential to pay attention to font size and spacing.

Proper Font Size for Readability

Select an appropriate font size that makes your text easily readable. A font size of 12pt is standard for most academic essays.

Appropriate Line Spacing

Use double-spacing or follow your teacher’s instructions for line spacing. Adequate spacing between lines ensures that your essay is well-organized and easy to read.

Margins and Formatting Tips

Maintain proper margins and follow any formatting guidelines provided by your teacher or institution. Consistency in formatting is crucial for a professional appearance.

Sample Essays with Font Choices

Let’s take a look at some sample essays using different fonts and explain why each font is suitable for the given topic. This will help you understand how to apply font choices effectively in your own writing.

In conclusion, the font you choose for your essay is more than just a stylistic decision. It plays a vital role in enhancing readability, impacting your grades, and adding a personal touch to your work. Experiment with different fonts, but always prioritize readability and professionalism. Remember, the best font for your essay is the one that helps you convey your ideas effectively and impress your teacher with your writing skills. So, go ahead, choose your font wisely, and craft outstanding essays that leave a lasting impression. Happy writing!

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12 Best Fonts for Academic Papers in Microsoft Word

Good academic papers deserve good academic fonts. You might not have thought too much about which font you use before, but they play a big part in whether people will take your paper seriously or not. This article will explore the best fonts for academic papers.

Best Fonts for Academic Papers in Microsoft Word

The best fonts for academic papers are Times New Roman, Baskerville Old Face, and Georgia. There are plenty of good options, but you’ll mainly want to stick to serif fonts. They look much neater and more professional while showing that the reader can trust what you say.

Times New Roman

Times New Roman is the most famous font on Microsoft Word. It should come as no surprise that it’s a good pick when writing academic papers. It’s got everything you could possibly need when it comes to professionalism and readability.

Times New Roman is the best font to use in most situations. If you’re looking for a more formal font, you’ll find that Times New Roman ranks very highly on the list, regardless of what else is required.

It’s a fairly small font, which looks more appealing for an academic paper. A common pitfall that most people fall for is they try to use a font that’s too large, which can make their paper look less trustworthy and more informal. Neither of those traits is good for academics.

Baskerville Old Face

Baskerville Old Face is a great font to use in an academic paper. There have been studies in the past about different fonts and how they engage readers. It’s believed that Baskerville is one of the most reliable fonts, and the writer tends to be more “truthful” when using it.

Whether you buy into studies like this or not isn’t important. What is important is that Baskerville Old Face is a fantastic choice for most academic papers. It looks really good (like a more concise Times New Roman), and it’s very popular.

Baskerville is a fairly popular choice for published novels, so you might already be familiar with the font style. If you like the way it looks in some of the novels or publications you’ve read, you’ll find that it converts very well to your academic papers.

Georgia ranks very highly when looking for a formal font that will work well in an academic paper. It’s slightly larger than Times New Roman, but a lot of people say that this helps it to become a more “readable” font.

When writing academic papers, it’s wise not to overwhelm your reader with information. The more condensed the font is, the harder it can be to make sense of what you’re writing. With Georgia, this isn’t an issue.

Georgia might be one of the larger fonts listed here, but it makes for an easy read. Plenty of readers will be happy to read through an entire paper written in Georgia, but they might be a bit against reading one in something smaller.

Garamond is another decent option that can work well for academics. Garamond is the smallest font we have included on the list, which can allow you to get a lot of information into a very small space without overwhelming a reader too much.

While it’s not always ideal for including lots of information, Garamond does it really well. It’s readable and professional, allowing your readers to make sense of even the most concise explanations you might include.

It’s also quite a popular choice for many writers. You’ll find that it ranks quite highly simply because of how popular it’s become among a lot of writers on Word.

Cambria is a solid font choice that a lot of people like to use. It’s another default font (though it’s mainly reserved for sub-headings in most Word formats). It runs true to the font size, making it a fairly decent choice if you’re looking for something compact.

The serif style of this font makes it easy to read. It’s nearly indistinguishable from some of the other more popular serif fonts like Times New Roman and Georgia, which is why it is such a popular choice.

However, since it looks so similar, it can make it difficult for people to recognize the font or to figure out which font you’re using. While this isn’t the end of the world, it certainly won’t help you to create a unique feel for your paper either.

Book Antiqua

Book Antiqua is another suitable serif font. It’s not as popular as some of the others, but it looks really good as far as formal fonts go. People like it because it offers a slightly more authentic feel and looks like it could be used in a published novel or academic study.

It’s a standard-sized font, and it’s quite easy to read. A lot of people enjoy using it because it can offer a lot of character to their writing. You might not think that a font has that much power, but you’d be surprised once you try and use Book Antiqua a bit more.

Bookman Old Style

Bookman Old Style is another good font that can look like something out of a published paper. What makes this one special is its size. It’s quite a large font with a decent amount of width to each letter (without going too overboard with the letter spacing).

This font is quite popular for people looking to make their academic papers stand out. It’s not the same style as most of the other serif fonts, allowing your paper to bring a little bit extra that some other people might miss out on.

We encourage you to try this one in multiple different situations. It can work both formally and informally, depending on what you’re looking to get out of it.

Palatino Linotype

Palatino Linotype is a good font for many occasions. You’ll often find it used in academic papers because of the interesting style that comes with it. It looks like a classical font, which takes inspiration from some of the older styles of writing that came before computers.

If you want your academic paper to come across as a bit more traditional or formal, you’ll love this font.

Palatino Linotype offers a great deal of character without changing too much of the original formula that makes fonts like Times New Roman and Georgia so special.

Lucida Bright

Lucida Bright is a great font that is very large compared to most. It works well in academic papers, but you’ve got to make sure you know when to use it. If your paper is particularly word-heavy, it might not be wise to use a font that makes each word much larger.

For example, if you have a page limit on your paper, it might be wise to use a smaller font. Lucida Bright will definitely carry you far over that page limit before you come close to the words you might need to use to explain something.

Nevertheless, it’s still a very attractive font that looks really good in most academic papers. If you’re looking for something that’s stylish and readable, Lucida Bright is a good option.

Calibri is a sans serif font, and it’s the first of its kind on the list. We have only included serif fonts because they tend to be more readable and professional. However, Calibri can work really well if you’re looking for a slightly more approachable feel with your font.

Calibri is like the Times New Roman of the sans serif fonts. It is very popular, and most Microsoft Word versions come with it preloaded as the default font for most written pieces.

That’s what makes it such a valuable choice. You can use it in almost any situation (informal and formal) to a great degree.

Arial is another popular sans serif font that you will be able to use in your academic writing. You don’t always have to use the more formal serif fonts, and Arial is a great example of what can be achieved when you’re a little less formal with your presentation.

Arial is much larger than Calibri when the same font size is used. This makes it a lot more visually appealing, though you have to make sure you don’t overdo it with the number of pages it uses.

Before Calibri replaced it, Arial was also the default sans serif font on Microsoft Word. This has allowed it to be a fairly popular choice for many users, and it remains one of the most popular ones today.

Century Gothic

Century Gothic is the final font we want to cover. It’s a sans serif font that can work really well if you’re looking for a slightly larger font. It’s larger than Arial, making it an easy-to-read font that a lot of people like to utilize.

The only issue you might come across is that the size of it can make it seem much more informal. You should be careful with how you use this font, as it could take away from the professionalism or reliability of your academic paper.

You may also like: 12 Best Fonts for Notes in Microsoft Word 12 Best Victorian Fonts in Microsoft Word 12 Best Chalkboard Fonts for Microsoft Word

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here .

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7 Best Fonts For University Essays (Teachers Choice)

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Choosing the best font for university essays is really difficult. As a university student, you have to stand out from other students’ academic papers.

What are the best fonts for university essays? Arial and Helvetica sans-serif style is a common font choice among university students. Some universities do have guidelines on their website about what fonts are allowed in academic essays, so make sure to check before you start typing.

The right font can make your paper look more professional and appealing to readers. But it’s hard to find fonts that are both beautiful and easy to read especially when there are thousands of them available online!

Best Fonts will help you easily choose the most suitable font for your project by offering expert suggestions based on your needs and interests.

Our team consists of experienced writers who also know what it takes to get top grades at universities around the world! So if you need some extra help writing your next academic paper or just want some advice on choosing.

If you are in a hurry! Then you should be considered these quick recommended picks.

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What Are The Best Fonts For University Essays?

Students often use clear sans-serif style Arial, Times New Roman, Helvetica, Calibri fonts on their university academic essays, and some universities have a proper guideline on their website about the fonts that should be used.

1. Wensley Modern Serif Font Family (Top Pick)

The font of choice for many university students, Wensley is a modern serif font typeface. If you want to impress your professors with an elegant and professional appearance then this style will be perfect for the job! This font includes non-english characters so it can fit any language perfectly.

2. Madelin Serif Font Family

The font Madeline is a well accepted serif font among the universities and colleges. This high classed font includes all types of non-english characters and basic glyphs, making it perfect for students in academia. If you are a university student then this new typeface will drastically improve your academic papers.

Madelin Font

3. Glamour Luxury Serif Font Family

Glamour Luxury Serif is a font for those looking to be both stylish and minimalistic. With many variations, it can make your paper stand out from the rest or you can use it on your resume as well!

4. Adrina Modern Serif Font Family

Adrina is a modern rounded serif font with 3 weights that can be used by creatives and commercial professionals. It also has multilingual support to help university students, adults in the professional world, or anyone who needs it!

Aridina Font

5. Immani Serif Font Family Pack

Immani serif font is a logos-ready font with a modern, eye-catching serif look! This classy typeface is perfect for including in headings and other text collaborations within your project. With its sleek fonts, you can easily create stylish headlines or any other type of text that will catch the eyes of those all around you. It’s time to stop searching: this font is what you need!

Related Post: 10 Best Sellers Urban Lightroom Presets Free Download 2021

6. Bergen Text – Sans Serif Font

Bergen Text is an elegant, clean and minimalistic font for university and college academic papers. It has been designed specifically in a small 9-pixel size for easy legibility and accessibility reasons.

In contrast to Fontana families (that are heavy with serifs), Bergen Text is very straightforward. This makes it the perfect candidate for creative works that need a commercial license and readability that will satisfy any customer’s needs.

UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS: 50 Million+ Fonts & Design Assets

All the Fonts you need and many other design elements, are available for a monthly subscription by subscribing to Envato Elements . The subscription costs $16.50 per month and gives you unlimited access to a massive and growing library of over 50 million items that can be downloaded as often as you need (stock photos too)!

7. Morton – Sans Serif Font

Morton Font

But most of the universities don’t have these font selections criteria on their academic guideline. That’s why students use basic and regular free fonts like Helvetica, Arial, Calibri.

Related Post: 10 Best Dark & Moody Lightroom Presets Free and Premium

That’s why choosing a unique and stylish sans serif font in your writing is the best way to mark better.

Final Words

I’m a Lawyer and Digital Marketing Specialist based out of Khulna, Bangladesh. I’ve been in the marketing industry for over 4 years now and have experience working across various industries including website flipping, animal & pets, e-commerce as well as travel.

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What Font Should I Use?

The Modern Language Association (MLA) provides explicit, specific recommendations for the margins and spacing of academic papers. (See: Document Format .) But their advice on font selection is less precise: “Always choose an easily readable typeface (e.g. Times New Roman) in which the regular style contrasts clearly with the italic, and set it to a standard size (e.g. 12 point)” ( MLA Handbook , 7th ed., §4.2).

So which fonts are “easily readable” and have “clearly” contrasting italics? And what exactly is a “standard” size?

For academic papers, an “easily readable typeface” means a serif font, and a “standard” type size is between 10 and 12 point.

Use A Serif Font

Serifs are the tiny strokes at the end of a letter’s main strokes. Serif fonts have these extra strokes; sans serif fonts do not. ( Sans is French for “without.”) Serif fonts also vary the thickness of the letter strokes more than sans serifs, which have more uniform lines.

Books, newspapers, and magazines typically set their main text in a serif font because they make paragraphs and long stretches of text easier to read. Sans serifs (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Gill Sans, Verdana, and so on) work well for single lines of text, like headings or titles, but they rarely make a good choice for body text.

Moreover, most sans serifs don’t have a true italic style. Their “italics” are really just “obliques,” where the letters slant slightly to the right but keep the same shape and spacing. Most serifs, on the other hand, do have a true italic style, with distinctive letter forms and more compact spacing.

Since they’re more readable for long passages and have sharper contrast in their italics, you should always use a serif font for the text of an academic paper.

Use A Readable Type Size

The standard unit for measuring type size is the point . A point is 1 / 72 of an inch, roughly one pixel on a computer screen. The point size of a font tells you the size of the “em square” in which your computer displays each letter of the typeface. How tall or wide any given letter is depends on how the type designer drew it within the em square, thus a font’s height and width can vary greatly depending on the design of the typeface. That’s why if you set two fonts at the same point size, one usually looks bigger than the other.

Compare the following paragraphs, both set at 12 point but in different fonts:

For body text in academic papers, type sizes below 10 point are usually too small to read easily, while type sizes above 12 point tend to look oversized and bulky. So keep the text of your paper between 10 and 12 point .

Some teachers may require you to set your whole text at 12 point. Yet virtually every book, magazine, or newspaper ever printed for visually unimpaired grown-ups sets its body type smaller than 12 point. Newspapers use even smaller type sizes. The New York Times , for example, sets its body text in a perfectly legible 8.7 point font. So with proper spacing and margins, type sizes of 11 or 10 point can be quite comfortable to read.

Font Recommendations

I usually ask my students to use Century Schoolbook or Palatino for their papers. If your teacher requires you to submit your papers in a particular font, do so. (Unless they require you to use Arial , in which case drop the class.)

One thing to consider when choosing a font is how you submit your essay. When you submit a hard copy or a PDF, your reader will see the text in whatever typeface you use. Most electronic submission formats, on the other hand, can only use the fonts available on the reader’s computer. So if you submit the paper electronically, be sure to use a font your instructor has.

What follows is a list of some widely available, highly legible serif fonts well-suited for academic papers. I’ve divided them into four categories: Microsoft Word Fonts, Mac OS Fonts, Google Fonts, and Universal Fonts.

Microsoft Word Fonts

Microsoft Word comes with lots of fonts of varying quality. If your teacher asks you to submit your paper in Word format, you can safely assume they have Word and all the fonts that go with it.

Morris Fuller Benton designed Century Schoolbook in 1923 for elementary-school textbooks, so it’s a highly readable font. It’s one of the best fonts available with Microsoft Word. Because it’s so legible, U. S. Supreme Court Rule 33.1.b madates that all legal documents submitted to the Court be set in Century Schoolbook or a similar Century-style font.

Hermann Zapf designed Palatino in 1948 for titles and headings, but its elegant proportions make it a good font for body text. Named for Renaissance calligrapher Giambattista Palatino, this font has the beauty, harmony, and grace of fine handwriting. Palatino Linotype is the name of the font included with Microsoft Word; Mac OS includes a version of the same typeface called simply Palatino.

Microsoft Word includes several other fonts that can work well for academic essays: Bell MT , Californian FB , Calisto MT , Cambria , Garamond , and Goudy Old Style .

Mac OS Fonts

Apple has a well-deserved reputation for design excellence which extends to its font library. But you can’t count on any of these Mac OS fonts being on a computer that runs Windows.

Finding his inspiration in the typography of Pierre Simon Fournier, Matthew Carter designed Charter in 1987 to look good even on crappy mid-80s fax machines and printers. Its ability to hold up even in low resolution makes Charter work superbly well on screen. Bitstream released Charter under an open license, so you can add it to your font arsenal for free. You can download Charter here .

In 1991 Apple commissioned Jonathan Hoefler to design a font that could show off the Mac’s ability to handle complex typography. The result was Hoefler Text , included with every Mac since then. The bold weight of Hoefler Text on the Mac is excessively heavy, but otherwise it’s a remarkable font: compact without being cramped, formal without being stuffy, and distinctive without being obtrusive. If you have a Mac, start using it.

Other Mac OS fonts you might consider are Baskerville and Palatino .

Google Fonts

When you submit a paper using Google Docs, you can access Google’s vast library of free fonts knowing that anyone who opens it in Google Docs will have those same fonts. Unfortunately, most of those free fonts are worth exactly what you paid for them, so choose wisely.

IBM Plex is a super-family of typefaces designed by Mike Abbink and the Bold Monday type foundry for — you guessed it — IBM. Plex serif is a solid, legible font that borrows features from Janson and Bodoni in its design. Plex is, not surprisingly, a thoroughly corporate font that aims for and achieves a bland neutrality suitable for most research papers.

John Baskerville originally designed this typeface in the 1850s, employing new techniques to make sharper contrasts between thin and thick strokes in the letter forms. The crisp, elegant design has inspired dozens of subsequent versions. Libre Baskerville is based on the American Type Founder’s 1941 version, modified to make it better for on-screen reading.

Unfortunately. Google Fonts has few really good serif fonts. Some others you might consider are Crimson Pro and Spectral .

Universal Fonts

Anyone you send your document to will have these fonts because they’re built in to both Windows and Mac OS.

Matthew Carter designed Georgia in 1993 for maximum legibility on computer screens. Georgia looks very nice on web sites, but in print it can look a bit clunky, especially when set at 12 point. Like Times New Roman, it’s on every computer and is quite easy to read. The name “Georgia” comes from a tabloid headline: “Alien Heads Found in Georgia.”

Times New Roman is, for better or worse, the standard font for academic manuscripts. Many teachers require it because it’s a solid, legible, and universally available font. Stanley Morison designed it in 1931 for The Times newspaper of London, so it’s a very efficient font and legible even at very small sizes. Times New Roman is always a safe choice. But unless your instructor requires it, you should probably use something a bit less overworked.

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• Writing Tips

A Guide to Use of Fonts in Formal Writing

4-minute read

• 16th June 2022

When it comes to picking a font for a resume , report , or any other piece of professional writing , the choice can be overwhelming. It might be tempting to use a variety of quirky fonts to make the text more distinctive, but poor font choices can make your documents memorable for all the wrong reasons!

Our quick guide to fonts in formal writing will help you choose typefaces that enhance your writing and convey proficiency and professionalism.

What Are Serif and Sans Serif Fonts?

Serifs are the decorative details added to the main strokes of letters and symbols. In this blog, we use a serif font for the headings. Serifs give text a traditional appearance, and because serif fonts are the easiest to read in print, they are used in nearly all books and newspapers.

The most common serif fonts in use today are Times New Roman and Garamond. Other popular choices include Cambria, Century, and Georgia.

Sans-serif fonts, like the one we’re using here, have no embellishments and therefore have a more simple, modern look. Most people find sans-serif fonts easier to read on screen, so they are the most popular for blocks of text in emails and on websites.

Familiar sans-serif fonts include Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, and Open Sans. 

Choose Standard Fonts For Emails and Reports

For routine documents like letters and reports, you should stick to conventional fonts. This is because an unusual font style could distract the reader from the content of your writing. It can be helpful to think of the font as the outfit your writing wears. Like a classic tailored suit, a familiar font signifies authority and competence, without drawing attention to itself.

Use Brand-Aligned Fonts For Promotional Material

When it comes to presentations , website content, social media posts, and marketing material, you can be more adventurous. Here you should choose fonts that are consistent with your brand.

The style of font you use sends subtle messages to your readers. That’s why companies spend big bucks on research and design before deciding on a new logo. Your business might not be competing with the likes of Adidas or Apple, but brand consistency is still important.

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When picking a font, think about the image you want your brand to embody. Tall, thin letters suggest beauty and grace, while shorter, wider ones convey solidity and strength. Serif fonts are associated with dependability and elegance, whereas sans serif can denote clarity and simplicity. Think too about letter spacing. Fonts with compacted letters demonstrate precision, whereas more widely spaced lettering has a more relaxed feel.

How Many Fonts Should You Use?

Too many fonts can make the page look cluttered and unprofessional. To keep documents attractive and engaging, you should ideally use only two:

• An easy-to-read default font for the main body of text. 
• A more distinctive font for headings and titles.

For web pages you can add a third “feature font,” which should be reserved for those elements that you want to draw particular attention to (e.g., call-to-action buttons).

Summary: Fonts in Formal Writing

The right style of font will make your writing appear attractive, professional, and easy to read. We recommend serif fonts for documents that are going to be printed and sans serif for material that will primarily be read on a screen.

For the main body of text, your top priority should be clarity. Choose a simple font that doesn’t distract readers from the actual words on the page. More conspicuous fonts should be reserved for headings and other prominent elements.

Finally, once you’ve decided which fonts are right, be sure to use them consistently across all your company’s written material. This will help readers recognize your brand and build trust.

Whatever the font, our proofreaders love helping customers to polish their writing. Find out what we can do for you by sending us a free trial document today.

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5 Best Font for College Essays to Boost Your Grades: Pick the Best!

Welcome to our guide on choosing the best font for college essays.  College-level essays  or personal statements are crucial components of your college applications, and choosing the right font is essential. Your essay must be legible and look professional. Admissions officers receive many applications, and a well-formatted essay will help you stand out. 

Being a  former student in higher education myself , I understand the importance of using a good font in your essay writing and using the best college essay structure.

In this article, we will provide you with tips and recommendations on  font selection , font size, and other formatting aspects to ensure your college essay looks polished and impressive.

This post is all about the best font for college essays.

Full Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through the provided links. Your support helps keep the party going and the blog thriving. Cheers to a fun-filled life! See our disclaimer page

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BEST FONT FOR COLLEGE ESSAYS

In general, the best font for college essays is Arial, size 12. Whether you are a college student or not, the Arial font can be used on a common application. For example, when writing your personal statement, college essay, and other assignments, it is found on a word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. 

Key Takeaways

• Choosing the right font is important to make your essay look professional and readable
• Recommended fonts for  college essays  are widely accepted and easy to read, especially when set at  12-point font size
• Font selection  plays a significant role in creating a visually appealing and professional-looking essay
• Line spacing ,  page numbers , margins, and section headers are essential formatting tips
• Selecting the right font is just the first step in creating an impressive college essay

The Importance of Font Selection in College Essays

Your college essay is your chance to showcase your skills and personality to admissions officers. With so many applications to review, it’s essential to make a good impression right away. One often overlooked aspect is  font selection .

The right font can make a big difference in how professional and polished your essay looks. It can also impact readability, ensuring that your essay is easy to read and understand. A  professional editor  can help you choose the best font, ensuring that your essay stands out from the crowd.

The Impact of Font Choice on Essay Readability

Font choice affects the readability of your essay in several ways. A font that is too small or hard to read can be distracting, taking away from the content of your essay. On the other hand, a font that is too big or decorative can make your essay look unprofessional.

Choosing an  easy-to-read font , such as Times New Roman or Arial, can help ensure that your essay is legible and professional-looking. A font size of 12 points is the standard for most  college essays , ensuring that your essay is easy to read and follow.

The Importance of Adhering to Essay Prompts

Font selection can also impact how well you adhere to the  essay prompt . Different prompts may require different formatting or font choices, and failing to follow these guidelines can hurt your chances of being accepted.

By choosing a font that adheres to the guidelines set forth in the  essay prompt , you can ensure that your essay meets the requirements and stands out in the eyes of the admissions officer.

The Added Benefits of Professional Editing

A  professional editor  can help you choose the best font for your college essay and ensure that it meets all the necessary guidelines. Editors can also provide valuable feedback on the structure, grammar, and tone of your essay, helping you craft a winning piece of writing that showcases your skills and personality.

Recommended Fonts for College Essays

When it comes to college essays, it’s important to choose fonts that are easy to read and widely accepted. Not all fonts are suited to academic papers, and some may appear unprofessional or difficult to read on a computer screen or in print. 

Here are some recommended fonts that will ensure your essay is legible and looks professional, especially when set at a  12-point font size :

These fonts are widely accepted and easy to read, making them ideal for college essays. In addition to font selection, always use a  12-point font size  to ensure that your essay is readable and looks professional. For example,  12-point Times New Roman fonts  or  12-point Arial fonts .

Using a larger or smaller font size can make your essay appear cramped or difficult to read.

Remember, your font choice is just one part of creating a professional and polished college essay. Incorporating proper formatting, concise writing, and strong arguments will help you craft a successful essay and showcase your academic potential.

Serif vs. Sans Serif Fonts: Which is better for College Essays?

When it comes to font selection for college essays, one common debate is whether to use serif or  sans serif fonts .  Serif fonts  have small decorative strokes at the ends of characters, while  sans serif fonts  do not. Both font types have their own unique characteristics, and it’s important to understand which one is more suitable for your essay.

Serif Fonts

Serif fonts  are commonly used in  academic writing  and provide a traditional, classic feel to the text. These fonts are easily recognizable with their small, decorative strokes at the end of each character. Some commonly used  serif fonts  for college essays include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Garamond.  Serif fonts  are preferred in some cases because they can help guide the reader’s eye along the text, making it easier to read and navigate through the essay.

Sans Serif Fonts

Sans serif fonts , on the other hand, have a more modern look and feel. These fonts lack the decorative strokes found in serif fonts and appear more streamlined and simple. Some commonly used  sans serif fonts  for college essays include Arial, Calibri, and Verdana. Sans serif fonts are preferred in some cases because they are easier to read on computer screens and can help convey a cleaner, more contemporary design.

The choice between serif and sans serif fonts ultimately depends on the requirements of your essay and personal preference. Some essay prompts may have specific font requirements, so it’s important to read the guidelines carefully. We recommend selecting a font that is easy to read and suits the tone and content of your essay.

Formatting Tips for College Essays

When it comes to presenting your college essay, proper formatting is just as important as font selection. Follow these formatting tips for a professional-looking essay:

• Line spacing : Use double-spacing for the entire essay to ensure readability and leave room for comments.
• Page numbers : Add a header with  page numbers  to each page to keep your essay organized and easy to navigate.
• 1-inch margins : Keep margins at least 1 inch on all sides of the essay to allow for proper printing and readability.
• Section headers: Use clear and concise headings to organize your essay’s content and make it more readable for readers.

When your college essay is formatted correctly, it shows you have attention to detail and makes your essay stand out from the rest. Remember to focus on all aspects of your essay, not just the font!

Guidelines for Font Usage in College Essays

When it comes to college essays, font selection is not only a matter of visual appeal but also an adherence to specific guidelines set forth by different educational institutions or essay prompts. These guidelines can include requirements regarding font usage,  quotation marks ,  word count  limits, and  sentence structure .

To ensure you create a polished and professional essay, it’s important to follow these guidelines closely. One important aspect to consider is  sentence structure , as it can impact the flow and clarity of your writing. When constructing your sentences, make sure they are grammatically correct and easy to follow.

Another aspect to keep in mind is the use of  quotation marks . Always ensure that quotes are accurately cited and enclosed within appropriate  quotation marks . This demonstrates your credibility and attention to detail as a writer.

Word count  limits are another important consideration. Be concise in your writing and adhere to any word limits set forth in the  essay prompt . This shows your ability to communicate effectively while also following directions.

Lastly, make sure to use an  easy-to-read font  and set it at an appropriate size. A font that is too small or difficult to read can impact the overall impression of your essay. By following these guidelines, you can give your essay a professional look and leave a positive impression on admissions officers.

Ideal Fonts for Different Essay Scenarios

When it comes to choosing fonts for  academic writing , it’s important to consider the purpose and target audience of your essay. Different types of  academic essays , such as college application essays, scholarship essays, or  research papers , may have slightly different font preferences. 

Below are some recommendations to help you choose the most appropriate font for each scenario:

College Application Essays

College application essays should be professional and easy to read, as they are often reviewed by admissions officers. A popular choice for college application essays is Times New Roman, set at a 12-point font size. It is a classic serif font that is easy to read and widely accepted.

Scholarship Essays

Scholarship essays are similar to college application essays in that they require a professional and  easy-to-read font . However, you may want to consider using a sans-serif font, such as Arial or Calibri, to stand out from other applicants. These fonts are clean, modern, and easy to read, even at a smaller font size.

Research Papers

Research papers  have a more formal and scholarly tone, so it’s important to choose a font that reflects this. A popular choice for  research papers  is Georgia, set at a 12-point font size. It is a serif font that is easy to read and has a more formal look than Times New Roman.

Remember, the ideal font for your academic essay will depend on many factors, including your personal preferences, the requirements of your institution or professor, and the purpose of the essay. Consider these recommendations as a starting point, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different fonts to find the one that best suits your needs.

Fine-Tuning Your Font Choice: More Tips for Successful College Essays

Congratulations on selecting the perfect font for your college essay! But, choosing the right font is only the first step in creating an impressive essay. To make your writing more visually engaging, consider the  narrative structure  of your essay. A well-written essay is like a story, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Additionally, your essay should have appropriate  line spacing  to enhance readability. Don’t make your essay appear too cluttered; use ample space to make your text look neat and well-organized.

Moreover, revising your  first draft  is essential for  academic essays . Re-reading your essay allows you to correct grammar mistakes, awkward sentence structures, and misspelled words. Remember that  academic essays  are professional papers, and your writing should reflect that.

Incorporating these tips into your writing style will help you craft a well-written and visually appealing college essay that showcases your skills as a  successful student .

Fonts and Other Things to Make Sure You Follow

Avoiding decorative and wacky fonts.

It’s a common practice to avoid fonts that are too decorative or whimsical. Fonts that fall into the “wacky” category might seem appealing for personal projects but are not a good idea for college essays. They can distract from your content and make your document appear less serious, which is the last thing you want in the college admissions process.

Default Font and Formatting Guidelines

MS Word and other word processors have default settings that are a good start for any college paper. However, the Modern Language Association (MLA) and other academic bodies often have specific requirements. A standard way to format your document includes using a one-inch margin on all sides, double spacing your text, and ensuring your first page includes the right margin headers with your personal information.

Size of the Fonts and Line Space

For most college papers, a font size of 12 pt is considered the standard. This size is readable and fits well with the double space requirement, offering extra space between lines for comments or corrections. The body text should maintain a uniform size throughout, with possibly a larger font for section headers, adhering to a classic page layout.

​Final Thoughts on the Best Font for College Essays

Choosing the best font for college essays is an essential component of creating a successful academic paper. Your font choice can enhance the readability of your essay, making your application more impressive and easier to read for admissions officers.

By following our recommendations, you’ll be well on your way to selecting a font that not only meets academic requirements but also elevates the overall aesthetic of your essay. Remember, a  good college essay  goes beyond just the font. It should be well-written, concise, and reflect the qualities of a  successful student .

Whether you are writing a  college application essay ,  scholarship essay , or research paper, choosing the right college font will help present your academic achievements in the best light possible. Keep in mind the importance of  academic writing  conventions, along with the use of appropriate fonts, for an impressive and successful essay.

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Font To Choose for Your Research Paper: Best Font for Essays

We’ve all, at some time in our lives, pondered the question of how to create an essay that gets good grades. You may find millions of instructions that will walk you through the process of writing an excellent essay by doing a simple search on Google or pay for research paper . However, a lot of individuals neglect to think about typefaces. In addition to learning how to acquire material and present it in an organized manner, students should also be taught how to style their written assignments, such as essays. When it concerns font for essay , typefaces are also a very important factor.

You will require to choose a typeface that is easy on the eyes. The issue is that there are literally thousands upon thousands of typefaces from which to choose. And after you’ve decided which one is the greatest, you’ll need to choose the appropriate size. Is it preferable to have a font size of 12 for the body paragraph and 14 for the titles? Let’s see what the best fonts for essays are out there check DoMyEssay  .

What About the Font Size?

When it comes to standard font size for essays, it’s usually 12 or 14. But 12 is usually recommended font size for college papers. New Times Roman, Arial, and Calibri are most often seen in this size. The typefaces you choose should be large enough so that your work can be read without putting undue strain on the eyes of the reader. Points are the standard unit of measurement for distances. MLA, American Psychological Association, and Harvard are the most used citation styles and conventions for scientific research publications. The value indicates the proportion of the display that the typeface uses.

Generally, 12 points are considered the minimum acceptable size for academic writing. Size-wise, it’s ideal for the target demographic without seeming too big or cumbersome. The text size you choose for your research paper is crucial in letting it seem professional and attractive. When completing the assignment, the author should utilize the prescribed font size. In figuring out how many webs pages your work needs, this aspect ratio is crucial. To ensure that we don’t go over or under the page count for the whole project, we’ve been using a font size of 12 to do the calculations.

Wensley Modern Serif Font Family

This one is a standard essay font that people use nowadays. Wensley is a contemporary serif font design that is widely used by undergraduates in a variety of educational institutions. This is the ideal look to go for if you wish to give off an air of sophistication and competence to your teachers, which is exactly what you should strive for. This typeface supports a variety of non-English letters, making it suitable for use in any language.

Serif Or Sans Serif, That’s Always A Dilemma

Serif and Sans Serif are always in sort of a rivalry within academic fonts. When deciding whether to choose one of them for your study, the level of formality of the document and the environment in which it will be presented are the two most important factors to consider. The informality of sans serif typefaces makes them a good choice for casual presentations, while the beauty of serif fonts makes them a good choice for more official scholarly articles. It is often advised to choose a sans serif since it is more readable and less tiresome to write on a pc screen. If we are thinking about the place it will be released, we should take this into consideration.

The majority of analyses and publications, regardless of the publication venue in which they appear, benefit from having either serif or sans serif font for college essay included in the same document. The headlines or restricted quotations in a piece of writing will often benefit link from using one style, whereas the main section of the text may benefit from using the other.

Our further font research leads us to Calibri. The popularity of this typeface is comparable to that of the font Times New Roman. In addition to that, Calibri is a Sans typeface. There are a number of advantages to using this font, including the fact that it is not unusual, that it is simple to read, that it is user-friendly for cell devices, and many more. It is one of the safest options for some of the best research paper writing services too. However, this does not always imply that every aspect of this typeface has solely positive qualities. The fact that it is easy to forget about and not particularly thrilling is another one of its many drawbacks. On the other hand, it is commonly used by electronic firms who are responsible for the creation of websites.

Times New Roman

If you ask any best essay writer service which font is the most appropriate to choose, he or she will pick Times New Roman. The Times of London, a magazine published in the United Kingdom, is where this typeface got its name. A new font was commissioned to be designed by the Times in 1929 by typographer Stanley Morison. He was in charge of leading the project, while Victor Lardent, an advertisement designer for the Times, was the one who designed the letterings under his supervision.

Even when it was brand new, Times New Roman was met with opposition. The fact that the new typeface was featured in a daily paper contributed to its meteoric rise to fame among manufacturers of the era. Times New Roman has consistently been one of the very first typefaces offered for each new writing device, despite the fact that composing technologies have changed significantly in the intervening decades.  As a consequence of this, its scope has grown even more.

Creating an essay for high school or university requires the student to pay attention to numerous details. Among the most crucial aspects of an excellent college essay are its subject, structure, substance, trustworthiness of resources, the writer’s voice, simplicity of ideas, and continuity of views. There is, nevertheless, a factor that many university learners grossly undervalue. Making sure you choose a legible typeface is just as important as providing a well-thought-out argument throughout your academic paper.

go to freepik.com

The Best Fonts for Your Essays, Books & Other Long Form Texts

• Inspirational
• Tips and Trends

Choosing the right font can seem like an impossible task. There are so many things to consider. What is the font going to be used for? What message are you trying to send? Is the font readable? Does the font include special features? Combine these questions with virtually unlimited font choices, and you’ll find your head spinning.

Different styles of fonts serve different purposes. Bold, blocky fonts are typically used for titles or headings. Script fonts are used for creative projects such as invitations, posters and apparel. Finally, there are fonts that work well as body copy. Body text is your longer text that usually appears in paragraphs. Because this text can be anything from a few words to millions of pages, legibility is very important. If a viewer is going to spend longer that a few seconds reading your text, you need to make sure that you’re providing a great reading experience. We’ll take a look at some tips for choosing the right fonts for longer bodies of text and I’ll also make some recommendations for fonts that you can use for your next project.

A Little Spacing Goes A Long Way

One of the biggest mistakes people make when working with longer blocks of text is not using correct spacing. The spacing between lines, paragraphs and characters can be the difference between fomenting being easy to read or impossible to read. Often, people space text and element to close in an attempt to save space, use less pages or get in some extra information in a small area. I get it. Sometimes you have one word left over, and you really don’t want to create a widow and orphan situation. But, there is no reason to cram all of your body text into a small area.

Reserve The Decorations For Parties And Special Events

As graphic designers, we tend to be creative people. I love adding a bit of flair and pizzaz to everything. There’s a time and a place for the fancy had-lettered fonts. Your body text is neither the time nor the place. Using a decorative font to signify a chapter or section header can be a really nice visual break and keep everything from appearing as a never-ending wall of text. Using a decorative font as the default font for your body will be impossible to read and put a lot of strain on the viewers eyes. It will also take up significantly more space than using a clean font designed for long works of text.

Font Pairing Is Still Important

Making your text easy to read is your top priority, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add some variety to your text. We’ve already mentioned how using decorative fonts for chapter and section headers can be useful, but there are some other situations where mixing things up is a great idea. If you have subsections throughout your text, you can implement some font pairing. For subsections, you wouldn’t want to make them decorative, but you would want to find a way to distinguish between the subsections and the body text. If you need help with font pairing check out: How to Mix and Match Fonts to Add Depth to Any Design .

Recommendations

• Best For Font Pairing

Lato is a great font for mixing, matching and pairing fonts. Lato has several variations of thick and thin weights that provide so many possibilities for pairing your fonts. You could use Lato Regular for the body of your text and Lato Heavy for your titles. If you’re new to font pairing and want a really easy way to guarantee your fonts will have some diversity while keeping a consistent style, Lato is for you.

• Best For Universal Titles & Body Text

Gotham  is great if you’re looking for a font that works well for titles as well as body text. Gotham is one of those fonts that look great in any size and any case. The characters are spaced well and it’s very easy to read. If you don’t want a ton of variation between your titles and your body, Gotham is a great choice.

• Best Pre-Installed Font

Futura is a font that can be found on most computers. It’s a favorite among many designers and is a great go-to font if you’re not able to install any custom fonts on a machine. Futura can be a bit overused these days, but it’s still a great choice when your options are limited and you need something quick, easy and readily available.

• Best Serif Font

Adobe Caslon Pro is a great choice if you prefer a serif font over a sans serif font. It’s classic, easy to read and adds a bit of a rustic feel to your work.

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What font should I choose for my thesis?

This post is by DrJanene Carey, a freelance writer and editor based in Armidale NSW. She occasionally teaches academic writing at the University of New England and often edits academic theses, articles and reports. Her website is http://www.janenecarey.com

Arguably, this question is a classic time waster and the student who poses it should be told to just get on with writing up their research. But as someone who edits theses for a living, I think a bit of time spent on fonts is part of the process of buffing and polishing what is, after all, one of the most important documents you will ever produce. Just bear in mind that there is no need to immerse yourself so deeply in the topic that you start quibbling about whether it’s a font or a typeface that you are choosing .

Times New Roman is the standard choice for academic documents, and the thesis preparation guidelines of some universities stipulate its use. For many years, it was the default body text for Microsoft Word. With the release of Office 2007, the default became a sans serif typeface called Calibri. Lacking the little projecting bits (serifs) at the end of characters makes Calibri and its many friends, such as Arial, Helvetica and Verdana, look smoother and clearer on a screen, but generally makes them less readable than a serif typeface when used for printed text . The other problem with choosing a sans serif for your body text is that if you want passages in italics (for example, lengthy participant quotes) often this will be displayed as slanted letters, rather than as a true italic font.

You would like your examiners to feel as comfortable as possible while their eyes are traversing the many, many pages of your thesis, so maximising legibility and readability is a good idea. Times New Roman is ubiquitous and familiar, which means it is probably the safest option, but it does have a couple of drawbacks. Originally designed for The Times in London, its characters are slightly narrowed, so that more of them can be squished into a newspaper column. Secondly, some people intensely dislike TNR because they think it has been overused, and regard it as the font you choose when you are not choosing a font .

If you do have the luxury of choice (your university doesn’t insist you use Times New Roman, and you have defined document styles that are easy to modify, and there’s enough time left before the submission deadline) then I think it is worth considering what other typefaces might work well with your thesis. I’m not a typographical expert, but I have the following suggestions.

• Don’t use Calibri, or any other sans serif font, for your body text, though it is fine for headings. Most people agree that dense chunks of printed text are easier to read if the font is serif, and examiners are likely to expect a typeface that doesn’t stray too far from the standard. To my eye, Calibri looks a little too casual for the body of a thesis.
• Typefaces like Garamond, Palatino, Century Schoolbook, Georgia, Minion Pro, Cambria and Constantia are all perfectly acceptable, and they come with Microsoft Word. However, some of them (Georgia and Constantia, for example) feature non-lining numerals, which means that instead of all sitting neatly on the base line, some will stand higher or lower than others, just like letters do. This looks nice when they are integrated with the text, but it is probably not what you want for a tabular display.
• Consider using a different typeface for your headings. It will make them more prominent, which enhances overall readability because the eye scanning the pages can quickly take in the hierarchy of ideas. The easiest way to get a good contrast with your serif body text is to have sans serif headings. Popular combinations are Garamond/Helvetica; Minion Pro/Myriad Pro; Times New Roman/Arial Narrow. But don’t create a dog’s breakfast by having more than two typefaces in your thesis – use point sizes, bold and italics for variety.

Of late, I’ve become quite fond of Constantia. It’s an attractive serif typeface that came out with Office 2007 at the same time as Calibri, and was specifically designed to look good in print and on screen. Increasingly, theses will be read in PDF rather than book format, so screen readability is an important consideration.  Asked to review Microsoft’s six new ClearType fonts prior to their release, typographer Raph Levien said Constantia was likely to be everyone’s favourite, because ‘Even though it’s a highly readable Roman font departing only slightly from the classical model, it still manages to be fresh and new.’

By default, Constantia has non-lining numerals, but from Word 2010 onwards you can set them to be lining via the advanced font/number forms option, either throughout your document or in specific sections, such as within tables.

Here is an excerpt from a thesis, shown twice with different typefaces. The first excerpt features Calibri headings with Constantia body text, and the second has that old favourite, Times New Roman. As these examples have been rendered as screenshots, you will get a better idea of how the fonts actually look if you try them on your own computer and printer.

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What is the standard/recommended font to use in papers?

I looked around but did not find that anyone has asked this before, but what are the fonts that are standard/recommended while writing academic reports/papers?

• publications

• 19 No need to search for the perfect font. You just download the latex/word template that the journal / conference provides and you stick to it. –  Alexandros Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 10:12
• 3 In my case there isn't a template, that is the problem. –  Man Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 10:12
• 1 @O.R.Mapper yes very true, although I assume if the OP was looking for the standard font of every language in the world for academic publishing, we could close it as "too broad" –  user-2147482637 Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 15:35
• 10 People stick with the Computer Modern default in LaTeX so much that I once had someone tell me a paper where I intentionally chose a different serif font "looked unprofessional." –  Matt Reece Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 17:32
• 3 Please do not be "that person" who has the only paper in the journal or proceedings with a different font from the others. –  Max Commented Aug 8, 2014 at 8:42

4 Answers 4

If there's no template, then the choice is yours. However, you should make sure to pick a font that's easy to read. The usual standards in academia tend to be the Times, Helvetica/Arial, and Computer Modern families. This doesn't restrict you from using fonts like Book Antiqua, Myriad Pro, Goudy Old Style, or Garamond, but they're definitely not standard.

• 9 As to Helvetica/Arial: I think conventional wisdom is that serif fonts are preferred for large bodies of text, while sans serif should be reserved for short chunks like labels, headings, etc. I've certainly never seen a published paper set entirely in Helvetica. Then again, in my field everyone uses LaTeX, so unless you make a special effort, everything comes out in Computer Modern. –  Nate Eldredge Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 15:52
• @NateEldredge: You are correct that serif fonts are easier to handle in large doses, but Helvetica is the "default" font for most "official" documents and reports throughout most of Europe. And this extends to preprints when not done in LaTeX. –  aeismail Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 15:56
• 14 Eurghhhhhhhhhhh. –  Nate Eldredge Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 16:14
• @NateEldredge: This is not undisputed. @ aeismail: It’s rather Arial due that popular operating system (which does not make this any better; not because of serif vs. sans-serif, but because I do not want to see that font anymore to the extent that I tweaked my browser to auto-replace any resembling fonts). –  Wrzlprmft ♦ Commented Aug 8, 2014 at 8:35
• @Wrzlprmft: True, it is normally Arial that is specified; fortunately the differences are small enough that I use Helvetica and no one complains. (And actually I'm starting to see more references to Helvetica nowadays.) –  aeismail Commented Aug 8, 2014 at 12:00

For an academic paper each publisher journal have their standards. These do not affect or are affected by the manuscripts sent in to the journal. Some journals specify fonts, commonly standard Times Roman, for their manuscripts. If the journal specifies something, follow that specification. Otherwise use a font that is easy to read. There is no need to use anything but a standard font for whatever typesetting/word processor system.

There isn't any.

Focus on the content, write using your favorite writing software's default font, and let the journal's typesetting staff worry about the looks of the published version.

For the subset of journals that do not take care of typesetting, first make sure they are legitimate, then use the template they provide.

If no template is provided discuss with your supervisor and colleagues whether the journal is really worth your time, if it is then use your favorite software's default font.

As others have mentioned, the standard font varies, but is usually a serif font such as Times New Roman, although sans serif fonts such as Arial and Helvetica seem to be gaining traction as well. Their is major disagreement over which is easier to read--serif or sans serif fonts, with no clear consensus on the outcome. For example, see this paper .

Font size is typically twelve point. Follow the guidelines on this one, and make sure to keep your font consistent. Nothing is more likely to get you minus points than some obvious monkeying with the font size, whether to lengthen your manuscript (most commonly seen in undergrad papers) or to fit your text into the page limit (the rest of us!).

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A variety of fonts are permitted in APA Style papers. Font options include the following:

• sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode
• serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)

We recommend these fonts because they are legible and widely available and because they include special characters such as math symbols and Greek letters. Historically, sans serif fonts have been preferred for online works and serif fonts for print works; however, modern screen resolutions can typically accommodate either type of font, and people who use assistive technologies can adjust font settings to their preferences. For more on how font relates to accessibility, visit the page on the accessibility of APA Style .

Use the same font throughout your paper, with the following exceptions:

• figures: Within figure images, use a sans serif font with a type size between 8 and 14 points.
• computer code: To present computer code, use a monospace font such as 10-point Lucida Console or 10-point Courier New.
• footnotes: When inserting footnotes with the footnotes function of your word-processing program, use the default font settings. The footnote font might be smaller than the text font (and have different line spacing), and it is not necessary to change it.

Instructors and publishers vary in how they specify length requirements. Different fonts take up different amounts of space on the page; thus, we recommend using word count rather than page count to gauge paper length if possible.

Font is covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 2.19 and the Concise Guide Section 1.18

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5 fonts that add credibility and professionalism to scientific research

by ikumikayama | Apr 29, 2013 | Uncategorized | 14 comments

Choosing the right fonts can affect how your scientific research is received.

Note: This is part 2 of a 2-part blog series about choices in fonts. You can read part 1 here .

You are dressed in your best. You edited the manuscript with a fine-tooth comb…but are your figures and images wearing flip-flops?

Last time we talked about fonts that suck professionalism out of your scientific research . In this article, we’ll talk about fonts that actually add credibility and professionalism to your research. Dress your research in a custom-tailored suit by just using these fonts!

My friend and colleague, Cassio Lynm described how a good figure should be like a billboard found in many highways around the country. Anyone who sees the billboard will understand what they are advertising in a split second. If someone is confused or gets the wrong idea, the image is not very successful.

Similarly, the best professional fonts should be one that’s easy to read with very little “bells and whistles”. When writing prose of informational value such as scientific research, a reader should pay attention to what the text is describing, not how the text looks.  A good professional font should be like air–we don’t really even pay attention to it most of the time.

Some of the fonts I’ll share with you today are considered “boring” and “overused” by some. These fonts are everywhere because they are champions of legibility and simplicity.  Make your work professional and trustworthy by using a time-tested font.

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1. Arial- “All-Around Champion with IBM Roots”

According to fonts.com , Arial is one of the most used typefaces of the last 30 years. Its electronic origins go back to 1982 for IBM laser-xerographic printers by designers Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders. When it came out, it was supposed to compete with Helvetica, which was one of the core fonts in Apple Computers in the mid 1980’s.

Arial letters have more round shapes and the edges of letters do not end in a horizontal line. Instead, the edges are at an angle.

Arial is an easy-to-read font in small and large blocks of text. Nature requests that the figure text be in Arial or Helvetica. It’s especially nice for figure labels and legends. When using Arial as figure legends, keep the font size small ~8 points for best results.

2. Helvetica- “All-Around Champion with Apple Roots”

Helvetica is the most heavily-used font. Helvetica was originally designed by a Swiss designer named Max Miedinger in 1957. The font was designed to be an easy-to-read font. The name “Helvetica” comes from “Helvetia” – Latin name for Switzerland. Actually, the font received a facelift in 1983-the newer version is called, you guessed it, Neue Helvetica.

Helvetica even has its own movie . I haven’t seen it yet, but please comment in the section below if you have.

Besides its Hollywood (Indie) status, Helvetica is a font that looks great on both print and on screen.  Nature , Science , and Cell request that their figure labels be in Helvetica. (If you need assistance setting up figures, I’m here to help). It looks great small as in figure labels, and it looks pretty good in large formats as posters. I lost count of how many figures I labeled using Helvetica, since that’s what one of the publishers used for their books.

3. Baskerville- “Tends to have positive influence on readers”

Baskerville’s history goes all the way back to 1757 when John Baskerville designed a typeface that works well in print and easy to read.  Mr. Baskerville preferred his letters simple and refined. He was also a writing master, so he had some ornamental letters like the upper case Q.

There was an  informal study  (not official, but some experiments here and there) that showed using Baskerville font increased trustworthiness of the text compared to other fonts. In the same study, Comic Sans had the most negative influence on the readers.

Baskerville is a serif font, which means that there are “tails” at the edge of the letters. Generally, serif fonts are better suited for print. This font works best when used in long blocks of text. Try to keep this font between 8 and 14pts for best results. This font looks dignified, so use this for your important professional occasions-award ceremonies, recognitions, etc.

4. Caslon- “When in doubt, use Caslon”

Caslon is another font with a long history. William Cason I designed the typeface back in the early 1700’s. This font is considered as the first original typeface from England. This font was very popular in colonial America, and it was used for many historical documents including the US Declaration of Independence.

Caslon is a serif font (with tails), and is best used in blocks of text. Like Baskerville, try to keep this font between 8 and 14 points for best results. Using this in a report or an application would be a good places.

5. Garamond – “Second best font after Helvetica”

This font’s history also goes way back. The font was designed by Claude Garamond (or Jean Jannon), who was commissioned to make a typeface for King Francis I of France (1515-47) to be used in series of books. The modern, electric version was revived in 1989 by Robert Slimbach.

Because there are different sources available for Garamond, there are numbers of different variations of the font. Adobe Garamond is the most popular and widely-available version today.

Garamond is still used extensively by French publishers. They also insist that Garamond be printed in size 9.  Some of the most famous publications in France are in Garamond such as Histoire de l’édition français.  The publishers prefer this font “for its beauty, its richness and its legibility” combined with “an uncluttered graphic style that underscores the rigour of essays and analysis providing a radical critique of contemporary society”.

Garamond is a great font to be used in long proses such as textbooks, dissertations and theses. Keeping it at 9 point is optional. In fact, my master’s thesis was in Garamond.

So that’s the 5 fonts that add credibility and professionalism to your scientific research. Did you find your favorite fonts here? Do you have other favorites? Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Also, please feel free to send this article along to those who might benefit from this short article.

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Now that you know about great scientific fonts, learn more about: PowerPoint Tips for the Scientist

Sources and Further reading:

Arial vs Helvetica – fonts.com

Research on font trustworthiness: Baskerville vs. Comic Sans

Caslon typeface

History of Garamond

Cell Press Figure Guide

Nature -Guide to preparing final artwork

Science Magazine: Preparing your manuscript

14 Comments

I’d rather like to know which font was used to write that article – it’s simple and readable, better than all presented above.

And the font being used for that article is Helvetica, which is one of the fonts mentioned above 😀

Hi Ewa! Great point. The font used is called “Open Sans” by Steve Matteson. For my blog, I made the font color dark grey to make it easier on the eyes, and also made them slightly bigger than average for easier reading. Hope this helps!

Hollo there, i liked the article but none of this fonts looks like the one used in the papers i read, (Journals of the American Chemical Society), do you know which one they use?

Hi There! Thank you for the note! ACS suggests Arial and Helvetica for their journal figures, so that’s what I introduced in this article–for the text, they might very well have their own custom font they use for their publications. I’ll dig into this a little deeper–thank you again!

I’m sorry, but this article is full of misinformation. Part 1 is a reiteration of articles that have been around for years. Absolutely nothing new there, and honestly, is there anyone even considering the typefaces you name there for scientific articles? Is it conceivable that anyone would use Curlz for his essay?

But my real concern goes to the second part. Arial and Helvetica are absolutely not scientific typefaces. The notion that ACS suggests these typefaces doesn’t make them suitable for scientific works. I think you ought to do research as to WHY these typefaces came recommended. Helvetica has history, as it won out of contemporaries like Univers as Helvetica was very heavily marketed. As a side note, Helvetica is actually based on the Akzidenz Grotesk model. Arial was designed to have the same metrics as Helvetica so it could be used on the same printers without having to pay a license fee to use Helvetica. Arial is more legible while Helvetica is more neutral and clear, but neither is particularly great.

So I would say Helvetica and Arial haven’t been chosen because they’re perfect. They’ve been chosen because they’re popular, and Arial is on every Windows computer, so people don’t have to purchase any fonts. I would say neither Arial and Helvetica are known to be particularly good to read. I suspect typefaces like Proxima Nova and Avenir will fair better. To be clear, I don’t think Arial or Helvetica are bad choices for labels and such, but to suggest them as top 5 typefaces, that’s very clearly misinformation.

“When using Arial as figure legends, keep the font size small ~8 points for best results.” For best results? Not entirely. It’s probably a good estimate, but in actuality the pt size should depend on the layout. I would recommend always making a test print to see if the text looks good in print, if that’s what it is intended for. Sometimes 0.2pts more or less could make the difference.

“Helvetica is the most heavily-used font.” I don’t think so. First off, Helvetica is not a font. It’s a typeface. Helvetica Regular would be a font. Helvetica is the most heavily-used typeface in graphic design, and likely the most heavily-used sans typeface. It’s not the most heavily-used typeface. At least, I would be very surprised if it was. I suspect Times New Roman is the most heavily-used.

“The font was designed to be an easy-to-read font.” No, Helvetica was designed to steal the popularity of Akzidenz Grotesk away.

Also, follow this link to see some of the problems of Helvetica at small sizes, and what professionals in the field have to say about it: http://spiekermann.com/en/helvetica-sucks/

“Actually, the font received a facelift in 1983-the newer version is called, you guessed it, Neue Helvetica.” Who would guess that the prefix for the new Helvetica would be German though? Small detail… Anyway, if you like Helvetica but want a more professional typeface (because really, Max Miedinger was not a type designer and as far as I’m concerned that shows), I can recommend Neue Haas Grotesk (a typeface that is true to the original Helvetica, but improved) or Neue Haas Unica (a more fresh looking Helvetica that deviates from the original).

“Helvetica even has its own movie. I haven’t seen it yet, but please comment in the section below if you have.” I have seen it a few times now. It’s quite a pleasure to watch, but there’s a lot of propaganda involved as well. You have the likes of Massimo Vignelli drooling over how great Helvetica is. The man was a pretty great graphic designer (although insisting on always using Helvetica has little to do with graphic design, as one ought to select the perfect typeface for the job, not use one typeface for every job), but he had no insight in type design. On the other hand, you have Erik Spiekermann formulate perfectly what Helvetica stands for. I would say for a type designer the Helvetica documentary is quite pleasant to watch. For the layman I’m afraid the documentary amounts to propaganda. It gives the layman the feeling this is one of the best typefaces out there and it’s simply not, by far.

“Besides its Hollywood (Indie) status, Helvetica is a font that looks great on both print and on screen.” Absolutely not! On Windows computers, websites set in Helvetica tend to look horrendous. The problem is that Helvetica is not well hinted, and so rendering problems occur. Helvetica was obviously not designed for monitors. Neue Helvetica doesn’t have the rendering problem to the same extent I believe, but relatively few people have Neue Helvetica, so it wouldn’t be wise to use that on your website, unless you embed the fonts. For websites I highly recommend using Arial rather than Helvetica.

“Baskerville’s history goes all the way back to 1757 when John Baskerville designed a typeface that works well in print and easy to read.” Easy to read? Not particularly, though it’s not bad either. Baskerville is a transitional typeface, meaning the weight modulation is vertical and the contrast is high. This is the tradition of the Baroque, but it’s not the most pleasant to read. However, Baskerville does look quite academic. For typefaces that are more pleasant to read, I would look at the Garalde style. Garamond and Caslon belong to that classification. They have a diagonal weight modulation, which naturally leads the eyes to the next letters. Typefaces with vertical weight modulation and high contrast tend to feature a fence effect, which disturbs the reading experience. To see this effect well, look at Didone typefaces like Didot and Bodoni.

“This font works best when used in long blocks of text. Try to keep this font between 8 and 14pts for best results.” 14pt seems quite large. Try 9–12pt. This goes for any serif typeface to be used for body text that is intended for print (for the web try 10–14pt, also depending on which device it’s intended for). But again, it will depend on the layout, and always make test prints to make sure it’s pleasant to read.

“Garamond is a great font to be used in long proses such as textbooks, dissertations and theses. Keeping it at 9 point is optional. In fact, my master’s thesis was in Garamond.” I distinctly remember years ago I noticed my Harry Potter book was set in Garamond. Both Garamond and Caslon are still used extensively for books.

However, Garamond may be a bit much for scientific documents. It’s quite classical and it has a low x-height, which these days is not preferable. Caslon is a bit less expressive and has a taller x-height. I would say Caslon is probably better for scientific articles.

One group of typefaces that certainly seems to be missing here is Century. Typefaces like Century Roman and Century Schoolbook. They belong to the Clarendon classification and are reminiscent of typefaces like Baskerville. These typefaces have been popular since the late 19th century and are still used extensively in academic literature. But I suppose you should also make a consideration of whether your article should be about the most comfortable typefaces to read, or the best suitable for scientific work, because they most certainly don’t amount to the same thing, yet you seem to be equating the two in this article.

Hi Martin! Thank you so much for your in-depth note! I have to look over and digest all your excellent points. Would you be open to expanding your writing and be a guest author or send me a link to your website/blog so the readers can have more information about what types to use for their work?

THE quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog!!!!!

Leelawadee is a bit underrated. It is easy on the eyes, and simple. It could use a bit of a TimesNewRoman-punch to it, though.

Where can I download Helvetica from? I couldn’t find it anywhere

Seriously? I don’t know what this smug guy does with typography, in which he seems to be well versed, but if he were to take up writing he would need to work on his grammar.

I’m not an expert on fonts, but I’m currently using Helvetica for headlines and other Sans text in my thesis and DejaVu for the main text. Feels pretty scientific to me 🙂

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this article. Thanks! PS. I see you use a sans serif font.

How i download these font types?

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The best fonts for google docs documents.

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Chrome Is Top Dog, but Firefox Is Still My Favorite Browser

A great linux feature is coming to chromeos flex, spectrum just raised its prices again, quick links, best fonts to use for google doc, what to look for when choosing a font, choose your favorite google font.

Google has a wide library of fonts that can turn your document into a pleasure to read and write. We've selected the best fonts to make your Google Doc documents look the best they can. We'll cover some classics as well as some underrated new fonts.

If you're a Google Docs user, you probably know that it employs the Arial typeface by default. However, there are also other alternatives offered by Google Fonts that provide similar professional flair and readability.

When it comes to documents, readability will always be a top priority, and Inter excels at this game. There are many types of writings that can be done with this typeface. The font was originally designed to work on the 11px font size specifically. It has a tall x-height that aids in the readability of mixed-case and lower-case texts.

The Inter UI font family has nine different weight styles available on Google Docs. It even has OpenType Features and glyphs if you are looking for more design options.

If you like texts that are carefully spaced out and friendly yet formal, then Inter is your best bet. It's such a popular pick that you may even want to use Inter as your default font on Google Docs .

Where you can best use Inter:

• Blog or article writing
• Personal documents

Clean, sophisticated, and modern---these words best describe this sans serif font. Because of how clear and balanced the typeface is, you will usually see this style being used on the web. In fact, the font is still very readable, even on small screens.

This typeface is considered a humanist sans serif. In simple terms, it means it's written like a human holding a pen with minimalist contrasting strokes. And because of this, humanist sans serif designs are usually used in education, finance, and the government sector.

Since Open Sans is highly legible, it's best to use this font for:

• Academic requirements like reaction papers, research papers, or any kind of homework
• Any type of data that you input in a spreadsheet
• Formal letters

Google Docs only offers 30 fonts by default. To see Open Sans in the fonts list option, you'll need to add it to Google Docs .

Roboto is another sans serif font developed by Google, and it has six available weight styles on Google Docs. If we are going to compare it to the default Google Docs font, which is Arial, the former has a more condensed look.

Because of its condensed look, it is the perfect font to use when a lot of content is needed, but there is not a lot of space to work with. When you use Roboto, the typeface appears to be largely geometric since it belongs to the neo-grotesque family of sans serif typefaces. It also has open curves, which makes it a friendly and versatile font to use overall.

Roboto is part of the regular family, and you can also use this font together with the other family type, the Roboto Condensed, and Roboto Slab.

Now, where should you consider using this sans serif font?

• Documents that will be opened using a phone or a small screen
• Documents where you have to condense the content in one page

Bonus fact: Roboto is the system font of the Android operating system!

Merriweather

Another one of our top Google fonts is called Merriweather. It's a free, open-source serif typeface, and it has a full set of weights and styles available on Google Docs. It also has an interesting set of Glyphs.

Related: What's the Difference Between a Font, a Typeface, and a Font Family?

This font was designed by Sorkin Type, and its signature style balances aesthetics, expression, and utility. No wonder why Merriweather gives off a polished and elegant look, making your documents look more professional.

As for Merriweather's best feature, it's the ability to stand out due to its unique flair. However, it also blends in well when paired with other sans serif fonts such as Roboto, Montserrat, and Merriweather Sans.

Merriweather is best used for:

• Paragraph headings
• Professional letters and documents

Inconsolata

Coming from the monospace family, Inconsolata is designed for printed code listings and is favored by programmers. As we've mentioned, it is monospaced, meaning the letters occupy the same amount of width. This kind of typeface dates back to the typewriter days.

One drawback for monospaced fonts is that they may be a bit harder to read than the other types. But Inconsolata is one of the few monospaced fonts that does not compromise legibility. While each character has the same width, the spaces in between them are just right. It's not too condensed but also not too spaced out.

Consider using Inconsolata if you are doing these types of documents:

• Code listings
• Manuscripts
• Screenplay or scriptwriting

Additionally, you can also try to use Inconsolata as paragraph headings and pair it with sans serif fonts.

We have another humanist sans-serif on the list, and it's PT Mono. This font is part of the Public Type family where they have sans and serif typefaces. But as its name suggests, this is a monospaced typeface. It's very similar to Inconsolata, except PT Mono is sharper on the edges, making it look more straightforward and more formal compared to the other font.

If you are a heavy user of spreadsheets, this font should be your go-to. Each character has the same amount of width, so it's easier to calculate the size of entry fields, cells, or tables. To activate PT Mono on your Google Docs, you have to go to the font options list and select "More fonts."

We recommend you use PT Mono on your next spreadsheet file so you can get a feel of this humanist monospaced font.

In addition to worksheets, this font can also be used for:

• Making work tables
• Creating work forms

Source Sans Pro

Source Sans Pro is Adobe's first Open Source typeface family, and it's best for user interfaces .

But what is an Open Source font? These are free fonts that are developed to be used for any purpose, including commercial work. Most designers use an Open Source font because the design is open for modification. The simplicity of Source Sans Pro makes it very pleasing to the eyes. It is sleek and slender, and the style is known for its minimalist approach.

Source Sans Pro makes a good paragraph heading too. The next time you create something on Google Docs, try pairing Source Sans Pro with Roboto or Open Sans for variation.

You can use Source Sans Pro when you are doing the following types of documents:

• Article writing or blog writing
• Note-taking

Nunito Sans

The last on the list is Nunito Sans. It has seven weight styles available on Google Docs. This font is a well-balanced sans serif typeface.

This font's design looks more rounded than the other sans serif fonts, which makes it more appealing. But it's not so round to the point that it makes the style look soft. If you look at it carefully, the uniformity of the strokes balances out the roundness of the design. Overall, it gives that professional yet friendly vibe.

Similar to Source Sans Pro, designers like to use Nunito Sans as well because it's simple yet formal enough. You can use this font to give more personality to your document while still keeping it formal.

Nunito Sans is best used for these kinds of documents:

• Recommendation letters
• Research papers

Selecting a font to use may look pretty simple, but there are actually many factors to think about. The most essential one to consider is whether the document you're working on is for print or web. Viewing from a screen and from paper are two completely different experiences, so formatting decisions like what font style to use for each should be distinct from each other.

With that, here are the considerations you should review when choosing a font:

Character Line Spacing

When characters are too close to each other, this can cause your content to look denser and messier. Choose a font with wider character spacing so they're easier to read regardless of how small the sizes can be.

Serif vs. Sans-Serif

Related: What Do "Serif" and "Sans Serif" Mean?

Serif fonts have decorative strokes on them that give your writing a more elegant look. However, choosing consistently readable serifs can be challenging. Sans-serif fonts tend to be cleaner, simpler, and easier to read. Choose according to the mood you're going for and, of course, the readability.

Degree of Legibility

The way you use typefaces matters. You have to think about the size, range of weights and ligatures, clarity of the characters, and height and contrast ratio standards. Choose was reads best to your target audience.

There are over a thousand accessible Google fonts to choose from. All of them are 100% safe to use and can easily be downloaded from their website. In addition, there are no licensing restrictions, as all the fonts listed in their directory are open source and free. You can use them on your Google documents, websites, commercial projects, and even on print.

So, take some time exploring these awesome font options and narrow down your choices until you come up with the ones that can best express your message.

Related: How to Find, Add, and Remove Fonts in Google Docs

• Google Docs

5 Best Fonts For Essay Writing

Designbeep is a design blog dedicated to web developers,bloggers,designers and freelancers.Our aim is to share everything about web design,graphic design,tutorials and inspirational articles and more.

What are the best fonts for college essays?

One choice that students will have to make when completing college essays is the font. Now, this may not appear like an important factor, however it can make a substantial difference to the presentation of your essay. Some college essay tasks will have a style guide, whereas others will allow students to choose the font. No matter what subject you are doing the essay for or what year of college you are in, the font should always be taken seriously. In this article, we will show you what are the best fonts for college essays.

Times New Roman

The first font that you should be aware of is Times New Roman. This is the default font for many college essays, and it is also one that is considered the standard in APA, MLA, Chicago, and other referencing styles. This is the most commonly used font, and it is considered fairly formal.

It is a serif typeface font that is hugely popular even outside of academia. It has a fantastic reputation, and it is known as a font that is both professional and easy on the eye. If you are unsure of which font to use, then Times New Roman is always a reliable option. This is true especially if the essay will be printed out, since the font looks excellent on paper.

Another well known font is Arial. In contrast to Times New Roman, it is a sans-serif typeface. This is a clean font that is both professional and neutral. It is easy to read which makes it an appealing font choice for college essays. It is also a font which immediately grabs the attention of the reader which makes it a solid choice if you want to impress your professor.

For a combination of modern and classic, Calibri is the font to choose. Calibri has become the new default font for many word processing software. This is because it looks easy on the eye when it is on a computer. If your essay will be submitted online, then this can be a perfect choice of font. It is a clear font that is both straightforward and easy to read.

Another traditional font that is well worth considering, is Georgia. This is another font that looks fantastic on screen, but not so amazing on paper. This font has a classic feel, and was designed to be used on the screen. You can consider using it to make your essays seem more professional and presentable.

Closing Thoughts

Presentation is just as important as the content. Firstly, it is vital to read the instructions of your college essay. Make sure that you fully understand the requirements, and follow the font guidelines if they are given. If there is a choice to be made, you will have a better idea of the best fonts for college essays. These fonts will allow your work to be easily readable, and they will make the best impression.

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The best fonts in Canva, definitively

Your complete guide to the best of Canva's database of over 5,000 fonts.

Canva is a widely used online design platform that has been rising in popularity since 2023. Its exponential growth is due to its ease of use and ability to create web-friendly graphics completely free of charge in only a few clicks and adjustments. It includes a wide selection of fonts, and you don’t need to be a designer to know that a font choice is one of the most important branding decisions you can make, whether for a small business, large business or freelancer.

Luckily, Canva gives you access to over 5,000 fonts. Not many people have the time to sift through all of these options, so we’ve filtered it down for you! We’ve prepared the ultimate selection of the best fonts on Canva, some of which are available with the free plan, and some which require the Canva Pro subscription (which costs only $15 per month). Consider this guide the complete round-up of the best fonts Canva has to offer – so save it in your bookmarks tab for the next time you need to choose a new font.

For more font options, check out this list of free fonts. Alternatively, if you’re an Adobe user, you might find this selection of Adobe fonts useful.

Canva plan: Free

Garet is a sans serif font designed for website copy. The roundness of the letters and their stems create a friendliness while its masculine presence and definition of its lines maintain a professional feel.

Noto Serif is a popular font widely available for use in online settings, including in Canva’s free plan. It’s a serif font that’s easy on the eyes and comes equipped in regular and bold on Canva’s software.

Bebas Neue is also available to download on DaFont and many designers use it in their Adobe software. It's a clean and lean set of lettering that will make any project appear professionally designed.

Canva’s own sans serif font is homogeneous of Helvetica, only the lines of Canva Sans cut a thinner figure and are ever-so-slightly more widely spaced, giving it a lighter finish than usual for a sans serif font.

As an open-source font available across many online tools, Poppins' finish is functional and allows for versatility in editing for those who wish to add their own touches. Not the centre of attention, it lets you put your design in the spotlight.

Canva Plan: Pro

We all need a retro font of the digital glitch persuasion at one point or another. This one is the most open-minded of the SCR-N Seven font family, and is a go-to for typography reminiscent of the retro electronics of the digital boom.

The standard sans serif font for most websites and online platforms, Open Sans is a familiar font that’s easy on the eyes. Its prevalence in online material means that it’s perfect for professional body text as it doesn’t clock with the brain.

Stripped back and feminine, Prata’s serif typeface is perfect for a luxury finish. With more pronounced flourishes than standard, it's also available on many website builders, making it a strategic option for those also creating their own websites.

Although Cardo is a serif font, its flourishes aren’t quite as prominent as those in Prata. Its lighter weight makes it more refined, ideal for a project in need of a touch of elegance. Cardo is also available on Adobe.

Also available on DaFont, Drunken Hour is a distinctive style that mimics the jolty lettering of old printing presses. Currently trending online, this would be a useful font to include in your projects to help to catch the attention of the algorithms.

Yearbook Solid is a refined version of the varsity-style typography often seen in the context of American schools and universities. Yearbook Solid is ideal for this genre as it creates something defined without being too over-stylised or rigid.

One of the most commonly used serif fonts on the web, this is perfect for ensuring font consistency across multiple platforms. Its wider letters open up the text and its roundness at the end of each stem invites the audience into a comforting read.

Gistesty reflects the extra-stylised handwriting often seen on invitations and events branding. It was made by Creatype Studio - a leading font creation company especially known for its decorative fonts - and Gistesy leads as one of its most popular.

Canva plan: Pro

A more legible option than most script fonts, The Something Script is exclusive to Canva. Its similar to Gistesty in flourish, but lighter and more delicate. This would efficiently create a recognisable piece of branding with the right colour choices.

The whole Mokoto Glitch font family is habitually used by Canva users for the novelty digital glitch effect, and this is the most flexible and least rigid of the bunch, leaving room for distinctive additions.

For more font fun, see our guide to font pairing , and the best number fonts .

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Mabel is a freelance writer, artist and filmmaker. When she's not writing about the arts industry, books or culture, she's working on writing and illustrating her stories or developing experimental filmmaking projects. Working in journalism, poetry, documentary-filmmaking, illustration and fiction, storytelling is at the heart of what she does. She started writing articles in online magazines when she was seventeen. After training at the BFI Academy and then studying at UAL, she is now continuing to write articles while she works on creating and launching her first books and films.

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