What fonts and font weights work best for print?
Regular or medium-weight fonts print most reliably, especially at the small sizes typically used on tags.
Choosing the right font weight
- Regular or medium-weight fonts print most reliably
- Bold weights work well for headings and short, prominent text
- Avoid relying on very light or thin weights for anything other than large display text
Fonts to avoid at small sizes
- Thin, hairline, or light-weight fonts
- Highly decorative or script fonts with fine detail
- Condensed fonts combined with very small text sizes
These can lose detail, fill in, or break up once printed at a small scale — see our guide on minimum font sizes for more detail.
What does "outlining" a font mean?
Outlining turns your text into a graphic shape rather than editable, live text, so the exact letterforms are locked in with no risk of a font substituting or displaying incorrectly if that specific font isn't installed on the machine used for printing.
How to outline your fonts
- In Adobe Illustrator: select your text and use Type > Create Outlines
- In Canva: exporting as a PDF automatically flattens text, so this is handled for you
- Always keep an editable copy of your original file before outlining, in case you need to make changes later
What if I don't outline my fonts?
If we receive an editable file using a font we don't have access to, your text may be substituted with a different font, which can affect spacing and layout. We'll always flag this before printing rather than proceeding with a substitution.
Quick summary
- Use regular or medium-weight fonts for the most reliable print results
- Avoid thin or highly decorative fonts at small sizes
- Outlining locks your font choice in as a shape, avoiding substitution issues
- We'll check your fonts before anything goes to print