Selecting the Best Font Styles for Print Materials

While many people are primarily concerned with the images and graphics on their printed materials, having the right font can make or break the impression they are trying to make. Whether you’re creating brochures, business cards, posters, or even magazines, the fonts you select to get your message across can significantly impact how your audience digests those materials. Using the right font can have a huge impact on the aesthetics of the piece, its readability, and how you convey your message to your desired audience. 

Selecting the right font for your print projects can help balance the visual appeal with the piece’s functionality. This helps make sure that your printed materials effectively communicate their purpose and engage the right audience, in the right way. An experienced Denver printing company can shed a lot of light on how different fonts can impact your printed materials, as there are key considerations and other best practices for selecting the right style. 

Understand Your Audience & Purpose

Before selecting any fonts, you’ll need to clarify the message and the purpose of your print materials in regards to your target audience. Different fonts can deliver different messages, so you’ll need to take different things into consideration depending on the project. For example, a children’s book likely will be aimed at a different office than a brochure about data from a large tech company. Each project is going to have unique requirements that will point in the right direction for the tone and style of fonts you should use. 

Corporate materials typically call for clean and professional fonts that are “sans-serif” or those without the extensions on certain letters – like curved tails on lowercase ‘Y’ or the platforms at the bottom of an uppercase ‘A’. For example, Helvetica is a common and popular sans-serif font, while Times New roman is a popular font with serifs. Looking at the differences between these two makes the distinction obvious. Things like event invitations typically use the more elegant and decorative fonts that are serif fonts with varying degrees of flair on the serifs. Understanding your audience will help narrow down the font choices to those that resonate with their expectations and emotions.  

Readability is Crucial

Regardless of audience, printed materials of any kind need to be easy for their audience to read – especially if those materials contain a lot of text. A font may look absolutely beautiful, but none of that matters if it’s too eccentric and makes your audience struggle to read and understand what’s in the text. Be sure to consider the font and how it relates to how easy it will be to comprehend within your printed material. Flowing and elaborate cursive fonts may look elegant and sophisticated, but they have to be subtle enough not to muddle your message. 

Readability has to do with more than just the style of the font. Make sure that you have the right font size for the size of your printed material. For things like brochures, a font that is too large can overwhelm the layout, while a font that is too small can make things difficult to read. Make sure the sizes of the fonts clearly distinguish your headings form the body text, as well. Proper line spacing also enhances readability, and make sure to choose fonts that stand out against the background of your printed material. Black or dark text on light backgrounds is typically the standard. Light text on dark backgrounds can work very well for effective, dramatic designs. Don’t use text of lighter colors like yellow or pink on light backgrounds, as it will not get your message across and leave the printed material looking like something was lost or forgotten.

Match the Styles to Your Content

Different emotions are evoked from different fonts, and those different styles can set the tone for your print materials. Serif fonts – like Times New Roman or Garamond – have small lines or “feet” at the ends of letters. These are considered to be more traditional, elegant, and formal – which makes them ideal for books and professional documents. Sans serif fonts – like Helvetica or Calilbri – lack those decorative materials which makes them more clean and modern. These differences were previously mentioned before in regards to readability and formality, but it’s important to note that the minimalist designs for sans serif founts are used to be more straightforward. 

Script fonts mimic the stylings of cursive handwriting and are frequently used with greeting cards, invitations, and other places that need to convey elegance or creativity. Fonts like Brush Script implement these designs, but it’s important to know that these types of fonts aren’t used that often. They are used sparingly because of their readability, but they are great for items that have a limited amount of content. They can become difficult to read or hard to comprehend the overall message when used in larger blocks of text. Display fonts like Lobster or Impact can be great options for decorative pieces or elements that you want to grab people’s attention. Use these sparingly, however, to avoid the font completely taking over the design. 

Limit Your Number of Fonts

One of the most common mistakes used in design is implementing too many different fonts. Stick to two or three fonts in your design to keep things cohesive and looking professional. One of the standard approaches to this is to use three fonts – one for your primary font or body text, a secondary font for headlines and other headers, and an accent font for decorative elements or other minimal highlights. That third font is optional, as not every printed piece is going to need that accent font. Getting a good contrast between these fonts is important, but not too different to take away from your message.

When using multiple fonts, make sure they complement each other. Good font pairing involves balancing their contrast and harmony. One thing to consider is a contrast in styles. Pairing serif fonts with sans serif fonts can create a striking and balanced look. Avoid pairing overly formal fonts with casual ones. The fonts should share a similar tone that aligns with the overall message of your print materials. Different fonts for headings, sub-headings, and body text should clearly establish a hierarchy in the piece. Larger, bolder fonts will draw attention to your headlines, while simpler fonts will make the body text easier to read. An experienced printer will be able to help you understand which fonts work together the best. 

Check for Compatibility

Depending on the size and the resolution of your printed materials, you might need to look for fonts that will be sharp and legible for your needs. A font that looks great on a computer screen might not translate well to something that’s printer much larger – or smaller. Fonts should remain crisp at a resolution of 300 dots per inch (DPI), which is a standard for print materials. When sending files to a printer, make sure to embed your fonts so that they will appear as you intended. 

Always print a test copy before you make your final run to get a good evaluation of how your fonts look on the actual printed material you’ll be using for the final product. Some fonts may appear thick or thinner than expected, which may require some adjustments. Typography is both an art and a science, and sometimes things need to be tweaked before the final product is created. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a number of different combinations to make sure you get what works best for your product, conveys your message, and is easily readable on your finished printed materials. 

Balance Trends with Branding

There are always trendy fonts, and those can be tempting to look like you’re current with the times. However, it’s important to consider the longevity of your printed materials when making these choices. There are plenty of fonts that have stood the test of time and work well within most designs. If your materials have a shorter shelf lie, experimenting with funkier or trendier fonts might be an acceptable option. When doing that, however, it’s also important to consider how well that aligns with your current branding. 

If your print materials are for your business or organization, make sure that your font choices align with your branding guidelines. Consistency is key throughout all of your marketing materials, and you want to reinforce that specific brand identity and professionalism across all of your printed items. Use the same fonts as your logo, website, or other digital assets to create a unified appearance. Even if you’re using different fonts for something like a one-off project or something limited, make sure that your usual fonts are implement along with the new ideas to keep aligned with your style. 

Choosing the best fonts for your print materials is a thoughtful process that needs to take design principles, your audience, your branding, and other practical considerations into account. By focusing on the right details, an experienced Denver printing company will help you align your vision with your particular style for appealing and effective print designs. Reach out to the experts at Cottrell Printing for more information today.