Fonts by use

Free fonts for magazines and editorial layouts

Editorial design separates three jobs: a headline face with character, a deck or standfirst that bridges, and a text face you can read for a thousand words. The fonts here cover the first two well, with high-contrast serifs for fashion and culture, and sturdy display faces for news and features.

Use them for print magazines, zines, long-form articles, annual reports and newsletters. Downloading is free; a published title is commercial use, so check the license in the ZIP.

hand-picked fonts
24
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Windows & Mac
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24 fonts for editorial fonts for magazines

Ranked by fit for this use, then by popularity. Every font has a preview page and a free download.

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Building an editorial hierarchy

Set the headline large enough to own the page, the deck at roughly a third of its size, and body text at 9.5 to 11 pt with 130 percent line spacing. Keep line length between 55 and 75 characters. Use italics for captions and pull quotes instead of adding a third family, and repeat the same scale across every spread so the issue feels like one object.

Questions about editorial fonts for magazines

Which fonts do magazines use for headlines?
High-contrast display serifs for fashion and lifestyle, condensed sans or slab faces for news. The text face is almost always a separate, quieter serif.
What is a good body text size for print?
Between 9.5 and 11 pt depending on the typeface, with line spacing around 130 percent of the size. Always proof on paper, not on screen.
Can I publish a magazine using free fonts?
If the license allows commercial use, yes. Confirm in the ZIP; some fonts restrict print runs above a certain number of copies.
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