Fonts for posters and large-format advertising have to be bold and easy to read. Ideally, they should be legible from a distance to draw maximum attention to the message. Read on to learn which free fonts meet these criteria.

To make your message stand out on bulletin boards and in public spaces, you have to design head-turning posters. This requires a minimum font size of 60 pt and a stark contrast between font and background. To maximise the impact of your advertising message on the viewer, you should play around with different poster fonts first.

Classic poster fonts such as Franklin Gothic (1904) designed in the USA or the German Futura (1927) and Helvetica created in the 50s are the first choice of many designers. But these fonts are not free and they are not automatically the best solution for all projects and target audiences. Therefore, we have put together a selection of free poster fonts that provide inspiration for various occasions.

Poster fonts – free for commercial use

Duo

Reminiscent of old typesetting fonts used in the early days of printing, the 3D Duo font also has a fresh look to it. Whether advertising a Western theme party or kindergarten festival, this multi-purpose font fits any occasion. Duo Licht can also be coloured in.

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Edo SZ

This font evokes the typical image of 60’s crime movie posters. This makes Edo SZ ideal for mystery themes and everything with a painterly look.

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Erasaur

The Erasaur font takes you back ten million years in time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. This is the perfect font for any dinosaur or Fred Flintstone theme party as well as other fun events.

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Planet Benson 2

Planet Benson 2 was modelled after suburban graffiti. Not easy to read from a distance, this playful 3D typeface is perfect to display short headlines and titles at a medium distance.

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Knewave

An attention-grabbing font for many purposes: Knewave has a hand-painted look to it and is perfect for many purposes such as advertising the special offer of the week, the reading in the public library or teenager party in the community centre and more.

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Knuckle Down

The Knuckle Down font beams us back to the 60s when vinyl records weren’t retro and Star Trek first captivated television audiences. This font is evocative of the early days of the computer era and adds a touch of retro to your design projects.

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Double Feature

An homage to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Double Feature is designed in the style of the cult movie credits, making it ideal for Halloween and everything scary. If you choose blue instead of red, this font can be used to evoke associations of dripping water or melting ice.

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Pricedown

Dating back to the 1960s, this font takes us back to the early days of television. Rebuilt, expanded and improved, it can now be downloaded as an unusual and striking poster font.

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Jigsaw Trouserdrop

This font is a real head-turner that makes any passersby look twice: From a distance, the puzzle pieces in the letters create an intriguing array of colours and shapes. Up close, the whimsical style of Jigsaw Trouserdrop becomes evident.

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Nostalgic poster fonts – free demo version

Knight Brush Demo

The Knight Brush Demo font (free for private use) is ideal to convey a sense of nostalgia, e.g., for anniversaries or historic theatre plays. It is important to choose a sufficiently large font size.

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