Best fonts for embroidery

Five things decide whether lettering survives the trip from screen to thread:

• Even, solid strokes. Lettering is usually sewn as satin columns, which need strokes about 1 mm wide or more. Fonts that mix thick and thin strokes lose the thin parts first.
• A tall x-height. That's the height of lowercase letters such as x, a and e. A tall one keeps lowercase readable at small sizes.
• Open counters. Thread spreads slightly, so holes smaller than about 1 mm close up and the letter reads as a blob. Round, open letters hold up best.
• Simple shapes. Fine serifs, swashes, inline stripes and distressed textures are too small to stitch at most sizes.
• Room between letters. Spacing that looks right on screen often makes letters touch in thread, so add a little.

Pre-digitized lettering, the fonts built into machines and embroidery programs, already follows these rules. Any other font is just outlines, so it's digitized like artwork, and its thinnest stroke decides how small it can go.

These are capital heights on flat, stable fabric. Measure the lowercase too: if the x-height drops under about 4 mm, switch to all capitals or go bigger, and add 1–2 mm on piqué, fleece and towels. The small text guide covers stroke widths and counters in detail.

• Block. The workhorse. Even strokes sew as clean satin at almost any size and read from across a room. The safe default for workwear and anything small.
• Varsity. Heavy slab serifs survive in thread where fine serifs don't. Good for team names, numbers and college-style lettering, often outlined in a second color.
• Serif. Classic and formal, but serifs are the first thing to go. Pick one with chunky serifs, not hairline ones, and keep it around 8 mm or larger.
• Condensed. Narrow letters fit long names into tight spaces. The gaps between strokes get small, so choose a bold weight and add letter spacing.
• Script. Lovely on towels and gifts, but thin joins and tight loops need size. Choose a rounded, bold script, and don't set it in all capitals.
• Retro and display. Bold scripts and chunky headline fonts make good shop names at larger sizes. Inline stripes, shadows and distressing won't stitch.

Embrizo's 12 lettering fonts cover these styles: Block, Rounded and Sport for bold sans, Tall for condensed capitals, Slab, Varsity, Classic and Roman for serifs, and Script, Retro, Brush and Flowing for scripts. The embroidery fonts page stitches your own text in each one and shows the smallest size each font can be sewn.

Two fonts are usually enough: one for the name or main word and one for a supporting line. A third rarely helps, and if each line has its own color, it's another thread change.

• Script over block. A script name above a small block tagline is the classic gift and shop layout.
• Contrast in weight or width, not detail. A bold condensed headline over a regular block line reads cleanly. Two decorative fonts fight each other.
• Give the smallest line the simplest font, the boldest and most open in the design, and keep it at least 5 mm tall.
• Leave space between lines. Lines set tight on screen run into each other in thread.

When lettering is part of a logo, digitize the whole design at once in the digitizer, so the text and artwork are sized together. The design check flags strokes narrower than about 0.8 mm, which is usually the supporting line, and suggests keeping lettering at least 5 mm tall.

For a classic three-letter monogram with a frame, the monogram maker sets the layout and letter sizes for you.

1. Set the final size first. Every rule above depends on it.
2. Find the smallest letter, usually a lowercase e or the tagline, and check its height and stroke width.
3. Look for closed counters and letters that touch. Add spacing or choose a bolder font.
4. Pick the fabric preset, so knits and fleece get heavier underlay and more pull compensation.
5. Sew a test on scrap fabric with the same stabilizer, and read it from arm's length.