From creativebloq.com:
By Rosie Hilder
Top free tattoo fonts perfect for use in your body art designs.
Choosing tattoo fonts is a big task – you don’t want to have the wrong design inked on your skin forever. And if you’re using the font for a project, you want to make sure you get it right because there are many different takes on tattoo typography, with different connotations and levels of legibility. The good news is that there are designers and typographers all over the world creating fantastic tattoo fonts, and there are many that are completely free.
So how do you find tattoo fonts in the style you want? We’ve scoured the web to find the best free tattoo fonts available for designers – 55 of them in all. Some of them are free for non-commercial use only, while others are free for all uses.
If you need more inspiration for a tattoo-themed design, check out our selection of the best tattoo designs and tattoo art. You might also find inspiration in our free graffiti fonts or free script fonts. We also have a roundup of the best free fonts for designers overall. Meanwhile, read on for our favourite tattoo fonts.
Note: A lot of these are soon-to-be-obsolete TrueType fonts. User beware!
01. Rebel Bones Bold
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
We all know that bikers often have the best tattoos, so first stop on our list of the best tattoo fonts is this motorcycle-inspired offering from Siempre Leales. There’s a bold and a standard version, both of which serve to recreate classic biker designs.
02. Xanax
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
Apostrophic Labs’ Xanax is a solid-looking 3D font with more than a touch of graffiti swagger, and just the thing for a tattoo font that stands out from the crowd. It features upper and lower-case characters, and it’s free for all uses.
03. Rustic Love Tattoo
- Format: OTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
Get some rustic love in your life with this jolly little tattoo font from Chequered Ink that’s free for personal use and charities. It also works as an acceptable alternative to Comic Sans.
04. Ginga
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
Ginga is an inky tattoo font from arch-script typographer Billy Argel. It is on the grungier end of the spectrum, with its destroyed aesthetic – and don’t forget to use the > and < symbols to create the tails. Ginga is free for personal use, and you can buy it for commercial purposes(opens in new tab) from $39.
05. Tuamotu
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
06. Always Beside You
- Format: OTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
Jonathan Harris is a veritable font monster, with over 433 fonts on FontSpace and more than 11 million downloads to his credit. For a taste of his skills, check out Always Beside You, a slightly scratchy script font that’s perfect for tattoo designs and free for personal use.
07. Lemon Jelly
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
08. Serval
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
This calligraphic font from Maelle.K and Thomas Boucherie is gloriously scratchy and perfect for taking the edge off a too-serious script tattoo. It’s free to use, but contact the designers if you have any commercial plans for it.
09. Tattoo Vieja Escuela 1
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
Swish, painstakingly-designed tattoo fonts are all well and good, but sometimes you want a tattoo that looks like it was done in prison with a contraband blade and a ballpoint pen. If so, step up this awesome set of old-school ink from Woodcutter.
10. Tribal Tattoo
- Format: TTF
- Download here (opens in new tab)
Want a bit of retro class? Get your ’90s on with this collection of eye-catching tribal designs, featuring plenty of Celtic knots, stylised dragons, spirit insects and spiky abstract designs.
