Free preview · commercial-safe fonts
Tattoo Font Generator
Type a name, date or phrase and preview it in every tattoo font at once. Curve it, mirror it, see it on a forearm.
Font: UnifrakturMaguntia · tap a card to switch
Preview free in your browser · download or print: 1 credit · Credits
- Price
- Preview free · PNG download 1 credit
- Fonts
- 48 tattoo fonts in 10 styles
- Output
- PNG download, mirrored if needed
- License
- OFL or Apache 2.0, safe for tattoo work
Type a name, date or phrase into this tattoo font generator and see it in 48 tattoo fonts at once. Curve it into an arc, mirror it, switch between black, red and stencil purple, then download a PNG (1 credit) to show your artist.
No. 01
How the tattoo font generator works
Everything runs in your browser. These are real typefaces, not AI guesses, so every letter comes out exactly as you typed it – no warped characters and no surprises when your artist redraws the lettering.
- 1. Type your text
- Enter a name, date, word or short quote of up to 40 characters. Every font card updates as you type.
- 2. Shape it
- Curve the line with the arc slider, mirror it, choose black, red or stencil purple ink and filter the fonts by category.
- 3. Open and download
- Open any font to see it larger and on a forearm, adjust the weight where the font supports it, then download a PNG for 1 credit.
No. 02
Tattoo fonts by style
The 48 fonts are grouped the way tattoo artists talk about lettering. Start with the category that matches the feeling you want, then compare a few side by side with your own words.
- Script
- Nine formal scripts, from flowing Great Vibes to Allura for couples’ initials and Corinthia, a thin, elegant script for delicate work. The usual starting point for names.
- Old English
- Seven blackletter faces. UnifrakturMaguntia suits names and surnames, UnifrakturCook handles big single words and Pirata One stays the most legible for phrases.
- Handwritten
- Eight natural hands, including Homemade Apple, which looks like a parent’s handwriting, and Playwrite US Trad, based on American school cursive.
- Brush
- Six brush scripts, from 1930s sign-painter Yellowtail to Kaushan Script, the closest in the set to Chicano lettering, and monoline Sacramento.
- Traditional
- Seven bold banner faces, such as Rye and Sancreek, for classic sailor-style words inside scrolls and ribbons.
- Roman
- Four classical faces. Cinzel’s inscriptional capitals are the strongest choice for Roman numerals; Cormorant Garamond suits elegant phrases.
- Typewriter
- Special Elite and Courier Prime, for dates, coordinates and quotes that should feel understated.
- Block
- Three condensed all-caps faces. Anton is made for knuckle text, and Big Shoulders Display runs from thin to heavy.
- Celtic and street
- Uncial Antiqua for Celtic and Norse lettering, and Sedgwick Ave Display for a graffiti-style hand.
No. 03
Script vs Old English tattoo fonts
Script and Old English solve different problems. Script is cursive: letters join, strokes swell and thin, and capitals can carry flourishes. It reads as personal and elegant, which makes it a natural fit for names. If you came looking for a tattoo font cursive generator, the Script, Handwritten and Brush categories hold 23 cursive fonts between them.
An Old English tattoo font – also called blackletter or Gothic – is built from dense, angular strokes with strong contrast. It holds up at a distance and looks bold across the chest, stomach or knuckles. The trade-off is legibility: long phrases in heavy blackletter get hard to read, and some capitals look alike.
A simple test: type your exact words, switch between the two categories and step back from the screen. If you can’t read it at arm’s length, neither can anyone else. Pirata One is a good middle ground when a phrase needs a Gothic feel without losing clarity.
No. 04
Tattoo lettering tips that age well
Ink spreads slightly under the skin over the years, so lettering that looks crisp on screen softens on the body. Good tattoo lettering plans for that from the start.
- Give it size
- Thin scripts need more height than bold block letters. Ask your artist for the smallest size they’re comfortable with in your chosen style, and don’t go below it.
- Leave room inside letters
- Tight loops in e, a and o fill in first. Fonts with open shapes and generous spacing keep their form longer.
- Match weight to placement
- Hands and fingers see constant wear and fade faster, so bolder fonts last better there. Save hairline scripts for areas with less friction, such as the upper arm or ribs.
- Proofread twice
- Check spelling, accents and dates letter by letter, and ask someone else to read it too. Fixing a typo on screen costs nothing.
No. 05
How to choose a tattoo font
Start with the person or idea behind the words. A child’s name often suits a soft script or handwriting, a surname or family motto suits Old English, and a date or coordinates suit typewriter or Roman capitals. Then narrow it down:
- Shortlist three
- Filter by category and pick three fonts that fit the tone. More than that makes the choice harder, not easier.
- Test the real text
- Type the exact words, with the capitals and punctuation you want. A font that looks good with “Forever” may struggle with your name.
- Check it on skin
- Open each font for the forearm preview, and use the arc slider if the words will curve over a chest, collarbone or shoulder piece.
- Bring the PNG
- Download your favorite and take it to the consultation. Your artist will adapt spacing and flow to your body, but you’ll both start from the same lettering.
No. 06
From tattoo lettering generator to stencil
The PNG download (1 credit) is a 2,400-pixel-wide image of your text in the ink color you chose, mirrored if you switched that on. It’s ready to send to an artist, or to test on your own skin with the try-on tool.
Need a transfer-ready stencil? Run the PNG through the stencil maker, which outlines it in your browser and prints it at true size.
FAQ
Tattoo Font Generator FAQ
Is the tattoo font generator free?
Previewing is free: try all 48 fonts, curve and mirror your text and change the ink color without signing up. Downloading a high-resolution PNG (transparent background optional) costs 1 credit per file, and new accounts get 1 free credit.
Can my tattoo artist use these fonts?
Yes. Every font in the generator is published under the SIL Open Font License or Apache 2.0, both of which allow commercial use, including tattoo work. Your download is an image of the lettering rather than a font file, so it’s ready to print, trace or redraw.
Do you have cursive tattoo fonts?
Plenty. The Script, Handwritten and Brush categories are all cursive styles – 23 fonts in total, from formal copperplate like Pinyon Script to everyday handwriting like Caveat and Playwrite US Trad. Use the arc slider for curved lines and the weight slider where a font supports it.
What’s the best font for a name tattoo?
There’s no single answer, but flowing scripts such as Great Vibes or Allura are a safe start for first names, handwritten fonts feel more personal, and Old English suits surnames. Type the actual name – the page works as a tattoo name generator – and compare it across categories before you decide.
How do I curve text for a tattoo?
Drag the arc slider. It bends your text along a circular path of up to 140 degrees, which suits lettering above or below another design, across the chest or over a shoulder. The PNG download keeps the same curve as the preview, so what you see is what you download.
Why would I mirror the lettering?
A stencil is pressed face-down, so the image flips on its way to the skin. If you print straight onto inkjet stencil paper or temporary tattoo paper, mirror the text first. Thermal copiers and hand-traced carbon sheets reverse it for you, so use the normal version there; thermal printers vary. Rule of thumb: on the side touching skin, text reads backward.
How is this different from the AI generator?
The font generator uses real typefaces, so spelling and letter shapes are exact and predictable. The AI tattoo generator creates whole designs from a description. A good workflow combines them: pick the lettering here, then use name tattoo designs to add flourishes, hearts or dates around it with AI.
Need a design first?
Describe your idea and get four original tattoo sketches in seconds — then turn the one you love into a stencil.