The easiest free fonts for Cricut are system fonts: any font you install on your computer or tablet shows up in Design Space automatically, so free open source fonts from Google Fonts or commercial-friendly ones from Font Squirrel work without paying Cricut anything. Design Space also includes fonts that came free with your account, which you can find with the Purchased filter in the font menu.
Fonts are where Cricut projects either look professional or look homemade in the wrong way. Cricut sells a font library through Cricut Access, but you don't need it to get good lettering. You need to know where free fonts come from, how Design Space treats them, and which ones your machine can cut without chewing up the vinyl.
Two kinds of fonts in Design Space
Cricut's own blog splits fonts into two groups. Cricut fonts are preloaded into Design Space, marked with a green a, and some carry a fee depending on your Cricut Access subscription. System fonts are fonts you've installed on your own computer or tablet, and Design Space loads them automatically when you open it. In the font menu you can sort by Cricut fonts, system fonts, or view all.
Cricut's help centre describes Cricut Access as an auto-renewing subscription with 1,000+ fonts among its perks and a free 30-day trial. Design Space uses a green crown on content your account doesn't currently have access to, so if a font shows a crown, it isn't free for you right now.
Where to get free fonts for Cricut
Fonts that came with your account
Cricut's help article on free and purchased content says the free fonts that came with your account are already there. Start a new project, select Text, open the Font drop-down, and fonts you own or that are free won't have a price under them. In Cricut fonts, use the Filter icon and turn on Purchased to see your free fonts.
Google Fonts
Google's own font list holds 1,951 families, every one flagged as open source, including 358 in the Handwriting category. Install one on your computer and it becomes a system font in Design Space. The OFL FAQ says fonts under the SIL Open Font License can be used to manufacture objects based on their outlines, which is exactly what cutting vinyl letters is.
Font Squirrel
Font Squirrel says that, as far as it knows, every font on its site has a free desktop licence for commercial use, and marks each font with symbols for the uses it thinks are allowed. That matters if you sell what you make, because many free fonts elsewhere are personal use only.
Free font sources for Cricut compared
| Source | How it reaches Design Space | Selling what you make | Cuts well? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fonts free with your account | Already in the Cricut fonts list | Check Cricut's terms for that font | Yes, coded for cutting |
| Cricut Access fonts | Built in while subscribed | Check Cricut's terms for that font | Yes, coded for cutting |
| Google Fonts | Install on your device as a system font | OFL allows products made from outlines | Depends on the font |
| Font Squirrel | Install on your device as a system font | Believed free for commercial desktop use | Depends on the font |
The catch: not every free font cuts
Cricut's blog is blunt about this. Cricut fonts are designed to be mathematically simple so they cut easily, while system fonts might not be, and a distressed or detailed font can destroy your material because the blade keeps changing direction. The best fonts for cutting have smooth edges and a relatively even line weight.
There's a second catch for anyone making gifts in other languages. Cricut's Font Language Support article says many Cricut fonts are missing the characters needed for languages other than English, and lists fonts that do support French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese characters. Type the real name, accents and all, before you cut.
For clean labels and cut-friendly lettering, see free sans serif fonts.
Free fonts for Cricut pens
If you're drawing rather than cutting, use a writing font. Cricut's blog says to select Cricut fonts and pick the Writing filter, which narrows the list to fonts designed to be drawn with Cricut pens. Ordinary fonts drawn with a pen trace their outline, which is why pen lettering in a normal font looks hollow.
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How to add a free font to Design Space
- Download the font from Google Fonts or Font Squirrel and keep the licence file.
- Install it on the computer or tablet you use for Design Space.
- Close and reopen Design Space so it loads your system fonts.
- Add text, open the font menu, and choose System to find the new font.
- Reduce letter spacing so script letters overlap and cut as one piece.
- Do a small test cut before you cut the full design.
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My advice
Before you pay for anything, check the Purchased filter, because you may already own more fonts than you think. Then install a handful of open source fonts from Google Fonts with clean, even strokes, and keep the fancy distressed fonts for printing rather than cutting. If you sell what you make, stick to sources that state a commercial licence and keep that licence with the design file.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I get free fonts on Cricut?
Install free fonts on your computer or tablet and Design Space loads them as system fonts. Fonts that came free with your account are already in Design Space: use the Purchased filter in the font menu to see them.
Can I use Google Fonts in Cricut Design Space?
Yes. Install the font on your device and it appears as a system font. Every family in Google's own font list is flagged as open source.
Why won't my font cut well on my Cricut?
Cricut says its own fonts are designed to be mathematically simple, while detailed or distressed system fonts can make the blade change direction constantly. Pick fonts with smooth edges and even line weight.
Which Cricut fonts are free?
In the font menu, fonts you own or that are free show no price. Content with a green crown isn't currently available to your account. Cricut Access adds 1,000+ fonts and has a free 30-day trial.
What fonts work with Cricut pens?
Choose Cricut fonts and use the Writing filter. Those fonts are designed to be drawn with a pen rather than traced around their outline.
