Font Squirrel is the safest place to get a free typewriter font: all 14 fonts in its Typewriter list, including Special Elite, Courier Prime and Mom's Typewriter, were marked for commercial graphics, websites, PDFs and apps when I checked. DaFont has more choice, with 322 typewriter fonts, but only 70 of them pass its completely free or open licence filter.
Typewriter fonts are having a moment on wedding stationery, coffee bags, book covers, podcast art and anything that wants to feel handmade or a bit literary. They're also one of the friendlier styles on licence. A lot of the classics were released free years ago, so you don't have to settle for a personal use font.
Font Squirrel: the clean list
Font Squirrel only adds fonts it believes are free for commercial desktop use, and it marks each one with four icons: commercial graphics and documents, web embedding, ebooks and PDFs, and apps. In its Typewriter classification all 14 fonts had all four icons lit. That's rare. Its Stencil and Pixel lists, for comparison, include plenty of fonts that can't go inside a PDF or an app.
The 14 are 1942 Report, CarbonType, Compagnon, Courier Prime, Harting, Kingthings Trypewriter, Latin Modern Mono, Mom's Typewriter, My Underwood, Nimbus Mono, Sears Tower, Secret Typewriter, Special Elite and Underwood Champion. Font Squirrel still tells you to read each font's licence yourself, and to ask the designer if you're unsure.
DaFont's Typewriter category
DaFont files these under Fancy, then Typewriter, and the category held 322 fonts on 28 October. The licence filter for completely free plus Public domain, GPL or OFL left 70. Unusually, several of the most popular fonts are in that free group.
| Font | Designer | Downloads on DaFont | Licence shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 Report | Johan Holmdahl | 2,978,242 | Completely free |
| JMH Typewriter | Jorge Morón | 2,882,639 | Personal use |
| Another Typewriter | Johan Holmdahl | 2,755,211 | Completely free |
| Mom's Typewriter | Christoph Mueller | 2,578,857 | Completely free |
| Old Newspaper Types | Manfred Klein | 1,846,469 | Completely free |
| Veteran Typewriter | Magique Fonts | 1,106,852 | Completely free |
| Elegant Typewriter | Lukas Krakora | 861,477 | Personal use |
X Typewriter by GGBotNet is listed under Public domain, GPL or OFL, and Tox Typewriter is donationware, which means free to download with the designer asking for a donation. Punkbabe and Punk Typewriter are personal use only, so skip them for client work.
Google Fonts typewriter styles
Google Fonts has no typewriter category, but three families do the job, and every Google family is open source. Special Elite mimics the Smith Corona Special Elite Type Number NR6 and the Remington Noiseless, with a bit of inked-up grunge. Cutive Mono is based on IBM's Executive and the older Smith-Premier faces. Courier Prime is a new take on IBM's Courier, designed in 1956 by Howard Kettler, made specifically for screenplays, and it comes in four styles where Special Elite and Cutive Mono have one each.
Licence-wise, Google's typewriter fonts are the simplest. The OFL FAQ says open fonts can be used for logos, posters, business cards, signage and T-shirts with no extra permission. The only thing you can't do is sell the font file on its own, so your packaging, menu or book cover is yours to sell.
That last point matters more than it sounds. If you only need a headline, one style is fine. If you're setting a whole menu, a script or a long letter, you'll want italic and bold, and Courier Prime has them.
Want something looser and more playful? comic fonts sit at the other end.
Grungy or clean? Pick by the job
| Job | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding invites, coffee labels | Special Elite | Inked-up grunge reads as vintage |
| Screenplays, manuscripts | Courier Prime | Made for screenplays, four styles |
| Book covers, posters | 1942 Report, Old Newspaper Types | Completely free on DaFont, so fine for print you sell |
| Websites, body text | Cutive Mono, Courier Prime | Cutive Mono is meant to add character to body text |
For long passages that need to stay readable, pick from serif fonts.
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Installing and using a typewriter font
- Check the licence line, then download the zip and keep the readme with it.
- On Windows, right-click the TTF or OTF file and choose Install. On a Mac, double-click it and click Install Font. Both steps come from DaFont's own FAQ.
- Restart your design app so the font shows up in the list.
- Type your full text, including numbers and punctuation, because some free fonts leave characters out.
- For email or a website, remember the reader only sees fonts installed on their device unless the font is embedded, so turn a fancy headline into an image.
Working in Google Docs? Here's how to add a font to Google Docs. For Canva, see adding your own fonts to Canva, and if you like the vintage look, the free retro fonts guide is its natural partner.
My advice
Typewriter fonts are the one style where you rarely need to compromise. For business use, start with Font Squirrel's list or Google's Special Elite and Courier Prime, and you're covered for print, web and PDFs. Use the grungy ones for short lines and the clean ones for anything people have to read for more than a few seconds. And if you love JMH Typewriter or Elegant Typewriter, check the designer's site for a commercial licence before it goes on anything you sell.
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I get free typewriter fonts?
Font Squirrel's Typewriter list had 14 fonts, all marked for commercial graphics, web, PDFs and apps. DaFont has 322 typewriter fonts, with 70 passing its completely free or open filter. Google Fonts has Special Elite, Cutive Mono and Courier Prime.
What is the most popular free typewriter font?
On DaFont, 1942 Report by Johan Holmdahl had the most downloads in the typewriter category, close to 3 million, and it's labelled completely free. Mom's Typewriter and Another Typewriter are also completely free.
Is Courier Prime free to use?
Yes. Courier Prime is on Google Fonts, where every family is open source, and Font Squirrel marks it for commercial, web, PDF and app use. It was designed for screenplays and has four styles.
Is there a typewriter font on Google Fonts?
Yes. Special Elite mimics the Smith Corona Special Elite and Remington Noiseless typewriters, Cutive Mono is based on IBM Executive, and Courier Prime reworks IBM's Courier.
Can I use a typewriter font on products I sell?
Yes with an OFL or other open licence font such as Special Elite or Courier Prime. For DaFont fonts marked personal use, such as JMH Typewriter, you need the designer's permission or a paid licence.
