Learn · 3 min read · updated
Free fonts you can use on t-shirts you sell
The 18 font families every text shirt on this site prints with, all free for commercial printing, and the reason a "free font" download often isn't.
The short answer
Fonts under the SIL Open Font License or Apache 2.0 can be printed on products you sell with no fee and no credit line; the list below is the 18 families we print with. What the OFL forbids is selling the font file itself. Be careful with fonts from free font sites marked personal use only, which don't cover anything you sell.
The list
Every one of these is downloadable for free and is what our text shirts are set in. The same list is in fonts.json.
| Family | Styles we use | License | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archivo Black | Archivo Black | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Anton | Anton | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Oswald | Oswald Bold | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Inter Display | Inter Display Black, Inter Display SemiBold, Inter Display | SIL OFL 1.1 | rsms.me |
| Bevan | Bevan | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Alfa Slab One | Alfa Slab One | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Graduate | Graduate | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Rye | Rye | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Shrikhand | Shrikhand | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Bagel Fat One | Bagel Fat One | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Pacifico | Pacifico | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Patrick Hand | Patrick Hand | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Playfair Display | Playfair Display Black, Playfair Display Bold Italic | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Fraunces 72pt | Fraunces Black | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Libre Caslon Text | Libre Caslon | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| Special Elite | Special Elite | Apache 2.0 | Google Fonts |
| Courier Prime | Courier Prime, Courier Prime Bold | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
| UnifrakturMaguntia | UnifrakturMaguntia | SIL OFL 1.1 | Google Fonts |
Why these licenses allow selling shirts
The SIL Open Font License lets anyone use, change and share the font, commercially included. Its one big restriction is that you can't sell the font on its own. A shirt with words printed on it isn't the font; it's something you made with it, and the license doesn't put any condition on that.
Apache 2.0, used by Special Elite, is a general open-source license with the same practical answer for printed goods: use it, sell what you make.
The traps
- Personal use only. Many fonts on free font sites are free to try and need a paid license the moment money is involved. Read the license that comes with the download, not the website's banner.
- Look-alikes of brand lettering. A font made to imitate a famous logo or a film title can get a design pulled as a trademark copy, even if the font's license is fine.
- Fonts installed on your computer. System fonts come with the operating system's license, which may not cover printing on products. When in doubt, use one with an open license.
- Converting to outlines doesn't change the license. Turning text to shapes doesn't make a restricted font free to use.
Picking one for a shirt
Heavy, simple letters read from across a room: Anton, Archivo Black and Oswald for big statements, Alfa Slab One or Bevan for a slab-serif look, Graduate for a college sweatshirt. Script (Pacifico, Shrikhand) and blackletter belong to one big word, not a paragraph. Typewriter faces like Courier Prime and Special Elite work small.
Or skip choosing: Shirt Says has eight layouts with three of these fonts each, sized to the shirt.
Questions people ask
Can I use Google Fonts on t-shirts I sell?
Yes. Fonts on Google Fonts are released under open licenses (mostly the SIL Open Font License, a few Apache 2.0 or the Ubuntu Font License) that allow commercial use, including printing them on products you sell.
Do I have to credit the font designer on the shirt?
No. The OFL and Apache 2.0 don't ask for credit on things you make with the font. The credit and license text stay with the font files if you share those.
Can I sell a font I modified?
Under the OFL you can share a modified version, but it must keep the OFL and can't use any Reserved Font Name the author declared, and you still can't sell the font on its own.
Sources
- SIL Open Font License 1.1 (openfontlicense.org)
- SIL OFL FAQ
- Google Fonts FAQ: using fonts commercially
- Apache License 2.0
Checked 2026-10-24. Policies and rules change; follow the source before you rely on a detail. This is general information, not legal advice.
