Font Sizes Comparison (points, inches, millimeters)

The Best Font Size For Your Artwork

When designing artwork, it can be hard to know exactly what size font to use. Learn about what size font looks like and how to measure fonts in different ways.

Key Points to Consider

* Most fonts come in different sizes measured in "points"

* You can also use mm or inches to compare the heights

* Use the table below to understand how sizes compare

* See what fonts look like in real life printed out

* Measure the specific thickness of the smallest detail in the letter to know how small it really is
* Compare different fonts to understand their sizing

Different Ways to Measure Fonts

Most programs like Photoshop or even Microsoft Word use a unit of measure called Points to size fonts. But you can also measure fonts in other ways as well.

Font Size in Points	Font Size in Inches	Font Size in Millimeters
4 pt	0.06 in	1.4 mm
6 pt	0.08 in	2.1 mm
8 pt	0.11 in	2.8 mm
10 pt	0.14 in ~ 1/8 in	3.5 mm
12 pt	0.17 in	4.2 mm
14 pt	0.19 in	4.9 mm
16 pt	0.22 in	5.6 mm
18 pt	0.25 in ~ 1/4 in	6.4 mm
24 pt	0.33 in	8.5 mm
36 pt	0.5 in ~ 1/2 in	12.7 mm
72 pt	1 in	25.4 mm

Font Size Comparison

Every font is different, some have thinner lines or taller lines, etc. You may need to look at the actual thickness of the smallest point of the letter to get a good sense of the size. Check out how different these fonts look even though they're printed at the same size.

Examples of various fonts with a 1mm white outline and 14pt height for custom transfer prints.

Real World Examples of Different Size Fonts

You can always try printing your font out to see what it looks like in real life. We've put a few different sizes to the test and put them on a shirt so you don't have to! Check out the sizes below - but remember different fonts may print at different sizes, the photos below are only to give you a point of reference.

Real world Example for transfer print of different font styles at different sizes

The fonts start at 8pt, 10pt, 12pt, 14pt, 16pt, 18pt, 24pt, and 36pt. See the detail below.

Example of different font from 8 pt to 36 pt for transfer print

Here is what 72 pt and 100 pt look like on a standard tshirt.

Real world example of transfer print for different fonts at 72 pt and 100 pt.

More Tips & Tricks - The Smaller You Go, The More Space Between

Character spacing is also crucial to how legible your font will be in your artwork. The smaller the font, adding more space between each letter will allow the reader to see each letter more clearly.

See how it is easier to read the font on the right which has more space between each letter? Even though it is smaller, the space allows the eyes to focus on the words and more easily process the information.

Example of various fonts at 13 pt sizes with different level of space for transfer print

Now you know how a few best practices to keep in mind when creating artwork using fonts.

Go forth and conquer!