When people think of personalized gifts and stationery, they often only envision uploading a photo and calling it a day. But there are other design elements you can further tailor to create a truly one-of-a-kind design. If your design requires any text, you can print your words in your own pretty handwriting by turning your script into a font. This adds a personal touch to your prints. Whether you’re sending wedding invitations, holiday cards, or thank you notes, you want your notes to feel heartfelt. Using a font that looks like your regular handwriting creates a distinct appearance. Plus, this saves you the trouble of handwriting messages on each card. This method, however, still provides a more personal feel than typing your words in Times New Roman.
Using a handwritten font is an easy way to make your message feel authentic. Taylor Swift’s Instagram posts often feature her own handwriting, and fans can download the font. Pop star Rosalía shared her handwriting on Instagram, allowing fans to use it in their Stories and Reels.
You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer or celebrity to immortalize your handwriting in a font. In fact, it’s easy to find a font creator that will do the work for you. The first step is finding the right font generator for you. Calligraphr offers a free trial to create your font with limitations on characters and personalization. Add your letters to the site and then download them to your computer. Then, you can use the font on Microsoft Word or Adobe Illustrator. MakeYourOwnFont is similar and lets you use the custom font online and on Canva. If you use Windows, then Microsoft Font Maker is a simple way to personalize your own font. Just add letters, numbers, and punctuation to boxes before writing sample sentences. The app will generate your custom font. Pro tip: Use a touch screen device like an iPad or tablet with a stylus to accurately depict your handwriting.
Once you’ve found a font maker and generated your new font, adding the font to your library is simple. First, download it as a TTF file. On Mac, you can open Font Book, then go to File and Add Fonts. On Windows, go to the Control Panel, click on Appearance and Personalization, and go to Fonts. Click file and follow the prompt to install a new font.
Now that your unique font is ready, it’s time to put it to use. Personal prints or invites to intimate events—like birthday parties, baby showers, and weddings—should have design elements that feel unique to the sender. You want your party or event to feel unique to you, and that individuality begins with your custom invitations. You can write the whole message in your handwriting or just add your signature at the end. When people receive your custom postcards or greeting cards, they will know to expect a cozy and close-knit get-together. For your annual Christmas card and holiday greetings, you can pair your custom font with a high-quality photo to wish your friends and family well.
Handwritten elements can also make gifts feel more personal. A custom mug can have a cute photo on one side and a loving message on the other. This is a sweet Valentine’s Day or holiday present for a significant other. Alternatively, you can go the extra mile by designing a photo book full of memories; for the captions, print them with your handwritten font. Add custom text on personalized stickers to put on your water bottle or laptop. These unique gifts are individualized and will always remind the recipient of who they came from.
Handwritten fonts aren’t reserved for personal use. Business owners, Etsy shops, and small brands can lean into the handmade aesthetic with a handmade font. Use your own font to hang tags for products or retail postcards to send to customers. This reminds people that they are supporting a small business and not a large corporation. Influencers or other people with an online following can create custom merch, like t-shirts and hats, with their handwriting as well. Use your handwriting to embroider a funny catchphrase or slogan that your fans will want to wear.
Create your design in Photoshop, Canva, or any other designer. Then, upload your design to GotPrint’s online design tool for whatever product you want to order.
Maybe your own handwriting isn’t very neat, but you still want your prints to have the appearance of longhand lettering. There are several options for fonts that look like handwriting but are a bit more polished. Natural Handwritten, Bristol Regular, and Hitch Hike Regular all replicate the appearance of printed words. These fonts are great for when you want a handwritten appearance that is more legible than your own writing. For something a bit fancier, you can use a script font, like Gravity Handwritten or Euphoria Script, to replicate the look of cursive writing. Cursive font is best for more elegant invitations and cards. These free handwriting fonts are easy to download and use in your design layout.
Of course, not every print benefits from a casual font. Check out our business card font guide to find the best fonts for professional prints. Whether you’re using a calligraphy generator or using pre-existing typography, GotPrint makes it easy to create unique gifts and prints for your loved ones.