This article contains affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! Read our full disclosure here.
Sharing is caring!
I’ve been working on some card designs where I want to just cut my lettering out instead of writing or using vinyl for my text. The solution? Stencil fonts!
Stencil fonts are perfect for easy cardmaking or for, y’know, actual stencils for making welcome mats or painting wood signs. This is my list of favorite stencil fonts for Cricut, and I’ve actually tested all of them. I’ve put them into 6 broad style categories: Cursive, Elegant, Retro, Bold, Serif, and Sans Serif.
Every font in this article:
- is free for personal use (some are free for commercial use)
- has at least a full alphabet for the free version
- is shown cut out of 65lb or 80lb cardstock using the “Cardstock (for intricate cuts)” setting
- is shown cut at a minimum 0.75″ line height (I recommend a minimum line height of at least 0.5″)
Not sure how to use free fonts in Design Space? Check out our guide to downloading and installing fonts (works for Windows and Mac).
Cursive
There aren’t a ton of good script stencil typefaces out there; even Cricut only has 2 (Alyssa Stencil Script and BFC Blue Sports Car Stencil). But I did find a few that I really liked and that cut very well. Use the Unite function in the Combine Tool menu to join your script before cutting (you can also Weld).
- Energetic Script
- an excellent free alternative to Alyssa Stencil Script
- Hickery
- the lower case o and a are not stencil letters – these will just be black holes if you don’t slice a small rectangle out of the outer edge
- Menthox
- Brannboll Stencil – another great Måns Grebäck font, the free version doesn’t come with any numbers, but it does come with a whole variety of baseball-style swashes you can add
birthday card using Energetic Script (top) and Hickery
Elegant
These aren’t scripts, but they are fancy and feminine. Perfect for lovely holiday cards or gift tags!
- Albrega Changes
- this font is caps + small caps, and both Bs and the zero aren’t full stencils – you will have to slice a tiny rectangle out of the edge if you don’t want a result like the B above
- Angel Stencil
- Fellee Stencil
- the free version doesn’t include numbers
- Fashion Stencil
- Wangi
Christmas card using Albrega Changes font
Retro
Funky 1970s, Art Deco, and sci-fi styles, these retro stencil typefaces are perfect for all kinds of cool cards, tags, t-shirts or signage.
- Balladon
- Caldiabold
- capital A and zero are not stencils
- Densmore
- free for commercial use
- Pseudolux
- all lowercase, the o and zero aren’t stencils
- Sistemas
- free for commercial use
- Stencil Funk
- free for commercial use
- Time Bomb
- 42stencil
- free for commercial use
- Stencil 1935
- Belladona Stencil
- all caps, some alternate characters
Looking for an Old West stencil font? Try Maverick BE from our Halloween Fonts article.
Bold
Thick and classic, these stencil fonts are perfect for welcome mats, wooden signage, cargo containers, and making bold statements.
- Videopac
- Quantify
- lowercase o, capital R not stencils
- New Shape
- O, o, and zero are not stencils
- free for commercial use
- Northash
- Avrojaks
- zero isn’t a stencil
The most basic stencil font is one you already have on your computer: Stencil. Stencil is a system font included with both Windows and macOS. This classic typeface from 1937 can be used for army-style or warehouse labeling, although my favorite usage is this logo, designed in 1986 by BFA grad Chuck D:
Serif
Classic and clean, these fonts are perfect for cards, tags, signs, or other projects.
- Butler Stencil
- free for commercial use
- Bodoni Fragile
- Brado
- Stardos Stencil
- free for commercial use
- Vangba
- Kingsley
Sans Serif
Last but not least, these sans serif fonts have plenty of style. Karla is a clean basic, SirinStencil has a 3D look, Kidros has a retro curve, and Hargetus is looking to the future.
- Karla
- free for commercial use
- SirinStencil
- free for commercial use
- Kidros
- Hargetus
Projects for Stencil Fonts
One of my favorite ways to use stencil fonts with cardstock is making insert cards. They are simple to make and they don’t require glue. You can make a big batch for any occasion, or you can make them ahead to use throughout the year.
Here are a few Easter insert cards we’ve made with stencil fonts and images. You can check out our step-by-step tutorial and download the SVG files in the article.