Headline Fonts & Poster Fonts: Bold Display, Condensed & Outline Sets

This guide to headline fonts and poster fonts shows how to pick punchy display families for banners, price tags, thumbnails and hero graphics — including quick sizing rules so your message reads in a split second.

Editor’s top picks — Headlines & Posters

Text tools for faster poster workflow

• Custom headline typesetting — optical kerning/tracking, clean all-caps spacing for instant clarity.
• Text effects & 3D/outline layers — shadows, strokes, extrude, halftones ready for print/web.
• Poster & banner mockups — present your design on walls, billboards and storefronts.

How to choose a headline font

• Read in 3 seconds. Use 3–6 words max. If it needs a paragraph, it’s not a headline.
• Viewing distance rule. Roughly: text height ≈ viewing distance / 200 (inches) or / 250 (mm). Example: 3 m away → ~12 mm letters.
• All-caps needs tracking. Add +10–40 tracking; tighten kerning pairs like AV, Ta, Yo by hand.
• Hierarchy = 3 sizes. Big headline, medium kicker, small details; avoid four+ competing sizes.
• Numbers matter. Choose fonts with clear numerals for prices and dates.
• One trick per line. Outline or shadow or gradient — not all at once.

Try searches (headline-ready sets)

• Impact sans → blunt, modern titles for sale banners and thumbnails. Browse impact sans
• Condensed → tall, narrow words that fit small areas and price tags. See condensed picks
• Slab serif → blocky confidence for menus, sports and outdoor boards. Slab display
• High-contrast serif → chic editorial drama. Didone styles
• Outline/Shadow → stacked layers for depth; keep a solid backup for tiny sizes. Layered fonts
• Varsity/Sport → bold, collegiate titles with instant energy. Varsity sets
• Retro/Groovy → friendly curves for parties and seasonal promos. Retro display
• Wide/Expanded → cinematic, low-height headlines for hero images. Wide sans
• Bold script → one emotional word as an accent. Script accents

Sizing & export cheat-sheet

• Print DPI: 300 DPI for small prints, 150–200 DPI for large posters viewed from afar.
• Color: CMYK for print, RGB for screens; avoid rich black for small text (use 100K).
• Strokes: minimum stroke ≈ 0.25 pt for print; avoid hairlines on coated papers.
• Bleed & safety: 3–5 mm bleed; keep text 5–8 mm from the edge.
• Outline before print: convert type to curves to avoid missing fonts; export PDF/X-1a.
• Web thumbnails: 1280×720 (YouTube), 1080×1350 (IG portrait), 1000×1500 (Pinterest); export 1× and 2×.

Font pairing recipes

• Impact Sans + Neutral Sans — Shouty headline with a quiet helper. Impact ideas
• Didone + Grotesk — Fashion headline with clean secondary info. Didone sets
• Condensed + Wide — Contrast of widths for dynamic posters. Condensed picks · Wide picks
• Varsity Slab + Script Accent — Sports energy with one friendly word. Varsity ideas

Project ideas you can ship today

• Sale banners — two-word punchline, huge numerals, outline backup at small sizes.
• Price tags — condensed title + big price; verify numeral clarity.
• Event posters — bold headline + date/place; use three sizes only.
• Thumbnails — 3–4 words max; test at 10% zoom to simulate mobile.
• Menu boards — slab headers for sections, neutral helper for items.

FAQ

What size should my headline be?
As a rule of thumb: text height ≈ viewing distance / 200 (in). For indoor posters viewed at 2–3 m, 10–15 mm letters read comfortably.

Should I set headlines in all caps?
All caps can work for short words; add extra tracking and fix kerning pairs by hand to avoid clashing shapes.

How do I keep outline/shadow readable?
Use high contrast (light text / dark shadow or vice versa) and keep inner strokes ≥ 1–1.5 pt for print.

Are variable fonts worth it?
Yes — you can nudge weight/width to fit tight grids without changing families, which keeps the brand consistent.

Best export format?
For print use PDF/X-1a with fonts outlined. For web thumbnails export PNG/JPG at 1×/2× and add a crisp sharpen.

• Bold display (impact): Browse
• Condensed headlines: Browse
• Serif display (Didone): Browse
• Outline & shadow sets: Browse
• Retro/groovy titles: Browse
• Sports/varsity: Browse