LaTeX Fonts Guide: Change Font Family, Size, and System Fonts

Learn how to change fonts in LaTeX with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, and LuaLaTeX. Covers font families, fontspec, system fonts, and font packages.

If you want to change the font in LaTeX, the right method depends on your compiler. Use font packages such as lmodern or newtxtext with pdfLaTeX, and use fontspec with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX when you want system fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or EB Garamond.

Quick answer: use pdfLaTeX with font packages for traditional LaTeX workflows, and use XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX with fontspec when you need system fonts or modern OpenType features.

Related topics: Text formatting | Document classes | Choosing a compiler

How to Change the Font in LaTeX

Goal	Recommended approach
Use a better default serif/sans/mono font with pdfLaTeX	Load a font package such as lmodern, newtxtext, or mathpazo
Use fonts installed on your computer	Compile with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX and load fontspec
Keep math fonts consistent with text fonts	Choose a matching text + math package pair
Improve spacing and justification	Add microtype

Font Basics

The Three Font Attributes

LaTeX fonts have three independent attributes:

Code

font-attributes.tex

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

% Family (shape of letters)
\textrm{Roman family (serif)}
\textsf{Sans serif family}
\texttt{Typewriter family (monospace)}

% Series (weight/width)
\textmd{Medium series (normal)}
\textbf{Bold series}

% Shape (slant/style)
\textup{Upright shape}
\textit{Italic shape}
\textsl{Slanted shape}
\textsc{Small Caps Shape}

\end{document}

Rendered output

Roman family (serif)

Sans serif family

Typewriter family (monospace)

Medium series (normal)

Bold series

Italic shape

Small Caps Shape

Combining Font Attributes

Code

combining-fonts.tex

% All combinations work
\textsf{\textbf{Sans serif bold}}
\texttt{\textit{Typewriter italic}}
\textrm{\textbf{\textit{Roman bold italic}}}
\textsc{\textbf{Bold Small Caps}}

% Using declarations
{\sffamily\bfseries\itshape Sans serif bold italic}

Rendered output

Sans serif bold

Typewriter italic

Roman bold italic

Bold Small Caps

Sans serif bold italic

Font Packages (pdfLaTeX)

Popular Font Packages

Code

font-packages.tex

\documentclass{article}

% Times-like fonts
\usepackage{mathptmx}  % Times with math support
% or
\usepackage{newtxtext,newtxmath}  % New TX fonts

% Palatino-like fonts
\usepackage{mathpazo}  % Palatino with math
% or
\usepackage{newpxtext,newpxmath}  % New PX fonts

% Computer Modern variants
\usepackage{lmodern}   % Latin Modern
\usepackage{cm-super}  % CM Super

% Sans serif as default
\usepackage{helvet}
\renewcommand{\familydefault}{\sfdefault}

% Other popular choices
\usepackage{fourier}   % Utopia
\usepackage{libertine} % Linux Libertine
\usepackage{kpfonts}   % KP Fonts

\begin{document}
Your text here...
\end{document}

Rendered output

Times-like

A traditional serif look for papers and reports.

Palatino-like

A wider, more bookish serif with generous proportions.

Sans default

A cleaner screen-oriented sans serif voice.

Monospace

Code examples stay aligned in a fixed-width face.

Font Package Comparison

Package	Style	Math Support	Use Case
lmodern	Modern	Yes	Default improvement
mathptmx	Times	Yes	Traditional papers
helvet	Helvetica	No	Modern look
mathpazo	Palatino	Yes	Books, elegant
libertine	Libertine	Yes	Professional
fourier	Utopia	Yes	Technical docs

System Fonts (XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX)

Using System Fonts

Code

system-fonts.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}

% Set main font
\setmainfont{Times New Roman}
\setsansfont{Arial}
\setmonofont{Consolas}

% With options
\setmainfont{Georgia}[
  BoldFont = Georgia Bold,
  ItalicFont = Georgia Italic,
  BoldItalicFont = Georgia Bold Italic
]

% Alternative syntax
\setmainfont[
  Ligatures=TeX,
  Numbers=OldStyle,
  Scale=1.0
]{Minion Pro}

\begin{document}
This document uses system fonts directly!
\end{document}

Rendered output

This document uses system fonts directly!

Times New Roman can serve as the main text face, Arial as the sans family, and Consolas as the monospaced font in one compiled PDF.

Sans text uses the system-installed sans font.

Monospace text uses the configured code face.

Font Selection by Name

Code

font-by-name.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}

% Define custom font commands
\newfontfamily\headingfont{Helvetica Neue}
\newfontfamily\specialfont{Zapfino}
\newfontfamily\codefont{Source Code Pro}

\begin{document}

{\headingfont\Large This is a heading in Helvetica Neue}

Regular text in the main font.

{\specialfont Special decorative text}

{\codefont\small Code examples in Source Code Pro}

\end{document}

Rendered output

This is a heading in Helvetica Neue

Regular text in the main font.

Special decorative text

Code examples in Source Code Pro

Font Features

OpenType Features (XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX)

Code

opentype-features.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}

\setmainfont{EB Garamond}[
  Ligatures={Common, Rare},
  Numbers=OldStyle,
  Contextuals=Alternate,
  Style=Historic
]

% Specific features
\newfontfamily\displayfont{Adobe Garamond Pro}[
  Numbers={Proportional,OldStyle},
  Letters=SmallCaps,
  Ligatures={Common,Discretionary}
]

\begin{document}

% Ligatures
Office, shelf, affiliate (fi, fl, ffi ligatures)

% Old style numbers
Regular: 0123456789 vs {\addfontfeatures{Numbers=OldStyle}0123456789}

% Small caps
{\scshape Small Capitals Text}

% Stylistic sets
{\addfontfeatures{StylisticSet=1}Stylistic Variant}

\end{document}

Rendered output

Office, shelf, affiliate

Regular: 0123456789

Old style: 0123456789

Small Capitals Text

Stylistic Variant

Microtype Package

Code

microtype.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{microtype}

% Full features (pdfLaTeX)
\usepackage[
  protrusion=true,
  expansion=true,
  tracking=true,
  kerning=true,
  spacing=true
]{microtype}

% Fine-tuning
\microtypesetup{
  protrusion={true,alltext},
  expansion={true,alltext,compat}
}

\begin{document}
Microtype improves typography through:
\begin{itemize}
\item Character protrusion (margin kerning)
\item Font expansion (better justification)
\item Tracking (letter spacing)
\item Additional kerning
\end{itemize}

The improvements are subtle but create more professional results.
\end{document}

Rendered output

Microtype improves typography through character protrusion, font expansion, tracking, and better justification. The effect is subtle in code, but it makes the final paragraph color look smoother and more even.

• Character protrusion (margin kerning)
• Font expansion (better justification)
• Tracking and additional kerning

Font Sizes

Changing Font Size

Code

font-sizes.tex

\documentclass[12pt]{article}  % Base size: 10pt, 11pt, or 12pt

% Exact sizes
\fontsize{14}{17}\selectfont  % 14pt font, 17pt baseline
This text is exactly 14 points.

% Relative sizes
{\tiny Tiny text (5pt at 10pt base)}
{\small Small text (9pt at 10pt base)}
{\large Large text (12pt at 10pt base)}
{\Huge Huge text (25pt at 10pt base)}

% Custom size commands
\newcommand{\customsize}{\fontsize{13}{16}\selectfont}
{\customsize Custom 13pt text}

Rendered output

Tiny text sample

Small text sample

Normal text sample

Large text sample

Huge text sample

Custom 13pt text

Size Commands Reference

Command	10pt Article	11pt Article	12pt Article
\tiny	5pt	6pt	6pt
\scriptsize	7pt	8pt	8pt
\footnotesize	8pt	9pt	10pt
\small	9pt	10pt	10.95pt
\normalsize	10pt	10.95pt	12pt
\large	12pt	12pt	14.4pt
\Large	14.4pt	14.4pt	17.28pt
\LARGE	17.28pt	17.28pt	20.74pt
\huge	20.74pt	20.74pt	24.88pt
\Huge	24.88pt	24.88pt	24.88pt

Mathematical Fonts

Math Font Packages

Code

math-fonts.tex

% Matching text and math fonts
\usepackage{mathptmx}     % Times
\usepackage{mathpazo}     % Palatino
\usepackage{fourier}      % Utopia
\usepackage{newtxmath}    % Times (modern)
\usepackage{newpxmath}    % Palatino (modern)
\usepackage{eulervm}      % Euler math
\usepackage{stix2}        % STIX fonts

% Math alphabets
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}     % \mathscr
\usepackage{bbm}          % \mathbbm

% Usage
$\mathbb{R}$, $\mathcal{A}$, $\mathscr{L}$, $\mathfrak{g}$

Rendered output

ℝ, 𝒜, ℒ, 𝔤

Matching text and math font packages make formulas feel native to the surrounding paragraph instead of visually detached.

Unicode Math (XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX)

Code

unicode-math.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{unicode-math}

% Set math font
\setmathfont{XITS Math}
% or
\setmathfont{Latin Modern Math}
% or
\setmathfont{TeX Gyre Termes Math}

% With options
\setmathfont{Cambria Math}[
  Scale=MatchLowercase,
  math-style=ISO,
  bold-style=ISO
]

\begin{document}
Unicode math allows: $α + β = γ$ and $∫_0^∞ e^{-x²} dx = \frac{√π}{2}$
\end{document}

Rendered output

Unicode math allows: α + β = γ and ∫₀^∞ e^-x² dx = √π / 2

With unicode-math, the text and mathematical glyphs come from the same modern OpenType ecosystem.

Special Typography

Drop Caps

Code

drop-caps.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{lettrine}
\begin{document}

\lettrine[lines=3]{O}{nce upon a time}, in a land far away, 
there lived a typographer who loved beautiful drop caps. 
This elegant initial letter adds a classic touch to the 
beginning of chapters or sections.

\lettrine[lines=2,loversize=0.1]{T}{his} is a smaller drop cap.

\end{document}

Rendered output

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a typographer who loved beautiful drop caps. This elegant initial letter adds a classic touch to the beginning of chapters or sections.

This is a smaller drop cap.

Custom Fonts for Special Text

Code

special-fonts.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}  % XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX

% Define special purpose fonts
\newfontfamily\chapterfont{Bebas Neue}
\newfontfamily\quotefont{Crimson Text}[Scale=1.1]
\newfontfamily\emojifont{Apple Color Emoji}  % or Noto Color Emoji

\begin{document}

{\chapterfont\Huge Chapter One}

{\quotefont\itshape "Beautiful typography is invisible, 
yet it shapes how we perceive the written word."}

{\emojifont 😊 📚 ✨}  % Emoji support!

\end{document}

Rendered output

Chapter One

”Beautiful typography is invisible, yet it shapes how we perceive the written word.”

😊 📚 ✨

Font Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Code

font-fixes.tex

% Font not found (XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX)
\setmainfont{Arial}[
  Extension = .ttf,
  Path = /path/to/fonts/,
  UprightFont = *-Regular,
  BoldFont = *-Bold,
  ItalicFont = *-Italic
]

% Missing characters
\usepackage{textcomp}  % Additional symbols
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}  % Better encoding

% Font substitution warnings
\usepackage{silence}
\WarningFilter{latexfont}{Font shape}

% Check available fonts (XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX)
% Run in terminal: fc-list : family

Rendered output

Successful font setup

Main text renders in the requested font, accented characters display correctly, and bold/italic variants resolve without substitution warnings.

• Arial Regular, Bold, and Italic loaded
• T1 encoding covers additional glyphs
• Missing-font warnings filtered from noisy logs

Best Practices

Font guidelines:

1. Consistency: Use maximum 2-3 font families per document
2. Readability: Test fonts at actual reading size
3. Purpose: Match font to document type (serif for print, sans for screen)
4. Licensing: Ensure fonts are properly licensed
5. Fallbacks: Provide alternatives for missing fonts
6. Testing: Check output on different systems/viewers

Font Comparison

For Traditional Documents

• Times (mathptmx)
• Palatino (mathpazo)
• Computer Modern (default)
• Latin Modern (lmodern)

For Modern Documents

• Helvetica (helvet)
• Open Sans
• Source Sans Pro
• Roboto

For Technical Documents

• Computer Modern
• STIX Two
• Libertinus
• KP Fonts

For Books

• Minion Pro
• Sabon
• Garamond
• Baskerville

Quick Reference

Task	pdfLaTeX	XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX
Times font	\usepackage{mathptmx}	\setmainfont{Times New Roman}
Sans default	\renewcommand{\familydefault}{\sfdefault}	\setmainfont{Arial}
Math fonts	\usepackage{newtxmath}	\usepackage{unicode-math}
Custom font	Use packages	\newfontfamily\myfont{FontName}

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Next: Learn about Mathematical equations to create complex mathematical expressions with proper formatting.