Type a name, a word or a date and see it in eight tattoo lettering styles. Free, no signup, and each style says where it works and where it does not.
Your text
Dense strokes sit close together, so it needs size. Below about two inches the counters fill in and words turn into a solid block.
Your text
Fine hairlines are the risk. They can drop out entirely as ink spreads over the years, so ask your artist to thicken them.
Your text
Ages better than almost anything else here. Thick strokes stay legible for decades, which is exactly why traditional work uses them.
Your text
Serifs make repeated characters countable, which matters enormously for Roman numerals — XXX is far easier to read with them than without.
Your text
If you want an actual person's handwriting, bring the original to your artist. A font that resembles handwriting is not the same as theirs, and people can tell.
Your text
The thinnest option here and the least forgiving at small sizes. Best above a couple of inches.
Your text
The gaps are the design. Shrink it too far and they close, and it stops looking like a stencil at all.
Your text
A good middle ground when Old English is too heavy for the space you have.
Ink spreads under the skin over years. Hairlines that look elegant on a screen can thicken into each other or disappear entirely. Script and signature styles are the most exposed; ask your artist to weight the thin strokes rather than reproducing the preview exactly.
Old English and stencil need room — below roughly two inches their counters fill in and the word becomes a block. If the space is small, a simpler face at a readable size beats an ornate one crammed in.
Lettering is the single most common tattoo regret, and almost always for spelling rather than style. Read it backwards, have someone else read it, and check the stencil against the original before the needle starts. A misspelled word in beautiful lettering is still a misspelled word.
Most artists will redraw lettering by hand to fit the curve of the body part and to balance the spacing. Bring the style you want rather than a file you expect to be traced — the conversation goes better and the result is usually better too.
There is no single one. Old English blackletter and bold traditional lettering are the most recognisable; cursive script dominates names and short phrases; Roman capitals suit dates and numerals. All eight here are used in real work.
Yes, with no signup. Everything runs in your browser and the fonts are open licence, so there is nothing to charge for. You only need an account to generate a full design rather than lettering.
Cursive or signature script for something personal and flowing; Old English or traditional if you want weight and permanence. Consider the space first — a long name in an ornate face needs more room than most people expect.
Bold ones. Traditional slab lettering and heavier serifs stay legible for decades because thick strokes survive ink spread. The finest scripts are the most at risk, which is why traditional work has always used weight.
Yes — every style has a download button that renders your text to a PNG in your browser. Take it to your artist as a reference for the style you want.
Need a date in numerals first? Use the Roman numeral generator, then bring it back here.