Have you ever thought about selling a font? Whether you’re a lettering artist or just someone who loves creating, turning your handwriting into a sellable font can be a fun and profitable side hustle. And with apps like Fontself, creating and selling fonts online has never been easier.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how I created my font Gin & Juice using Fontself and how I’m planning to sell it on platforms like Creative Market and my website. If you’ve ever wondered how to create fonts to sell or where to sell fonts — this is the perfect place to start.
In case you prefer to watch, I also made a YouTube video where I show you the whole process –
Why Fontself?
Fontself is an app that allows you to turn your handwriting, calligraphy, or lettering into a fully functional font — right from your iPad. It was already a great tool, but the latest updates make it even better for those looking to start creating and selling fonts.
What’s New in Fontself:
✅ Nib editing and anchor point adjustment – Perfect for fine-tuning letter shapes and strokes.
✅ Manual letter spacing and kerning – This is huge for getting clean, professional-looking spacing.
✅ Font templates – Save and share templates (hopefully, you’ll be able to sell font templates in the future too!).
✅ Font installs – You can now use your fonts directly on your iPad.
✅ Background images – Makes aligning your letters much faster and more accurate.
✅ Font info and metadata – Essential for selling your fonts professionally.
Fontself does require a one-time payment, but considering how much time it saves — and the fact that you can use it to sell handwriting fonts — it’s totally worth it.
If you want to have a deeper look into fontself, check out the review I created last year.
Step 1: Define Your Creative Direction
Before you start creating a font, you need to figure out the style and market you’re aiming for. If you’re serious about selling fonts, you need to think about who will buy it and how they’ll use it.
I wanted Gin & Juice to have a smooth yet rough streetwear vibe — something that feels urban but still clean enough for branding and design work. Think skate culture meets high-end streetwear.
One of my favorite platforms to search for inspiration is Pinterest. I think it’s one of the best visual search engines out there.
💡 Pro Tip: Research fonts in your target market. Look at successful fonts on platforms like Creative Market and MyFonts. Notice which styles are trending and how designers are using them.
Once I had a clear vision, I wrote down some creative notes to help me stay focused during the design process. I need some creative constraints otherwise I struggle to stay focused on one thing.
Step 2: Sketching the Letters
Next, I sketched out the basic letterforms using Procreate.
To speed up the process, I took a screenshot of the Fontself interface and aligned my sketches with the app’s grid.
This helped me keep the spacing and sizing consistent — which is super important if you’re planning on selling a font.
The type of font im creating does require a certain level of calligraphy skill. If you’re just getting started I recommend you either checking my free guides on brush calligraphy or my workbook – From Strokes To Style. It will teach you everything you need to learn brush calligraphy.
Step 3: Creating the Font
Once the sketches were ready, I uploaded them into Fontself and started turning them into a working font.
👉 I used Fontself’s background image feature to align everything perfectly.
👉 I selected the brush, adjusted the settings, and carefully traced over each letter.
👉 After that, I went through the whole alphabet — adjusting where necessary — until the font started to feel cohesive.
This part takes some time, but the cleaner your base font, the easier it will be to fine-tune all the details at the end.
Step 4: Fine-Tuning the Details
After creating the full alphabet, it was time to refine the details. This is where Fontself’s new kerning feature really shines.
- I adjusted the heights and spacing to make sure everything flowed well.
- Since it’s a cursive-style font, I had to carefully fine-tune the connections between letters.
- Fontself’s new manual kerning update allows you to adjust each pair individually with a live preview — which honestly saved me so much time.
- Finally, I added font info and metadata — essential for when you’re planning on selling a font professionally.
Step 5: Selling the Font
With the font finished, it was time to figure out where to sell it. There are a bunch of great platforms where you can sell handwriting fonts — each with its own pros and cons.
Best Platforms for Selling Fonts Online:
✔ Creative Market → Best for premium fonts and reaching creative professionals.
✔ MyFonts → Ideal for a more professional audience (think agencies and designers).
✔ Etsy → Not a huge fan of Etsy since it takes quite a big chunk of your sales.
✔ Gumroad → Great for indie creators who want direct control over their sales.
Before you upload your font to these websites it is crucial to create an engaging presentation for your font. To maximize sales, create presentation images that reflect your target market. For Gin & Juice, I designed mockups showing the font on:
- Hoodies and t-shirts (for the streetwear vibe)
- Posters and stickers (to appeal to the graffiti/skate scene)
- Branding and logos (for versatility)
Here is a small gallery where you can see the presentation images I created for the font.
💡 Wondering how much fonts cost?
- On Creative Market and MyFonts, premium fonts typically sell for $20–$60 depending on the complexity and licensing.
- On Etsy and Gumroad, fonts often sell for $10–$30 — but bundle deals and commercial licenses can push that higher.
How to Sell Fonts Successfully
If you want to succeed at selling fonts online, here’s what I recommend:
- Create a clean, professional font. Consistency matters!
- Offer multiple file formats (OTF, TTF, and WOFF).
- Write a strong product description that includes keywords like “handwriting font” and “urban script.”
- Make eye-catching mockups — People buy fonts based on how they look in action.
- Offer personal and commercial licenses — This increases your potential market.
Final Thoughts
Fontself’s latest update makes creating and selling fonts easier than ever. Whether you’re a professional designer or just someone who loves lettering, this is a great way to turn your creativity into a product.
If you’ve been thinking about selling a font, there’s no better time to start. Once you’ve created one, you can easily branch out into different styles and even start offering bundles.
👉 Would you try making your own font? Let me know in the comments!
Next Steps
✅ Download Fontself and give it a try.
✅ Check out my original Fontself review here.
✅ If you’re ready to start selling fonts online, head over to Creative Market or Etsy!
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About the author
Hey, I’m Max Juric, and I’m deeply passionate about calligraphy and hand lettering.
I’ve spent years honing my skills in the art of lettering, working with hundreds of clients from all over the world on design projects such as logotypes, branding, custom lettering, murals, and more.
But my journey doesn’t end there. I’ve also dedicated myself to sharing my knowledge and expertise with others, creating a wealth of resources including tutorials, articles, and podcasts.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to see thousands of people engaging with my content each month. Knowing that I’m helping fellow enthusiasts grow and develop their skills makes me really happy.
Welcome to Lettering Daily, your hub for all things lettering and calligraphy. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, I’m here to inspire and guide you on your lettering journey. Stick around, and let’s explore the world of letters together!
