Best Fonts for Scientific Posters & Figures: Complete Typography Guide (2026)

Best Fonts for Scientific Posters & Figures: Complete Typography Guide (2026)

Typography can make or break your scientific poster. The wrong font choice can make your research look unprofessional, while text that's too small renders your poster unreadable from the typical 1-2 meter viewing distance at conferences.

This guide covers everything you need to know about fonts for scientific communication: which fonts to use, what sizes work for different poster formats, specific journal requirements, and free alternatives when you don't have access to premium fonts.

Why Font Choice Matters in Science

Your font choice affects how your research is perceived:

Research from multiple universities confirms: sans-serif fonts are more legible from a distance, making them the standard choice for posters and figures.

Clean sans-serif typography ensures readability even in complex scientific diagrams.

Serif vs. Sans-Serif: When to Use Each

Understanding the difference between serif and sans-serif fonts is fundamental to scientific typography.

What's the Difference?

• Serif fonts have small decorative lines ("feet") at the ends of strokes (e.g., Times New Roman)
• Sans-serif fonts have clean, unadorned strokes (e.g., Arial, Helvetica)

When to Use Each

The Science Behind It

According to research published in Acta Psychologica, sans-serif fonts with low stroke contrast yield better legibility performance. This is why major journals like Nature explicitly require sans-serif fonts for all figure text.

Bottom line: Use sans-serif for anything visual (figures, posters, slides). Reserve serif fonts for manuscript body text only.

Recommended Fonts for Scientific Work

Tier 1: Journal-Approved Standards

These fonts are explicitly recommended or required by major scientific journals:

Tier 2: Excellent Alternatives

When you want variety while maintaining professionalism:

Tier 3: Free Alternatives (Open Source)

When you don't have access to commercial fonts:

For LaTeX users: TeX Gyre Heros is specifically designed for scientific documents with extended Greek and mathematical symbol support.

Font Size Guide for Scientific Posters

One of the most common questions: What font size should I use?

The answer depends on your poster size and viewing distance.

A0 Poster (841 × 1189 mm) — Most Common

A1 Poster (594 × 841 mm)

Quick Reference Rule

For any poster size: Body text should be readable from 1-2 meters away. Print a test section and check from that distance before finalizing.

Word Count Guidelines

More words ≠ better poster. Aim for minimal text with maximum visual impact.

Journal Figure Requirements

Major journals have specific typography requirements for figures. Here's what you need to know:

Nature Portfolio

According to Nature's figure specifications:

Cell Press

According to Cell's figure guidelines:

Science (AAAS)

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Universal Best Practices

Regardless of journal:

1. Use one font family throughout all figures
2. Embed fonts in your final files
3. Check at final size — print at actual dimensions to verify readability
4. Avoid text smaller than 5-6 pt at final print size

For complete journal figure requirements, see our guide: How to Make Figures for Nature, Science, and Cell Journals.

Typography Best Practices

The Golden Rules

1. Limit to 1-2 Font Families

Using more than two fonts makes your poster look like a ransom note. Choose:

• One sans-serif for headings, labels, and figures
• One serif (optional) for body text only

2. Create Clear Hierarchy

Readers should instantly understand what's most important:

• Title: Largest, boldest
• Headings: Clearly larger than body
• Body: Comfortable reading size
• Captions: Slightly smaller than body

3. Maintain Consistency

• Same font for all figure labels
• Same font for all headings
• Same font for all body text
• Consistent use of bold/italic

Consistent font usage creates a professional, cohesive appearance.

4. Ensure Sufficient Contrast

• Dark text on light backgrounds (or vice versa)
• Avoid text over busy images without a background box
• Test contrast for colorblind accessibility

5. Use White Space

• Don't crowd text together
• Line spacing of 1.2-1.5 improves readability
• Margins around text blocks

Fonts to Avoid

Simple rule: If you have to think about whether a font looks "cool," it's probably wrong for scientific work.

Common Typography Mistakes

Mistake 1: Text Too Small

Problem: Body text under 20 pt on an A0 poster is unreadable from 1 meter.

Solution: Print a test section at full size. Stand 1.5 meters away. If you strain to read, increase the size.

Mistake 2: Too Many Fonts

Problem: Different fonts for title, headings, body, and captions creates visual chaos.

Solution: Maximum two font families. One is often enough.

Mistake 3: Inconsistent Formatting

Problem: Some labels in Arial, others in Calibri. Some headings bold, others not.

Solution: Create a style guide before you start. Apply it consistently.

Mistake 4: Using Serif for Figures

Problem: Times New Roman in graph labels looks dated and is harder to read at small sizes.

Solution: Always use sans-serif (Arial, Helvetica) for figure text.

Mistake 5: Not Embedding Fonts

Problem: Your poster looks perfect on your computer but text appears wrong when printed elsewhere.

Solution: Always embed fonts in PDFs. In Illustrator: File → Save As → PDF → check "Embed All Fonts."

Mistake 6: Colored Text on Colored Backgrounds

Problem: Blue text on a dark blue background is invisible.

Solution: Ensure high contrast. Test in grayscale to verify readability.

Good contrast between text and background ensures readability.

Practical Application

Whether you're creating a conference poster, preparing figures for publication, or designing educational materials, consistent typography makes your work more professional and accessible.

For scientific diagrams where you're starting from scratch, tools like ConceptViz generate figures with clean, readable typography built in — particularly useful when you need to produce diagrams quickly without manual font configuration.

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

For Posters

Font: Arial or Helvetica (or free alternative: Inter, Open Sans)
Title: 85-100 pt bold
Headings: 36-48 pt bold
Body: 24-32 pt
Captions: 18-24 pt
Maximum fonts: 2

For Journal Figures

Font: Helvetica/Arial (Cell: Avenir)
Panel labels: 8 pt bold (Nature: lowercase, Cell: uppercase)
Other text: 5-7 pt
Greek letters: Symbol font
Embed fonts: Always

For Manuscripts

Body: Times New Roman, 12 pt
Line spacing: Double
Figures: As above

Related Resources

• Scientific Color Palette Guide
• How to Make Figures for Nature, Science, and Cell Journals
• How to Create a Graphical Abstract
• How to Make Scientific Diagrams for Research Papers
• Science Diagram Tools

FAQ

Q: What is the best font for a scientific poster? A: Arial or Helvetica are the safest choices — they're clean, professional, and universally accepted. For free alternatives, Inter, Open Sans, or IBM Plex Sans work excellently. Stick with sans-serif fonts for all poster text to maximize readability from a distance.

Q: What font size should I use for an A0 poster? A: For an A0 poster (841 × 1189 mm): Title at 85-100 pt bold, section headings at 36-48 pt bold, body text at 24-32 pt, and captions at 18-24 pt. Body text should be readable from 1-2 meters away.

Q: Should I use serif or sans-serif fonts for figures? A: Sans-serif fonts (Arial, Helvetica) are strongly recommended for figures. Major journals like Nature explicitly require sans-serif fonts for figure text. Sans-serif fonts are cleaner in complex graphics and more legible at small sizes.

Q: What font does Nature require for figures? A: Nature requires a sans-serif typeface, preferably Helvetica or Arial, consistent throughout all figures. Panel labels should be 8 pt bold lowercase (a, b, c). Maximum text size is 7 pt, minimum is 5 pt. Greek letters should use Symbol font.

Q: What font does Cell require? A: Cell Press requires Avenir font for all figure text. If Avenir is unavailable, Arial is an acceptable substitute. Panel labels should be capital letters (A, B, C), and text should be approximately 7 pt at print size.

Q: How many fonts should I use on a poster? A: Maximum of two font families. Using more creates visual chaos. Many successful posters use just one sans-serif font family (like Arial) with variation through weight (regular, bold) and size rather than different fonts.

Q: What are good free alternatives to Helvetica? A: Excellent free alternatives include Inter (optimized for screens), IBM Plex Sans (technical feel), Open Sans (clean and readable), and TeX Gyre Heros (designed for scientific publishing). All are available through Google Fonts or similar sources.

Q: How do I know if my poster text is large enough? A: Print a test section at full size and view it from 1.5-2 meters away. If you can read the body text comfortably without squinting, your sizes are appropriate. The title should be visible from across a typical conference hall (3+ meters).