Why Font Selection Matters in Email Marketing

Choosing the right font for your email campaigns is essential for readability, branding, and compatibility across different devices and email clients. However, not all fonts will display correctly in every inbox. Some fonts are widely supported, while others may not render properly, leading to inconsistent designs or default font replacements.

This guide explains which fonts are safe to use in emails, which web fonts work in some email clients, and why custom fonts are not an option.

Best Web-Safe Fonts (Most Reliable Across Email Clients)

Web-safe fonts are pre-installed on most operating systems and email clients, ensuring they will display correctly for nearly all recipients. These fonts are the safest choice for consistent email rendering.

Sans-Serif (Modern & Clean)

• Arial
• Arial Black
• Helvetica (Mac alternative to Arial)
• Verdana
• Tahoma
• Trebuchet MS
• Lucida Sans Unicode
• Lucida Grande (Mac alternative)
• Geneva (Mac alternative to Tahoma)

Serif (Classic & Traditional)

• Times New Roman
• Times (Mac alternative)
• Georgia
• Palatino Linotype
• Book Antiqua
• Palatino (Mac alternative)

Monospace (Good for Code & Technical Emails)

• Courier New
• Lucida Console
• Monaco (Mac alternative)

Decorative (Use Sparingly)

• Impact (Bold, heavy font—not great for readability)
• Comic Sans MS (Playful, but rarely used in professional emails)
• Charcoal (Mac-only, not widely supported)

Web Fonts: Supported in Some Email Clients

Some modern email clients (Apple Mail, Outlook for Mac, Gmail, iOS Mail) support web fonts, but many email clients, including Outlook for Windows, do not. If you choose to use a web font, we include a fallback to ensure your email remains readable.

Sans-Serif (Modern & Professional)

• Roboto → Fallback: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
• Open Sans → Fallback: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
• Lato → Fallback: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
• Montserrat → Fallback: Trebuchet MS, Arial, sans-serif
• Poppins → Fallback: Arial, sans-serif

Serif (Elegant & Readable)

• Merriweather → Fallback: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif
• Playfair Display → Fallback: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif

System Font (Windows-Only)

• Calibri → Fallback: Arial, sans-serif

Why Can’t I Use Any Font I Want?

1. Email Clients Have Limited Font Support

Unlike websites that can load custom fonts using CSS, email clients have varying levels of support for web fonts. Many email providers (such as Outlook for Windows) do not allow external font files and will default to a system font instead.

2. If a Font Isn’t Installed, It Won’t Display

When you send an email, the recipient’s device needs to have the font installed. If it doesn’t, their email client will switch to a default font, which might not match your brand’s design.