editorial

PT Serif and Plus Jakarta Sans font pairing

Serif headings with a sans serif body.

Background
Issue 07 · Field notes
Stories worth reading slowly

Good pairings feel inevitable. Great ones set the tone before a single word is read.

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A strong pairing creates clear hierarchy while feeling like one consistent voice across every page. This paragraph is set in Plus Jakarta Sans, while the headline uses PT Serif. Numbers like 0123456789, punctuation “quotes” — and ampersands & — reveal a lot about how two typefaces get along.

Contrast, then harmony

Look for contrast in structure and harmony in proportion: similar x-heights, compatible widths and a shared sense of rhythm. Bold text and italic text should feel natural, too.

Why this pairing works

A classic contrast: PT Serif's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Plus Jakarta Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Plus Jakarta Sans ships in 7 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

HPT Serif

PT Serif is a free serif typeface designed by ParaType, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 2 weights with matching italics.

More pairings for PT Serif →

BPlus Jakarta Sans

Plus Jakarta Sans is a free sans serif typeface designed by Tokotype, added to Google Fonts in 2022. It comes in 7 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for Plus Jakarta Sans →

Use this pairing on your website

HTML — paste in <head>
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=PT+Serif:wght@700&family=Plus+Jakarta+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'PT Serif', serif;
  font-weight: 700;
}

body {
  font-family: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 1.6;
}

More pairings with PT Serif

Built for the long run

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HPT SerifBMulisheditorial→

A classic contrast: PT Serif's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Mulish's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

Ideas that travel well

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HPT SerifBOpen Sanseditorial→

A classic contrast: PT Serif's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Open Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

More pairings with Plus Jakarta Sans

Notes from the studio

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HBitterBPlus Jakarta Sanseditorial→

A classic contrast: Bitter's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Plus Jakarta Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

The future of small business

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HZilla SlabBPlus Jakarta Sanseditorial→

A classic contrast: Zilla Slab's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Plus Jakarta Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

Frequently asked questions

Do PT Serif and Plus Jakarta Sans go well together?

A classic contrast: PT Serif's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Plus Jakarta Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Plus Jakarta Sans ships in 7 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

Which font should be used for headings?

Use PT Serif for headings at weight 700, and Plus Jakarta Sans for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are PT Serif and Plus Jakarta Sans free?

Yes — both are open-source fonts on Google Fonts and free for personal and commercial use.