classic

PT Serif and PT Sans font pairing

A superfamily drawn for Cyrillic and Latin alike — balanced, sober, endlessly practical.

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Issue 07 · Field notes
Make something people love

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 PT 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 PT Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. PT Sans stays comfortable at paragraph sizes.

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 →

BPT Sans

PT Sans is a free sans serif typeface designed by ParaType, added to Google Fonts in 2010. It comes in 2 weights with matching italics.

More pairings for PT 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=PT+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'PT Serif', serif;
  font-weight: 700;
}

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

More pairings with PT Serif

Stories worth reading slowly

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

HPT SerifBPlus Jakarta Sanseditorial→

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.

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 PT Sans

Make something people love

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

HPT SansBMerriweathermoderneditorial→

A modern twist on the classic: PT Sans keeps headings crisp and contemporary, while Merriweather's serifs guide the eye along longer lines of text.

Everything starts with a sketch

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

HPT SansBSource Serif 4moderneditorial→

A modern twist on the classic: PT Sans keeps headings crisp and contemporary, while Source Serif 4's serifs guide the eye along longer lines of text.

A field guide to good ideas

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

HPT SansBFrauncesmoderneditorial→

A modern twist on the classic: PT Sans keeps headings crisp and contemporary, while Fraunces's serifs guide the eye along longer lines of text.

Frequently asked questions

Do PT Serif and PT Sans go well together?

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

Which font should be used for headings?

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

Are PT Serif and PT Sans free?

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