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Garamond Font

The Renaissance book serif with five centuries of revivals

Claude Garamond (16th century), revived by many foundries · Old-style serif · 1922 (Monotype revival) · ! Office version bundled, other cuts paid

Download Free Alternative

EB Garamond · closest free match to Garamond

Garamond font poster: classic Garamond headline on cream book paper with a red border and printer's ornamentGaramond style serif type on an open novel chapter page and a wine labelGaramond style character set: uppercase and lowercase alphabet, numbers and symbols

Illustrations of the Garamond style made for DaFontFonts. Letterforms are approximate; check the official specimen before you buy.

Download Garamond

License:
Office version bundled, other cuts paid
Font Type:
System font
Download:
Free alternative: EB Garamond (OFL-1.1)
Format:
TTF
Total Files:
10 styles + licence
Download Free Alternative

Garamond itself is not free to download. This button gives you EB Garamond, the closest free match, licensed for commercial use. Garamond on Microsoft Typography

About Garamond

Claude Garamond was a Parisian punchcutter in the 1500s whose roman types, built on the work of Aldus Manutius and Francesco Griffo, set the standard for French book printing. Almost every font called Garamond today is a later revival. The version in Microsoft Office comes from the Monotype Drawing Office in 1922 and, as Microsoft notes, is actually based on types cut by Jean Jannon in 1615, who followed Garamond's designs.

Other famous revivals include Stempel Garamond, Robert Slimbach's Adobe Garamond from 1989 and Garamond Premier. They share small, sloped serifs, gentle contrast and a calm, even texture that makes long text comfortable to read, which is why Garamond is a favourite for novels, academic books and anything that should feel classic. Since the original designs are centuries old, free revivals like EB Garamond are also available.

Where Garamond works best

  • Books and novels
  • Academic and literary publishing
  • Wine and luxury labels
  • Classic invitations and menus

Free alternatives to Garamond

Open-licence fonts with a comparable feel, every one verified free for commercial use and downloadable from DaFontFonts.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
EB Garamond Serif · 10 styles · variable ✓ OFL

EB Garamond is a direct open-source revival of Claude Garamond's type based on a 1592 specimen, so the letterforms, low x-height, and old-style texture are genuinely Garamond rather than merely Garamond-like. It ships with italics and optical refinements that make it a serious book face.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Cormorant Garamond Serif · 10 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Cormorant Garamond interprets Garamond at display sizes, with higher contrast, finer hairlines, and sharper serifs. It is beautiful in large headings but too delicate to replace Adobe Garamond in body text.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Crimson Pro Serif · 16 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Crimson Pro is an old-style text serif in the Garamond tradition, tuned for screens with slightly sturdier strokes and a modestly taller x-height. It reads a bit darker on the page than Adobe Garamond.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Cardo Serif · 4 styles ✓ OFL

Cardo is a scholarly old-style serif modeled on a Renaissance typeface, with the same quiet, bookish color as Garamond and extensive language and scholarly-character support. Its forms are slightly broader and less refined at display sizes.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Spectral Serif · 14 styles ✓ OFL

Spectral carries old-style DNA into a screen-first serif with efficient proportions and crisp details. It is more contemporary and slightly more condensed, so it trades some Renaissance warmth for practicality.

Compare all Garamond alternatives

Garamond is a trademark of its owner. DaFontFonts does not host or distribute the Garamond font files; download and licence links go to the official source.

Questions

Is Garamond font free?

The Garamond in Microsoft Office is free to use in documents you make with Office, but not to redistribute or use as a web font. Adobe Garamond is paid. EB Garamond and Cormorant Garamond are free revivals you can use anywhere.

Which Garamond is in Microsoft Word?

Word uses Monotype's Garamond, first made in 1922. Microsoft notes it is based on types cut by Jean Jannon in 1615, who followed Claude Garamond's designs.

What is the best free Garamond?

EB Garamond is the most faithful free revival, based on original Garamond specimens. Cormorant Garamond is a sharper display version for large headlines.

Why is Garamond so popular for books?

Its moderate contrast, small serifs and even texture make long passages easy on the eyes, and it fits a lot of text on a page without feeling cramped.

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