Calligraphy Software for PC: 7 Best in 2024

Adobe Illustrator – Vector-based structure

When it comes to the state of the art of illustration, Adobe Illustrator is the best software that money can buy.

The graphics software is used by millions of designers and artists to create anything from mobile graphics to book illustrations and much more.

One of its distinguishing features is its vector-based structure which means you will never have to deal with resolution issues. Your calligraphy can be easily scaled larger or smaller while preserving intact quality.

Besides, the Image Trace feature can quickly scan your calligraphic fonts and transform them into vectors. The Illustrator also boasts a user-friendly brush widely appreciated for its accurate results.

The tools included in Illustrator’s suite enable you to find a font style that fits your work or turn to other graphic designers for calligraphic design inspiration.

You can even import your favorites by choosing from over 17,000 high-quality fonts with Adobe Fonts or sync with Adobe Stock and use it as a basis for custom fonts.

With Adobe Illustrator you can make your own custom font design based on handwriting or serif or sans serif fonts.

Not only that, but you can also create custom letterforms that fit your unique layout and design.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

• Adobe Originals (available in Illustrator’s font menu, it allows you to choose an existing font to kick off your design process, then adjust the weight, width, or slant to suit your specific needs)
• Sketch-based development (you can either draw by hand in Illustrator or import hand lettering / digital art from Adobe Photoshop)
• Image Trace (transform your imported font sketch into an easily edited vector graphic to refine your work)
• Integration options (third-party plug-ins can easily be integrated to help you finalize and manage your fonts)

Adobe Illustrator is a paid service, but you can try it out for free for 7 days. You can integrate it within the Creative Cloud if you use other Adobe products.

Adobe Illustrator

Take your project from average to eye-catching with Adobe Illustrator! Its calligraphy and custom fonts make all the difference.

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Adobe Photoshop – Unique designs

Adobe Photoshop is the most popular graphics software for professionals and there are good reasons for that.

It’s the pinnacle when it comes to calligraphy work thanks to its numerous brushes and special effects, not to mention the fact that it gives you complete control over the lettering since you can edit your graphics pixel-by-pixel.

In calligraphy, each letter is carefully thought out according to the artist’s vision.

This leads to a wide variety of styles and Photoshop brushes cover them all: from spray paint or ink wash effect, precise linework shading with pencil, ink, and charcoal brushes, and watercolor brushes to splatter effects.

You can perfect your calligraphy brushstrokes with thousands of preset high-quality Photoshop brush sets or create your unique, custom drawing brushes and sync them with Creative Cloud libraries.

You can create unique calligraphy designs by playing around with effects and color options.

Users can also create custom brushes or use one from the comprehensive brush preset collection.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

• Your work is automatically saved to the cloud for quick access, no matter where you are
• Lens Blur offers a more natural and realistic look when blurring an object in the foreground
• Improved Content-Aware Fill
• Object Selection tool (create fast and precise selections by drawing a simple rectangle)
• Performance improvements (smoother panning, zooming, and navigating)

Adobe Photoshop is a subscription-based service that is integrated into the Creative Cloud. It has a 7-day free trial.

Adobe Photoshop

Make your calligraphy stand out with custom brushes, advanced lettering options, and more.

Free Trial Visit Website

Graphic Design Studio – Full artistic color palette

Graphic Design Studio is a powerful vector drawing tool that enables you to sketch out your design or import a vector graphic in SVG format to add your own creative touch.

When it comes to calligraphy, the tool is suitable for both professionals and beginners who can use pre-designed graphics without the hassle of starting from scratch.

With a full artistic color palette, easy-to-use pen and pencil, and tools that allow you to control size, shape, text, lines, and layers, you can start creating unique and stunning lettering designs with a creative edge in no time.

Graphic Design Studio gives you a plethora of inspiring tools, including over 2 000 pre-designed vector graphics and images.

The tool lets you also create your own presets and add them to the Component Library, so you can reuse them in the future.

It comes with full layering support, so you can tweak and change up your lettering without disturbing other parts of your design.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

• Powerful editing tools
• Full support for SVG files, including import and export
• Creative filters and effects (3D tunnel effects and unique shapes, blurs, shadows & glows)
• Creative background and fill textures
• Artistic color palettes and gradients
• 65+ commercial use fonts

Graphic Design Studio is a paid product, so if you want to use you will have to purchase a license.

Graphic Design Studio

Step up your calligraphy game and create remarkable letterings with Graphic Design Studio’s practical pencil toolset.

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Caligrafile – Curated archive of 500+ supplies

Caligrafile is not a simple calligraphy tool because it includes diverse word lettering and editing tools for professional writers or hobbyists.

You can start with this tool if you need an integrated platform to find and use multiple fonts or calligraphy tools.

More exactly, this platform offers an archive with valuable lettering supplies, magazines, or even physical pens and nibs.

It’s possible to employ this tool for seamless integrations with productivity or email tools, such as Office 365, Google Workspace, or Slack.

Besides this, you’re not limited only to lettering or font software as the platform offers design tools, practice sheets, pad and brushes & mockups.

It is worth mentioning that you have customizable tags and labels to create a personalized system and set tags to your documents or files.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

• Organized collection of brushes
• Accesorries for caligraphy practice
• Illustration or design tools
• Intuitive guides for learning
• Font favorite apps

⇒ Get Caligrafile

FontLab 8 – Improved font curves and coloring

FontLab 8 is a popular font editor with professional and detail-oriented tools for creative and colorful fonts.

This typeface solution is tailored for professionals and artists of all levels for creating mind-blowing lettering projects.

It has multiple standout capabilities that can turn any font designs into convincing artworks or marketing products.

For example, you have professional Bezier drawing assets for creating fluid letterforms and font types precisley.

Other worth mentioning features for this calligraphy solution are the drafting sketchboard, font variations, or OpenType functions like alternates or substitutions.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

• Available on MacOS and Windows devices
• Editing and refining tool
• Precised numeric values
• Color fill with gradients or full colors

⇒ Get FontLab 8

Calligraphr – Simple user interface

Calligraphr is a popular app that allows you to transform your calligraphy into fully functional vector-based fonts with genuine custom designs.

Creating your own calligraphic artwork has never been easier thanks to the pens and pencils as well as the color, line thickness, and transparency of each tool boasted by this software.

The best part is that you can even modify characters after scanning thanks to the internal image editor.

You can create standard font files (TFF or OTFF formats) which can be easily editable and included in other font or graphical editing software.

Caligraphr also includes character randomization which is an essential solution when you want to simulate genuine handwriting.

This calligraphy tool supports multiple languages, so you can easily access and edit all sorts of characters.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

• Simple user interface
• Ligatures (suitable character sequences are automatically replaced with your specified ligatures)
• Customizable templates (with exactly the character set you need for your font)

Calligraphr has a free as well as a paid version. The free version lets you freely create and design calligraphy, but it does have some limitations on the number of fonts you can make at the same time.

⇒ Get Calligraphr

Inkscape Calligraphy – Custom pen degrees

Inkscape is definitely a powerful contender in the race for the best calligraphy tool thanks to some nifty features like the undo command which would not be possible with a traditional pen and ink.

Thanks to its flexibility, the tool enables both advanced and beginner users to design intricate calligraphy. Plus, Inkscape is able to utilize the pressure and tilt sensitivity of a tablet pen.

You can take full control of the look of your design with width and thinning settings, so your calligraphy looks exactly as you envisioned.

Inkscape also gives you the possibility to fully control the angle and fixation of your pen, with custom pen degrees, from 0 to 90 or -90.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

• Tremor (to give a more natural look to the calligraphy strokes by producing anything from unevenness to blotches and splotches)
• Wiggle and mass

You can take full control of the look of your design with width and thinning settings, so your calligraphy looks exactly as you envisioned.

Inkscape also gives you the possibility to fully control the angle and fixation of your pen, with custom pen degrees, from 0 to 90 or -90.

⇒ Get Inkscape

By emulating the look of handwriting, calligraphy fonts are more artistic than the average font.

If you decide to create your own, you have even better chances to produce an eye-catching design that is sure to impress the right audience for your project.

So why not try your hand at digital calligraphy with the help of a specialized tool? Let us know how that worked for you in the comments section below.