Choosing the best scrapbooking fonts depends on the theme of the page. The font should fit well with the overall layout and be of a high enough quality to appear crisp when the image is viewed at its final size. Theoretically, any font that is clear and enjoyed by the designer is an appropriate scrapbooking font. There are, however, certain font guidelines that may improve the overall look of the page. Remember that a scrapbook is a personal representation of memories, images, and ideas, and experimenting with different fonts can yield unique designs.
There are many free fonts available on the Internet, as well as many font packages that can be purchased specifically for graphic design and scrapbooking. These fonts usually have a theme, such as western, baby, or calligraphy. The thematic nature of scrapbooking makes this art form an especially appropriate use of these fonts, which might otherwise look improper or silly. With this craft, it is actually often better to choose scrapbooking fonts that complement the page rather than fonts that would look more professional or readable. Scrapbooking fonts that match a theme can be used in this way to bring together the overall impression of the page.
One practical consideration is how the font will be applied to the final page. If the scrapbook is fully digital, then any font can be used. Physically applied fonts are more difficult to manage.
If the font will be used to make a stencil to paint the text onto the page, for example, then using more delicate and lacy fonts may prove difficult. Even a relatively thick font can be hard to apply physically to a scrapbook page if it is small. Purchasing letter stickers or rub-ons in the desired scrapbooking font to put the letters on the page manually is a way around this. It is even possible to use acetone or xylene to transfer a section of printed material from a reversed photocopy to a scrapbook page, which may be an appropriate strategy with many fonts.
Most people find that highly decorative and ornate scrapbooking fonts are better for single words or phrases that serve an ornamental purpose than for longer commentary. For extended sections of text that carry information, plainer fonts are often more appropriate. On the other hand, handwriting fonts can give sections of text about the events displayed on the page personal meaning. The important thing to remember when scrapbooking is that there is room in a layout for multiple kinds of text, both decorative and meaningful, and strategic use of fonts can foreground important information while highlighting an ornamental message.
