How it works
This roman font generator sets your words in the capitals Rome cut into its monuments, with five inscription fonts and one book serif. The sample opens the Arch of Titus inscription, around 81 AD, where every U is a V.
Read the full guide
Spell it the way the carvers did
The classical Latin alphabet had 23 letters and no J, U or W. W is medieval, and J and U split from I and V after the Renaissance, so a Roman cut IVLIVS where we write Julius. The tool never swaps letters: type the V yourself. Words were divided by a mid-height dot, not a space: copy this one (·) into your line.
Six fonts, three kinds of lower case
Classical Rome had no lower case. On lower-case keys Marcellus SC draws small capitals at three-quarters of full height, and Cinzel at 86 percent. Cinzel Decorative puts flourishes on capitals and plain capitals on lower-case keys. Marcellus, Forum and the bold Trirong have true lower case. Forum is the lightest, and a quarter narrower than Cinzel.
Tips
- Enter starts a new line. Every line full width sizes each separately, so the shortest, like SENATVS, comes out tallest.
- All capitals in Cinzel Decorative puts a flourish on every letter, and they collide. Capitalise only each word's first letter.
- Full circle sets your line as a ring, like a coin's legend. Bend turns it. A ring keeps 60 characters.
Questions and answers
Can it make letters look carved in stone?
No. Nothing here cuts a groove with one lit wall and one shaded. It does raised metal well: Drop shadow or 3D block in Sand or Steel on Black. The Arch of Titus inscription once held metal letters, perhaps silver or gold.
Is this an ancient font generator for Greek or runes too?
It stops at Rome: none of the six fonts has Greek letters or runes, though Forum adds Cyrillic. For runes, Phoenician or Ogham that paste, use the ancient text generator; for Greek, the Greek font generator. Printers still call upright type roman.
Can I use it on an invitation or a logo?
Yes. The SIL Open Font License covers all six fonts, and its FAQ allows logos, stationery and signage. Download SVG scales without blurring. On a dark background, Print gives a black outline unless you untick Print as an outline (saves ink) under More options.