Times New Roman Font: History, Uses and Free Alternative

Times New Roman Font History

Times New Roman was made for The Times, a newspaper in London. The paper wanted a new type that was clearer and saved space. The project was supervised by Stanley Morison and the letters were drawn by Victor Lardent for Monotype. It first appeared in the newspaper in 1932.

It soon spread to books and magazines, and later to computers. Microsoft Word used it as the default font for many years. In 2007 Word switched its default to Calibri, and newer versions of Office have moved to another default since then. Even so, Times New Roman is still on almost every computer.

What Type of Font Is Times New Roman?

Times New Roman is a serif font. Serifs are the small strokes at the ends of letters, like the little feet on the bottom of n and m. So the answer to "is Times New Roman a sans serif font?" is no. Sans serif means without serifs, like Arial or Calibri.

The Times New Roman font style has:

• Clear contrast between thick and thin strokes.
• Fairly narrow letters, so more words fit in a line.
• Sharp, bracketed serifs that guide the eye along a line of print.
• A proper italic and a solid Times New Roman bold font for headings.

You can see a Times New Roman font example of the full alphabet in the preview above by typing A to Z.

Times New Roman vs Calibri Font

Choosing between Calibri font vs Times New Roman? If your college, court or office gives a rule, follow it. If not, Times New Roman suits formal printed work and Calibri suits screens. See our Calibri font page for more.

Garamond Font vs Times New Roman

Both are classic serifs, but they feel different. Garamond is based on older French book types, with rounder letters, lighter strokes and a smaller x-height, so it looks graceful and bookish. Times New Roman is narrower and darker, made to fit more words in a newspaper column.

At the same point size, Garamond looks smaller and fills fewer lines. Some students notice that a page in Garamond looks longer or shorter than expected, so check your college's rules before you switch. For formal assignments Times New Roman is the safe choice; for books, invitations and a softer, elegant feel, see our Garamond font guide.

Using Times New Roman in Word, Google Docs and Assignments

Microsoft Word: select your text and pick Times New Roman from the font box. To make it the default, open the Font dialog and choose Set As Default.

Times New Roman font Google Docs: it is in the font menu already. Click the font name in the toolbar and choose Times New Roman. No download needed.

College rules: many Indian colleges and universities often ask for Times New Roman at 12 pt with 1.5 or double line spacing for projects and theses. Rules differ, so always check your own guidelines.

Websites: write font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, Times, serif; in your CSS.

Times New Roman Font in LaTeX

LaTeX uses its own Computer Modern font by default, so many students ask how to set the LaTeX font Times New Roman style for a thesis or journal paper. Common options:

• \usepackage{newtxtext,newtxmath}: a Times-style font for both text and maths. A popular modern choice.
• \usepackage{mathptmx}: an older package that also gives Times-style text and maths.
• With XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, use \usepackage{fontspec} and \setmainfont{Times New Roman} if the font is installed on your computer.

Journals often give their own template, so use that first if they provide one.

Times New Roman Font Download and Font Similar to Times New Roman

Times New Roman is licensed by Monotype. It comes with Windows, Microsoft Office and macOS, so you already have it on most computers. You rarely need to download Times New Roman font files. It is not a free font to share, so a "times new roman font free download" site is usually sharing it without permission. If you need it for a product or app, buy a licence from Monotype.

If it is missing, for example on a Linux PC or a phone app, use a free font similar to Times New Roman:

• Tinos: same widths, so pages keep their layout. Free on the Tinos page on Google Fonts.
• Liberation Serif: a matching free font found on many Linux systems.

Other fonts like Times New Roman, with a classic serif look but different widths, are listed below. Want a more stylish classic serif? Try Georgia or Playfair Display.

Fonts that go with Times New Roman: for headings, a clean sans serif like Arial, Helvetica, Open Sans or Lato gives a nice contrast. In body text, keep to one serif so the page stays tidy.