If you’ve ever tried engraving something, like on a laser machine, a CNC router, or even a vinyl cutter, you might’ve noticed a weird problem. The fonts just don’t… work.
They look fine on screen. But when your machine tries to trace them? Suddenly it’s not so pretty. The letters get outlined twice, or worse, filled in awkwardly. It takes forever, and the result often feels overdone. That’s usually because you’re using a regular font.
Single-line fonts fix that. And honestly, they deserve more attention than they get.
The name kind of explains itself, but not entirely. A single-line font is a typeface drawn with just one path per character. No outlines, no fill. Just a stroke. Imagine how you’d write a word with a pen. You wouldn’t trace around the letters and fill them in, right? You’d just… write.
That’s the idea.
They’re also sometimes called stick fonts, engraving fonts, or even hairline fonts, depending on who you ask. But they all share the same purpose: to let machines draw letters the way humans do, using one clean pass.
Here’s the thing. Most fonts were never meant for physical output. They’re made for screens and printers. So when you send one of those fonts to a machine, especially one that cuts, burns, or draws, it has to do a lot of unnecessary work.
Who actually uses these?
You’d be surprised. There’s a growing number of people who rely on single-line fonts every day, whether they realize it or not.
At Monocotype, we’ve seen all of these use cases. Some are pros. Others are beginners who just want their machine to stop acting weird. Both groups need fonts that get out of the way and just work.
This might sound dramatic, but if you’ve tried engraving with a regular font, you know the pain. Here’s what we’ve heard from people:
“It took 9 minutes to engrave a name. With your font? Just under 3.”
“The vinyl cutter kept chewing the corner of every ‘A’. Single-line fixed it.”
“I thought I was doing something wrong. Turns out it was the font.”
There’s a pattern here. Bad results. Long jobs. Materials wasted. It’s not that your setup is wrong. It’s just not using the right kind of font.
This question comes up a lot. And the short answer is: not really.
You can try converting a regular font to outlines, then center-stroking it, then simplifying paths… but it won’t be the same. The strokes won’t follow natural writing flow. Curves get jagged. Letters look off. And the spacing? Often a mess.
True single-line fonts are designed as paths from the start. Every curve is intentional. Every space between letters is considered. It’s not a quick fix. It’s a different approach.
Honestly? We’ve been through this ourselves. When we first started experimenting with pen plotters years ago, we tried using system fonts. Some of them almost worked. Kind of. But we spent more time cleaning up output than actually drawing anything meaningful.
That’s what pushed us to build our own. Fonts that feel balanced, flow naturally, and play nice with machines. It’s more work up front. But in the end, it saves hours.
Most single-line fonts out there are, let’s say, functional. Which is fine. But we wanted fonts that also had character. A little soul. Something you’d actually want to use in a real design, not just a blueprint.
We build our fonts carefully, test them across formats (.SHX, .SVG, .TTF for engraving), and try to keep the aesthetics clean but not boring. Because if you’re engraving something, whether it’s a wedding invite or a warning label, it deserves to look good and run efficiently.
You don’t need to overhaul your whole workflow. Just try using a single-line font for one project. See what happens. You might notice your machine finishes faster. Or your plotter stops jittering. Or maybe the output just feels smoother. It’s subtle. But you’ll notice.
If you’re not sure what format you need, or which one will work with your machine, we get that. It can be a bit of a guessing game. Feel free to reach out, we’re happy to help.
Single-line fonts aren’t some secret weapon. They’re just the right tool for a specific kind of job. And once you try them, it’s hard to go back.
Are they perfect for every use? No. But if you work with machines that move, burn, draw, or cut, it might be time to give them a real look.
We’re Monocotype. We make fonts for humans and machines. If that sounds like something you’d use, come take a look or drop us a message. Happy to talk shop anytime.
