The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Edwardian Script vs English Towne
Two display faces from opposite ends of the formal-lettering tradition. ITC Edwardian Script, drawn by Ed Benguiat in 1994, is a connected calligraphic script modelled on the pressure strokes of a pointed steel pen, while English Towne is Dieter Steffmann's 2003 take on the Old English blackletter seen on inn signs and newspaper nameplates.
Edwardian Script is a commercial font, so it is shown here in Mrs Saint Delafield, its closest free alternative. All free alternatives to Edwardian Script → English Towne is a commercial font, so it is shown here in UnifrakturMaguntia, its closest free alternative. All free alternatives to English Towne →
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
- Edwardian Script is a joined script whose connecting strokes were refined to read as genuine handwriting, with thick-thin contrast that mimics a flexible steel nib.
- English Towne is an upright, unconnected blackletter built from angular, broken pen strokes, so it sets as separate dense letters rather than a flowing line.
- Edwardian Script is a commercial ITC/Monotype family sold in Regular and Bold, so licensing cost is a factor; English Towne is distributed as a single medium-weight TrueType freeware font by Steffmann.
- Both are meant for headlines and short runs of text: Edwardian Script's hairlines break up at small sizes, and English Towne's blackletter forms become hard to read below display scale.
Edwardian Script
Reach for Edwardian Script when you want a lyrical, elegant handwritten feel for wedding stationery, invitations and announcements, and the license fee is acceptable.
English Towne
Reach for English Towne for gothic, traditional authority at zero cost, such as mastheads, certificates, pub or shop signage and heritage branding.