Source Serif 4 Font: History, Pairings and How to Use It
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Source+Serif+4:wght@400;700&display=swap');
body {
font-family: 'Source Serif 4', Georgia, serif;
}
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
font-weight: 700;
}Source Serif 4 is a free transitional serif designed by Frank Grießhammer at Adobe, first released in 2014 as Source Serif Pro and updated with optical sizes in 2021. It covers weights 200 to 900 with italics, and it is best known as a readable, sturdy serif for long text on screen.
Source Serif 4
Good type disappears into the reading. The heading sets the tone, and the body text carries the story to the last line. Readers spend most of their time here, so the letters have to stay comfortable from the first paragraph to the tenth.
Set in Source Serif 4 700 and Source Serif 4 400See Source Serif 4 on a full page ›
Where Source Serif 4 Came From
Source Serif was designed by Frank Grießhammer at Adobe and first released in 2014 as Source Serif Pro. It was made as a companion to Source Sans, designed by Paul Hunt, with Robert Slimbach consulting on both so the two would work together. Like the rest of Adobe’s Source family, it is open source under the SIL Open Font License.
In 2021 Adobe added optical sizes and renamed the family Source Serif 4. The project was suggested by Google Fonts, and Reymund Schroeder and Thomas Thiemich drew the caption and display sizes. Source Serif 4 was added to Google Fonts in November 2021.
What Source Serif 4 Looks Like
Source Serif 4 is a transitional serif loosely based on the work of Pierre Simon Fournier, an eighteenth century French typefounder. It keeps some of his quirks, like the bottom serif on the b and the middle serif on the w, but the shapes are simplified for screens. Serifs are firm, contrast is moderate and the letters are sturdy, so text stays clear at small sizes.
The mood is confident and practical rather than delicate. It reads well in long passages, and because it was matched to Source Sans in proportions and colour, it sits comfortably next to a sans serif.
Weights and Styles
On Google Fonts, Source Serif 4 runs from ExtraLight 200 to Black 900, each with a true italic, and it is a variable font, so you can use any weight in between. It also has an optical size axis from 8 to 60. Adobe drew five optical sizes, from Caption through Small Text, Text and Subhead to Display. Small sizes get sturdier shapes and looser spacing, while large sizes get finer details and tighter spacing.
For most sites, 400 for body text and 600 or 700 for headings is enough. Try Source Serif 4 at 700 for headings and 400 for text.
Where Source Serif 4 Works Best
Source Serif 4 is at its best for long reading on screen: blogs, articles, documentation, newsletters and online books. The optical size axis also makes it a strong choice for headlines, so one family can cover a whole editorial site. It suits business and educational sites that want a serious but friendly serif. It is a little too sturdy for very refined, fashion style branding.
Fonts That Pair Well with Source Serif 4
Source Serif 4 was designed alongside a sans serif, so it pairs easily with clean, open sans fonts. A neutral sans keeps the page calm, while a heavier grotesque gives headlines more punch. Each of these has its own page:
- Source Serif 4 and Source Sans 3, the matched Adobe pair
- Inter and Source Serif 4, clean headings over a readable serif
- Archivo and Source Serif 4, bold, editorial headlines
- Public Sans, plain and trustworthy
- Figtree, friendly and modern
Source Serif 4 as a Times New Roman Alternative
Source Serif 4 is not a copy of Times New Roman, but it fills the same role: a dependable, traditional serif for text. Compared with Times New Roman it is sturdier and easier to read on screen, and it offers far more weights and an optical size axis. If you want a page that feels classic without looking like a default word processor document, it is a strong choice. For other free options, see Fonts similar to Times New Roman.
How to Use Source Serif 4 on Your Site
Load Source Serif 4 from Google Fonts with the CSS in the Use This Font panel, then set it as the font for your body text. List Georgia and serif after it, so text still looks good while the font loads. Browsers apply the optical size axis automatically based on font size, so headings and small text adjust without extra code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about Source Serif 4.
Is Source Serif 4 Free for Commercial Use?
Yes. Source Serif 4 is released under the SIL Open Font License, so you can use it on commercial websites, in apps and in print without paying.
What Is the Difference Between Source Serif Pro and Source Serif 4?
Source Serif 4 is the 2021 update of Source Serif Pro. It adds optical sizes and drops the Pro name, while keeping the same basic design.
What Is the Best Font to Pair with Source Serif 4?
Its designed companion is Source Sans. Inter and Archivo also work well, and both have pairing pages on this site.
Pairings with Source Serif 4
These pairs each have their own page, set in their two fonts.