Fonts, Lettering and Finish: Getting the Words Right on a Memorial

Author : Christina Wood | Published On : 29 Jul 2026

The wording on a headstone gets all the attention, and the lettering itself gets very little. Yet the typeface, the cutting method and the finish decide whether those words are still easy to read in forty years.

The four lettering styles and where each works

Serif letters have small strokes at the ends of each line. They are the traditional choice and they read well at a distance, since the feet at the base of each letter help the eye follow a line of text. Serif suits most memorials.

Sans serif letters have no such strokes. They look cleaner and more modern, and they hold up well cut small or on stone with a busy grain. They can feel plain on a large formal memorial, but on simple polished granite they look considered rather than bare.

Script letters imitate handwriting. Used for a first name, a nickname or a short line of verse, script adds real warmth. Used for a whole inscription, it becomes hard work to read from a metre or two away. A common approach is script for the name and serif for the dates.

Block capitals are the most durable choice. Every letter is the same height, there are no fine strokes to erode, and it reads clearly in poor light. Block can feel severe alone, so it is often paired with a softer style for the personal lines.

Two styles on one memorial is plenty. Three starts to look accidental.

Sandblasting versus hand-cut lettering

Sandblasting is the standard method. A rubber stencil is applied to the stone, the letters are cut out, and abrasive is blasted at the surface. It is accurate, consistent and works with almost any typeface, including fine script.

Hand-cut lettering is chiselled by a letter carver, each letter shaped individually with a V-cut section that catches light differently through the day. It has a depth that machine work does not, and it costs more and takes longer for good reason.

For most inscriptions sandblasting gives an excellent result. For a plain, classic stone where the lettering is the whole design, hand cutting is worth the difference. Workshops offering personalised headstones, including Sanctuary Memorials in Auckland, will show you samples of both so you can compare them in daylight.

Filling and finishing the letters

Once cut, letters can be left bare or finished to increase contrast.

Natural. No infill. The letters read through shadow alone. Works well on dark polished granite and needs no maintenance, though it is faint in flat light.
Paint infill. White, black, silver or a colour applied into the cut. Inexpensive, high contrast and the most common choice. It needs refreshing occasionally.
Lead filling. Lead lettering set into the cut and hammered in. It lasts extremely well outdoors, has a soft grey shine, and is traditional on marble.
Gilding. Genuine gold leaf worked into the letter. The brightest and most durable bright finish, holding its colour without fading, and costing accordingly.

Contrast against light and dark stone

Contrast is what makes an inscription legible, and it works in opposite directions depending on the stone.

On dark granite, light letters win. White, silver and gold stand out strongly, and bare cut letters read well too, because blasting the polished surface exposes the paler stone underneath.

On light marble or pale granite, dark letters win. Black infill or lead gives clear separation. Gold on pale stone looks elegant close up but disappears from a few metres away.

Legibility at distance and over time

A few things quietly determine how readable a memorial stays:

Letter height. Names are usually cut larger than dates. If in doubt, go a size up rather than down.
Spacing. Cramped lines are harder to read than small ones. Leave breathing room.
Line length. Short lines breaking at natural points read far better than full width text.
Depth of cut. Deeper letters hold shadow and survive weathering better on softer stone.
Exposure. A memorial facing prevailing wind and rain weathers faster, which argues for deeper cutting and simpler letterforms.

Fine script with hairline strokes softens most over the decades, so an exposed coastal site is worth weighing up.

Matching lettering when adding a later inscription

Most memorials for couples are cut once and added to years later, and the second inscription is where things commonly go wrong. A different font, size or a fresh bright infill beside weathered original lettering looks like an afterthought. To avoid it:

Keep a record of the font, letter heights and finish used originally, and note who did the work
Photograph the inscription clearly, straight on, before any further work
Plan the layout for both names at the outset, even if only one is being cut now
Ask whether the original lettering can be cleaned or refreshed at the same time
Expect a slight difference in tone regardless, since new cuts into weathered stone always look newer at first

Where to start

Decide the wording first, because the amount of text drives every other choice. Then look at real samples outdoors rather than screen proofs, at the size they will be cut, and ask to see the layout to scale before approving anything. Get those things right and the lettering will look as though it was always meant to be there.