First thing’s first, you’ll need to install fonts on your device! You are able to import fonts that are TrueType (.ttf) or OpenType (.otf) on your iPad.
To get started, if you purchased your font from Beck McCormick, you’ll need to download your purchase, and if necessary, unzip the folder. Most newer iPads have this capability built right in. If you’re working with older software, you may need to download a file extractor.
Install Fonts in Procreate Directly
It’s pretty easy to install fonts in Procreate itself (as opposed to your iPad as a whole where the fonts would be available in any app that accesses your system’s installed fonts).
Tap Actions > Add > Add Text. Once you’ve typed the text that you would like to use, tap Edit Style > Import Font. Navigate through the Files app on your device to the folder where you saved your custom font. Tap on the font file to import the font, and it will appear in the Fonts list in Procreate.
Bonus Tip: If you also have an iMac or MacBook, you can share an .otf or .ttf file with your iPad by Airdropping it. You can then select what you want to open the font with – if you choose Procreate from your list, it automatically installs it for you.
See what that looks like below!
If you choose not to take the easy route outlined above, you can install the fonts using another method! This method below ensures that the fonts are installed directly on your device, rather than available only through Procreate. This method would be handy if you work in Procreate, as well as other apps, like Design Space, Illustrator App, etc.
IMPORTANT: Please be patient and aware of the fact that I, personally, do not make the rules + processes needed for font installation on your iPad or iPhone. I only create the font files, and have literally no control over the operating system, your device’s capabilities, or the rules the developers put in place for a process like this.
I will always recommend that the best experience with my fonts will be on a desktop or laptop machine.
That said, it is absolutely possible to use my fonts on an iPad or iPhone, but you must follow the process below, which includes downloading the files, extracting the files, and a few different steps using third party apps.
Import Your Font to Your Device
01. Download a Font Manager
Your new font(s) will need to be installed using the iOS configuration profile. While there are ways of doing this without an app, it’s easiest to do this by using a font app that configures/installs your new fonts for you.
Using apps like AnyFont, Font Installer, iFont, and other font apps will allow you to download your font file and package it up so that it can easily be installed on your iPad or iPhone. You can install multiple fonts or choose one font to install!
For the purpose of this set of instructions, I’ve chosen to work with iFont – it’s free to use!
This is what the interface looks like!
02. Download Your Custom Font(s)
With some font apps, like the iFont app, you may be able to download Google fonts directly within the app from the font libraries. However, you can also download your Google fonts or custom third party fonts directly from your browser!
You would only need to follow the general download process as you would for any other downloadable file, unzip if necessary, and make sure you know where you saved the file!
iFont has an option to “Find Fonts to Install” — tap that, and then use “Open Files.” Navigate to where you downloaded the font file! Select the font you wish to install.
I’ve chosen to work with my font Grateful Season for this blog post!
03. Install Fonts
After this, it’s smooth sailing! Next, install the font!
In iFont, you can do this by tapping “Installer” at the bottom left corner. It should have a little red bubble to indicate the notification – the red bubble will disappear when you tap.
When you tap Installer, you’ll see the font(s) you selected to install on the left side of your screen with a blue “Install” button. Tap install!
You’ll get a pop-up within the app after this. When prompted to open a configuration profile in your settings app, tap “allow”. Depending on your iPad settings, you may be prompted to enter your passcode.
After you do that, you’ll get a notice that says that the profile was downloaded, and it instructs you to review the profile in Settings if you wish to install the font. When you tap “Close” on the notice, you’ll find a set of instructions for what you need to do next. Follow those instructions! (You can tap “Cancel” in the upper right corner of the pop-up to get rid of this before you go to your iPad Settings.)
You will receive a warning that the profile isn’t signed with a key because it was generated on your device. But don’t worry! You can see for yourself by tapping “More Details” and viewing exactly what’s inside: simply the fonts installed by you! A screencap of what that looks like is below!
Continue tapping Install for any other windows that pop up.
Now, tap “Done” when you receive the notification that it was installed.
04. Use Your Own Fonts in Procreate
Now that you’ve installed your custom fonts, they will appear beside the default fonts in Procreate in the font list. Simply choose your font in the list and use it to your heart’s content to enhance your illustrations and designs!
Pro Tip: If you’d like to use the alternate characters in the font, you can download the paid app Unicode Character Viewer. The app is .99 cents, and will allow you to look up fonts installed on your device, copy the glyph you’d like to use, and then paste the glyph into Procreate.
Uninstalling Fonts
If you’ve decided that you’ve had enough of a new font and want to remove it, you can navigate to Settings > General > Profiles. Here, you can select a font profile and tap “Remove Profile” to remove the font from your system.
If you think a video demonstration would be more helpful to you, I have a video of how to install fonts for Procreate here. Additionally, if you’re interested in the process to use special characters in Procreate, you can find that demonstration here.