# Courier: the typewriter font screenplays still use

> Courier was made for IBM typewriters in the 1950s and is still the screenplay standard. Its history and Courier Prime, a free version on Google Fonts.

Web page: https://davidewins.com/fonts/courier

An IBM typewriter face that screenplays never gave up.

Preview uses Courier Prime, the closest free match.

## History

- Howard "Bud" Kettler designed Courier for IBM in the mid-1950s. Sources disagree on 1955 or 1956. [1]
- Courier Prime, by Alan Dague-Greene and funded by John August, was released in January 2013 under the SIL Open Font License. [1]

## Who uses it

- Screenplays, where 12 point Courier or a close variant is the industry standard [1]
- The US State Department, whose standard was 12 point Courier New until January 2004 [1]

## Sources

1. [Wikipedia: Courier (typeface)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courier_(typeface))

## The free alternative

Courier Prime is a free Courier made for screenplays, with the same fixed widths and slab serifs.

Body fonts that go with Courier Prime:

- [Inter](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=courier&body=inter): A proportional sans body, with the typewriter face kept for headings and labels.
- [Source Serif 4](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=courier&body=source-serif-4): A serif body gives a document or archive feel.
- [IBM Plex Mono](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=courier&body=ibm-plex-mono): All monospace, for a terminal or notebook look.

[Open Courier in the pairing tool](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=courier)