Helvetica in LaTeX: helvet, sfdefault and fontspec

Short answer: with pdfLaTeX, load the PSNFSS helvet package and, if you want Helvetica for body text, add renewcommand{familydefault}{sfdefault}. With XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, select a sans font with the fontspec command setsansfont (or setmainfont) instead. The two routes work differently, and mixing their commands is a common reason a Helvetica setup fails.

This guide is for researchers who need a manuscript, thesis or poster to use Helvetica (or a Helvetica-style face) and want to know which LaTeX route to use and what it does and does not change. Sources are the PSNFSS manual (version 9.3, 2020-03-25) and the fontspec manual (v2.9h, 2026/08/11), both read 2026-11-07.

What it is used for in research

Journals and figure pipelines often fix the typeface. Springer Nature’s figure guidelines, for example, specify Arial or Helvetica for figure text. Posters and slides also commonly use a sans serif body font. Setting Helvetica in the LaTeX document keeps captions and labels consistent with figures exported from other tools. For Beamer slides specifically, see how to change fonts in Beamer.

Install or access (official source only)

Both packages are documented on CTAN, the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network.

• pdfLaTeX route: helvet belongs to the PSNFSS bundle (“Using common PostScript fonts with LaTeX”, Walter Schmidt, version 9.3). It is requested with usepackage{helvet}.
• XeLaTeX / LuaLaTeX route: fontspec is the package for font selection under those two engines only (its manual is titled “Font selection for XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX”). It is requested with usepackage{fontspec}.

In Overleaf the compiler setting decides which route applies: the commands in Route A run under pdfLaTeX, the fontspec commands in Route B under XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX. See also font sizes in Overleaf for size commands.

Step-by-step task

Route A: pdfLaTeX with helvet (PSNFSS)

1. Add the encoding packages the PSNFSS manual recommends for PostScript fonts to the preamble: usepackage[T1]{fontenc} and usepackage{textcomp}. The manual states there is “no reason at all to stay with the obsolete OT1 encoding” for such fonts.
2. Load Helvetica: usepackage{helvet}.
3. Make it the body font. The manual says helvet does not change the default text font family from roman; to use the sans serif family as the default in text mode, add renewcommand{familydefault}{sfdefault}.
4. If Helvetica sits beside Times, scale it: usepackage[scaled=.92]{helvet}. The manual explains that Helvetica is somewhat larger than other typefaces of the same nominal size, and that this setting scales family phv (Helvetica) to 92% of its natural size, which it describes as suitable for use with Adobe Times. [scaled] alone equals [scaled=0.95].
5. Optionally open up the line spacing with linespread{factor} in the preamble; the manual gives 1.04 to 1.1 as typical values for fonts with a larger x-height than Computer Modern.

documentclass{article}
usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
usepackage{textcomp}
usepackage[scaled=.92]{helvet}
renewcommand{familydefault}{sfdefault}
begin{document}
Text set in Helvetica.
end{document}

Route B: XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX with fontspec

1. Compile with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, not pdfLaTeX.
2. Add usepackage{fontspec}.
3. Choose fonts with setmainfont{font}[features], setsansfont{font}[features] and setmonofont{font}[features], which the manual calls the main font-selecting commands for the document’s standard fonts. Ligatures=TeX is added by default for setmainfont and setsansfont.
4. To match the sans font’s size to the roman font, use the Scale feature: a number, or MatchLowercase, MatchUppercase or MatchAveragecase, which scales the selected font to match the current default roman font. The scale applied is reported in the .log file.

usepackage{fontspec}
setsansfont{texgyreheros}[Scale=MatchLowercase]

The fontspec manual uses texgyreheros (TeX Gyre Heros) as a font-name example. Check the compile log to confirm the font was found and the scale applied.

Output and how to read it

Route A changes sans serif text only. The PSNFSS manual warns that setting sfdefault “does not change the fonts used in the formulas”, so equations remain in the default math fonts. The same manual advises that its older times and palatino packages do not load suitable math fonts and do not scale Helvetica to match, and recommends mathptmx or mathpazo together with helvet and courier instead. For math symbol conventions, see blackboard bold in LaTeX and boldface in LaTeX.

Check	What you should see
Body text after Route A step 3	Sans serif (Helvetica) text; formulas unchanged
Helvetica next to Times	Helvetica looks larger than the Times text unless scaled (scaled=.92)
Route B with Scale=MatchLowercase	Applied scale written to the .log

Troubleshooting

Helvetica does not appear in the body text

Loading helvet alone leaves the roman family as the default (PSNFSS section 3.4). Add renewcommand{familydefault}{sfdefault}.

The sans text looks larger than the surrounding text

Use usepackage[scaled=.92]{helvet} (Route A) or Scale=MatchLowercase (Route B).

An error says a font name such as “Helvetica Neue” cannot be found

helvet provides the PSNFSS family phv (Helvetica); it is not a mechanism for loading a font by an arbitrary name. Selecting a font by name with setsansfont is a fontspec feature that applies only under XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX. Check which engine is compiling, then use the matching route above.

Equations are not in Helvetica

Neither route described here changes the math fonts. Use the math-font advice in the output section.

Free alternatives (table)

Option	Engine	What the documentation says
helvet (PSNFSS)	pdfLaTeX	Provides the Helvetica sans serif family phv; scalable with scaled=
texgyreheros via fontspec	XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX	Used as the font-name example in the fontspec manual
Default Computer Modern Sans Serif	any	Listed in PSNFSS Table 1 as the sans family when no package is loaded

FAQ

How do I use Helvetica in LaTeX?

Under pdfLaTeX, load helvet and set familydefault to sfdefault. Under XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, use fontspec and setsansfont.

Does helvet change the font in equations?

No. PSNFSS states the sans serif default change does not apply to formulas.

What does scaled=.92 do?

It scales the Helvetica family phv to 92% of its natural size, which PSNFSS describes as suitable with Adobe Times.

Sources (official documentation)

• Walter Schmidt, “Using common PostScript fonts with LaTeX” (PSNFSS), version 9.3, 2020-03-25: CTAN. Read 2026-11-07.
• Will Robertson et al., “Font selection for XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX” (fontspec), v2.9h, 2026/08/11: CTAN. Read 2026-11-07.
• Springer Nature figure guidelines (typeface Arial or Helvetica), from CASRAI’s verified-facts record.