Formal scripts are cursive typefaces derived from pointed pen calligraphy called Roundhand in 18th century England and Spencerian in 19th century America; and Copperplate by contemporary calligraphers since the original writing masters reproduced their work by engraving in copper. Roundhand-style typefaces include Snell Roundhand, Bickham Script and Libelle while Spencerian-style faces include Burgues Script and P22 Zaner Pro. Formal scripts are most often used for invitations and announcements, especially for weddings. Traditionally, formal scripts have small x-heights but some newer designs like ITC Edwardian Script have large bodies making them more suitable for advertising purposes.

OpenType versions of formal scripts tend to have large glyph sets—full of ligatures and alternate characters—in order to more accurately mimic penmanship.