As a graphic designer, one of my favorite design elements is the typeface (commonly referred to as a font set on your computer). The style and arrangement of the type on a graphic presentation is critical to making or breaking your message. Yes, type is an important component that creates a mood, sets a tone, and compliments the design.
When it comes type (and fonts), one doesn't have to look very far to tap into an overflowing reservoir of type-related resources online. From font foundries to lessons in typography, you can become well educated in the world of lettering and design.
I've had the notion of creating my own font, but not enough to warrant spending a few hundred dollars on font creation software. Besides, I've wondered that with the thousands of styles of fonts already available, wouldn't it be a challenge to design something new and unique?
Well, maybe not.
We could create a font fashioned after our own handwriting. Think about it: our handwriting is as distinct as our fingerprints — a signature part of ourselves that others can't easily duplicate.
The next question is: How do we create our handwriting font without having to buy expensive font creation software? The answer to that question came to me when David Johnson-Davies contacted me about his Web site called Fontifier at www.fontifier.com:
"Fontifier lets you create a typeface based on your handwriting simply by filling in a template and submitting it to the site. You can then use this in your word processing or graphics programs, just like other fonts."
Well that's a cool idea, I thought. So I went to Fontifier and learned that in five easy steps, I could create my own handwriting font. Of course, having a printer and a scanner (or graphics program to digitally draw onto the template) would also be required, but I already had those. Read on below to see how my font creation worked out.
Fontifier makes creating your own handwriting font simple. In five easy steps, you can turn your handwritten letters into a digitized font format that can be used in your word processing and graphics programs.
Here's the step-by-step process I followed to make my font, with added notes for getting the best results:
Step 1:
Print the Fontifier Template sheet. The template is 8.5" x 11" and has cells for each alphabet letter (upper and lowercase) and selected punctuation characters to write in. Each cell also has notches indicating where the baseline of a letter should fall.
Step 2:
Write your characters on the template. It's recommended that you use a dark felt tip marker for this. This will ensure uniform, dark strokes suitable for the scanner to read well.
Step 3:
Scan your template and save it as a GIF image. You should scan your template at 100 dpi at 100%. At higher and lower resolutions I received an error when trying to upload my image. I also scanned the template as black and white line art for optimum clarity.
Step 4:
Upload your GIF to Fontifier. In a minute or two your font is processed and returned to you. If your scan is crooked or has a resolution other than 100 dpi, you may receive an error message like I did. However, when both were corrected, the upload and font return was smooth.
After your scan is processed, you will get a return link to download your font in a TrueType format.
Step 5:
Install your font on your computer and use it in your word processor and graphics program. Once you retrieve the file, you simply install it into your system's font folder and it will show up on your font menus in your software programs.
I tried my new font out in Microsoft Word® and Adobe Illustrator®, and other than the expected kerning and baseline issues, it worked fine. (Tip: You may have to turn off the curly quotes option in Word to get your quotes to show.)
Give Fontifier a Try!
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make my own font. The steps are straightforward and the process is easy. In the end, you will get back a font that looks like your handwriting. I recommend giving Fontifier a try! Visit their Web site at www.fontifier.com.
Postscript: When I first wrote this piece, Fontifier was a free service still under development. Since then the quirks have been worked out and a fuller character set is available. You can view your font online and choose to purchase it for under $10 U.S. •
funmire is a mononymous humorist and driving force behind the Creativity Portal web site. …
funmire is a mononymous humorist and driving force behind the Creativity Portal web site.