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For those people looking for the next level of
handwriting font realism there are pen plotters. These machines, for
example the AxiDraw
(pictured), use real pens to mechanically create handwriting from
computerised text. This adds additional realism through changes in ink
density and the fact that the handwriting is actually written rather than
printed. Unfortunately, standard TrueType fonts are unsuitable for such
equipment. This is because standard TrueType fonts describe an outline for
each character in the font, rather than an actual pen stroke, as per the
example below.
As you can see in the example above, a standard TrueType font is a 'closed contour' font and this always produces an outline when sent to a pen plotter or other CNC machine. Every line has to describe a shape and no line can be open ended.
However, there is a way to convert standard TrueType fonts into 'open contour' (also known as single line or single stroke) fonts so that the pen only makes a single stroke per line, rather than an outline. The example below is the same font that has been converted to a single line font and written using a pen plotter.
This produces the most realistic handwriting effect, with changes in ink density and other ways that pen ink interacts with the paper.
With the combination of our single line Premium 'Ultra' handwriting fonts, the Scriptalizer™ software and a compatible pen plotter such as the AxiDraw, you can now create realistic handwritten documents that were never actually written by a human hand!
Yes, generally speaking. We supply the SVG single line (stroke) font, a TTF single line (stroke) font, and a TTF outline font version of each typeface. Whether or not these fonts will work with your particular software and plotter is generally a matter of which font formats your software and hardware support.
If in doubt you can check with the manufacturer, or try our Single Line SVG Font Test Document to check for compatibility with your equipment. Please also see our list of resources.
Single Line SVG Font Test Document
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Software download, resources and other help
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You can purchase pre-made single line handwriting fonts converted from our realistic Premium 'Ultra' Fonts, or you can opt to have your own handwriting font converted to single line, either when you order it, or later when you decide you want a single line version of your font.
