Create a font from your own handwriting!
Type design meets instant gratification. Font Capture is a newly launched utility that will take a scan of your handwriting and turn it into an actual true type font. I admit I was skeptical when I first came to the site, but decided to give it a run and see how it turned out.
The process was fairly easy:
- Download and print the template page
- Write all the letters in their appropriate boxes
- Scan and upload the completed template back to the site
- Preview the result and download my completed font
There are a few tricks to getting a nice result. I used a black Micron08 pen, slightly tweaked the vertical placement of the letters in Photoshop, and made sure the four registration dots on the template made it intact through the whole process.
Of course, this is an auto-generated font. Despite all the clever scripts running in the background, you have to expect some kerning foibles and the like. There are limited special characters, and no options for ligatures or other custom refinements. It is what it is. If you want a more structured font, try FontStruct. Or for complete control, buy a copy of Fontographer and go to town.
When it is all said and done though, it is hard to go wrong with a custom font in 15-30 min. For free. I can see great potential for drawing up some fun and stylized fonts with this utility. But even beyond possible design uses, there is something strangely satisfying about being able to type in your own handwriting.
Check it out at: http://www.fontcapture.com/
