Create your own TrueType fonts

To those who like to create fonts themselves,there's a way in inkscape to do just that
(You can always create the shapes in XDP and export through pdf to open in InkScape)

Hans

http://cleversomeday.wordpress.com/2...nkscape-dings/

Hi Hans—

First, welcome to the Fonts & Typography area of tg. I am not a Moderator here, and please don't take the following observation as a personal criticism or anything, because we need all the participation we can get on this area.

At the same time, however, I think that 90% of our members who are interested in getting into building their own fonts don't know where to start. And frankly, Inkscape is not the shortest route from A to Z. In fact, I found the PDF instructions to be tedious and was prone to giving up with this method. And this is something I do not want to put those who are interested in typography through—

Although it's an interesting article, this method for generating a dingbat font set (it's practically impossible to create a character-based typeface) depends almost entirely on a 3rd party conversion utility to convert an SVG file Inkscape can save. So the chain to a finished "picture font" set would be:

1. Draw your glyph set in Xara.
2. Export it to PDF.
3. Import it to Inkscape.
4. Go through 15 steps in the tutorial file you've provided a link for.
5. Go get the convertor utility to convert the SVG file to TrueType.
6. Perform the conversion.

This seems like a lot of steps only to wind up with TrueType but not OpenType, and Xara is involved in a fraction of the process.

Here's the steps I'd advise, to create a TrueType and OpenType typeface, that can contain pictures or actual characters.

1. Get a job that pays $100.
2. Buy Type Tool 3.
3. Export your characters from Xara to Illustrator file format to Type Tool.

I have nothing to do with FontLab or the company's products. I have, however, dome some research on the best feature per price on Font Editors, and Type Tool 3 is almost as feature filled as its $650 big brother, FontLab. No jive: I've been using FontLab for years and just ran Type Tool 3 through its paces yesterday before recommending it.

My Best,

Gary

Yes Gary,it's a tedious way to create a dingbat,I know.
Should have made my topic title say 'create your own free dingbat fonts'
That typetool is a nice addition to the toolbox,didn't find it when I searched the net sometime ago.
Only found those bigger sisters of the program :-O
I thought I'd share the freebee way for those wthout a nickel to spare.

Hans

It's certainly a valid method, Hans, didn't mean to get so heavy on the negative side of the technique!

There's also a place online where you can paint on a bitmap grid and the service for free turns what you've drawn into a TTF that you are then allowed to save, but you also have to share it, Fonstruct.

Are you going to be able to sell your font to Adobe afterwards? Unlikely, but I guess it's a gratifying maiden voyage for some who aren't sure they want to go full bore and use Fontographer or something to make the next "classic".

Type Tool is indeed nice, isn't it? I couldn't believe you could actually do something professional with it, until I took it out for a spin.

It's also nice how in 2012, you can buy the standard edition of Xara for under $100, a font editor for under $100, and actually Photoshop Elements is under $100 and I was very impressed with its features.

There's hope for mere mortals with mortal budgets, who need real tools!

:)

My Best,

Gary