Changing outline ttf. font to single stroke (engraving) font.

Viesturs Kapce

Hi, I am looking for ways to convert ttf. standard fonts to single stroke fonts for my pen plotter. If I use standard fonts then text is with empty side and doesn't resembles handwriting (my purpose is to use my plotter to get as close result to handwriting as possible) Maybe someone can point me in right direction. Thank you! 

Regards
Viesturs

Georg Seifert

What software do you use to control the plotter?

Viesturs Kapce

Plotter name is Axidraw and it operates with Inkscape extension.  

Dave Crossland

Sounds to me like you would be best off contacting the owners of the fonts you are interested in, and commissioning them draw an original single stroke font that is similar (but not derivative from) the typefaces you are interested in.

James Puckett

Contact the company that makes the plotter. Plotters and engraving machines often require proprietary stroke fonts only supplied by the makers.

Allan Murray

You cannot make a true single line ttf font because the paths have to be a closed loop. You can 'fudge it' but the plotter will draw over each path twice.

http://forum.cr8software.net/thread/76/single-line-font-conversion-question

Ray Larabie

@Allan Murray
That's exactly how it's done. In FontLab, design the font as single lines. Before you export, clear the mask layer, copy all outlines to mask layer, paste mask to outline. Drag each end point and drop it. I did one project where I tried to keep the closed shapes as single stroke but when the a laser plotter drew it, the lines didn't match. Double up everything.

Thomas Phinney

What Ray said, I think.

It's weird, I could have sworn I researched and wrote more about this very topic, either on my blog, the FontLab blog, or the FontLab web site (as a FAQ or something). But darned if I can find it right now.

Viesturs Kapce

Thank you for your input. Appreciate it.

Tobias Reinhardt

@Thomas Phinney I just sumbled over your blog entry here:
https://blog.fontlab.com/type-design/how-to-make-stroke-only-fonts-in-fontlab-studio-5/

Paul Miller

Font Creator now supports single stroke fonts for engraving.