Several things that you should do to start.

Note that Context Help is available at most points. Either press at any point or and select your target with the mouse.

Using Search for Help on .. under Help and find the topic 'Help in Font Maker'. This will tell you how to use the exclusive 'Copy Topic' feature to compile your own Help hardcopy.

Run through the Tutorial on producing TrueType fonts and take note of TrueType Rules. Also examine the way fonts SCRIPT and CURSIVE in VBF (Vectoe Base Font) and CURSIVE in TBF (TrueType Base Font). Note how the characters start and finish at the same point to enable them to link. In our handwriting we adjust characters to make them link, a font can't do that.

Handwrting fonts can be created by drawing the characters on graph paper using 40x40 squares, and then tranfering by hand to a font. This best route for this is the vectored font because of the simpler drawing method. The vectored font can thn be transfered to the TBF format for final tidying up.

Alternatively the font may be written out and scanned into a PCX picture. The following offers assistance in producing a font this way.

Set up your PCX picture file for reading, no more that 800x800 dots. If necessary chop the picture into managable sizes.

Now for Importing the PCX, go to Import then Read PCX to Font. Pick File and load your chosen PCX file, it will unpack and present on the screen. There is a main menu and a secondary one underneath. Forget LoadDVL select CellSize to create the cell size for the font. will tell you this too.

Click Cursor on the 2nd menu and pick a character, preferable the widest. The Left button will position the Top/Left of the cursor, the Right the Bottom/Right corner. Try to allow for descenders like a g and any other features of the hand writing. Now click Base on the 2nd menu and the Left button will set the baseline for the characters, this ensures that all characters line up. Back to Cursor and move the cursor that you have made to other characters and test the fit. Click between Cursor and Base until you are satisfied, THERE IS NO TURNING BACK!!

When happy click ReadCharacters on the main menu, the empty file will be built, and then Select on the 2nd. With the Left button, position the cursor on your first character close to the left side, use the Right button to set the width of the character, this will be the HMI/escapement for this character. Check that the Code box contains the correct ASCII code number for this character AND when ready click Read. The character will be read and the Code box will increment.

When done Quit, the file is saved as a DVL bitmap font. If you wish to return to this file, then start as before, perhaps with a different PCX file, but click LoadDVL, NOT CellSize. Select the same DVL file and the Cursor will be restored to the same dimensions as before.

Converting to TrueType

The DVL file must be converted to the TBF (internal format). Using the TrueType option on the front menu and then Draw from DVL. Select File and choose New to start a new TBF file, then with a click on Template open the DVL file, you will be asked for a scale, this is for possible adjustment, leave at 100% for the moment. Finally select a character with NewCharacter.

You will now see the Design screen with the bitmap font superimposed, together with blue margins set according to HMI selected on Read. You have two options. You can trace the character using the mouse in exactly the same as the Vector Design in the Tutorial. Or you can use Auto-Trace, position the mouse cursor just above a line, or contour, to be Traced and press 'T'. Make sure that you Trace every contour, an 'O' has two, one inside and one outside. Note the TrueType Rules, the outside MUST go clockwise and the inside MUST go anti-clockwise. The Auto-Trace always starts left to right so placing the cursor just above a line it will be correct.

Correcting a TBF

The trace will have produced a TBF font with two possible problems. It may have too many dots, if it can't identify a straight line it has to do this. Vertical and horizontal lines should be OK as will 45 degree and most 30 and 60. This can be done with the Delete button, or there is a hot key which will delete a position easily.

Next, the positions will set as ON line, making curves fron short straight lines. Making position OFF curve will create curves that will be scalable, similar to Bezier curves. There is a button for this too, but there is another hot key for this . By using these hot keys a character may be transformed fairly quickly to a satisfying state. These curves are necessary to ensure that the curves look good however large.

Last, you must adjust the start and end points and the margins for each character to ensure that they link properly.