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How many fonts reside on your system? It is probable a number larger that you actually realise. I have a rather fanciful theory that fonts tend to breed if left to their own devices. After all how else could their number grow when you have not installed or authorised the addition of more fonts. It might well be considered a mystery if it were not the fact that some companies insists of populating your hard disk with fonts even when you have indicated you do not want them.

Even on a recently installed operating system, the number of fonts could be approaching one hundred and this can easily escalate over time to many hundreds. To check the number of fonts you have involves selecting the Font icon found in Control Panel. The actual number of fonts will be displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the window while icons will represent the fonts on your system. A double-click on an icon will bring up a window displaying the font’s character set and an example of what the font looks like in various point sizes.

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Having looked at the many fonts, some hardly distinguishable from others, you may wonder why anybody would want to create their own fonts. In particular why would you want to create a font based on their handwriting? I know that, in my case, if this review was set out using a font of my handwriting, then you would have ceased trying to decipher the scrawl within a couple of sentences and I would be wasting my time.

But maybe your handwriting is more stylish and aesthetic – lucky you. If that is the case then perhaps the Data Becker product “Your Handwriting” would be of interest. This piece of software comes with the promise of allowing the user to “create and install True Type fonts of your own handwriting and edit them with ease”.

When you first use the program, you are given the choice of opting for a default set of options or taking a more customisable route to carry out the Intelligent Font Analyser (IFA) process. Basically this involves printing out some forms for entering your data. The data consists of writing individual letters, using guide marks, into a number of boxes. Advice is given regarding which letters should produce the best results. There is even an option to include your signature.

The completed form then needs to be scanned so that the software can capture the various characters. Your scanner will need to be set to Black & White mode with a resolution of 300dpi. The program does mention that the resolution should be between 300 – 600dpi but then almost contradicts itself by stating that having a resolution over 300dpi will increase processing time without having an effect on quality.

My first attempt at scanning the data failed dismally. I had to rewrite the chosen characters with a marker rather than a pen to get usable characters. The next step involves pairing up the scanned characters with their equivalent in the font’s character set. At this point you can designate one of a character from the set that you would never use to act as your signature.

Once the data has been analysed, a new font will be created with a user-defined name. The new font will then be taken into the Font Editor module. Each character will be shown in outline mode with nodes positioned at relevant points. You can drag, add and delete nodes plus move sections of the outline to tidy up each character. Surprisingly I found that this process was rather relaxing as I tried to make recognisable characters from those created from my handwriting. Once completed and saved, the program will install the new font on your system so that it can be used by other applications.

While I do not see myself using the font, apart from demonstrating my creation to friends and family, I was pleased with the results achieved. The program can be used to create any number of fonts with an appropriate copyright notice. However you should be aware that the characters created are individual letters which are not joined up in any way.

The program needs Windows 95c or later and a Pentium 233 with 64MB of RAM. The price is £19.99.

http://www.phoenixsoftwareuk.co.uk/data_becker/your_handwriting/index.asp