Though there are thousands of free fonts available for designers, and even more fonts available for purchase, it is still sometimes hard to find the perfect font for the kind of project that you are creating. For this reason, knowing create and install your own fonts or typography is a great skill to have.
Instructions
1. Download and print a font template with a grid.
2. Draw the characters the way you normally write onto the grid. Do not draw outside the cells, as this will cut off the lettering once you put it onto the computer. Add additional characters and symbols into the cells on the last row.
3. Scan your drawings. Put the drawing as straight as you can on the scanner. Scan at a high resolution, such as 300 or 600 dpi. Use the grayscale settings to scan and save the image as a BMP or a GIF. This will save the edges of your letters, but still keep the file size relatively low.
4. Open your font-creating program (if you do not have one, you will need to download a free one or purchase one). This will be used to digitize your font. Start a new font on the program and name your font. Keep all settings to default and click "OK." You should now see a list of sample characters. Double-click on the capital A.
5. Import your image from the Tools menu. Keep the filter set to smooth or super. Change the font positioning to 500 for the x position and -750 for the y position. If you scanned in 600 dpi, set your size multiplier to 6. If you scanned at 300 dpi, set it for 12. Make sure everything is set to default.
6. Open your image-processing software and load your scanned font. Select your capital A, making it as large as possible without adding the cell's borders into the selection. Hit "Ctrl" and "C" to copy the image. Return to your font-creating program and paste your image by hitting "Ctrl" and "V." Adjust the size and placement of the contours if necessary. Do this by selecting all, hitting "Ctrl" and "A" and moving with your mouse or arrow keys.
7. Close the editing window and save the file. Choose "Save As" in the menu to do this. Repeat this procedure for every character in your font set.
8. Install your new font. To do so, open your computer's control panel and click on "Fonts." Click "Install a New Font." Choose your font. The font wizard will then install your font.
