Missing letters

[banderson]

Downloaded a script font from the web. when I view the toolpath, some of the letters are missing. My guess is that there are open vectors. Can anybody point me to a good source of script fonts that are tried and true?? Or is this the norm for the future? Thanks.:)

[bruce_taylor]

I've had the same problem, Some work better than others, you can node edit the vectors and clean them up if that is what you need. I have had good luck and bad I just keep looking until I find one that works well.I don't know of a free site that works always. With so many fonts on the net I think you just need to work on it a little to get what you need or look at a different font. Good Luck!

[joe]

Twenty years with www.fornts.com and never had a problem.

[steve_g]

Twenty years with www.fornts.com (http://www.fornts.com/) and never had a problem



HAHAHA your problems start today... they don't exist!

(Misspelled perhaps)

[bruce_taylor]

The www.fonts.com site is a good site and if your selling the work it is a good bet but if your doing it for fun or free you might not want to make that investment in a font the one I looked at was $38. I would expect the ones you pay for to work without any problem. www.free-fonts.com works ok most of the time. Alot of them are not made for machining but for print.

[steve_g]

Joe
As usual, a really good site. I really like the "Learn about type" section. Very informative... a schooling in itself.

Thanks for pointing out the site!

Steve

[adrianm]

With script type fonts there are usually a lot of overlapping vectors that can cause some toolpath calculations to go wrong and cause missing letters.

It's not a fault of the font as the designers probably never thought of the uses we put them to.

A couple of minutes with node editing and/or the scissors tool (if you're using Vectric products) sorts the problem out.

[paul_z]

I'm with Adrian. The problems are usually with itty-bitty loops being formed (vectors overlap) or characters which overlay each other (usually script fonts). They can be corrected very quickly by zooming in and using the node editor.

One note of caution. The loops don't always cause a problem. You may find that everything works OK, you resize the text and a problem suddenly shows up. Once the loops are fixed, they remain fixed even when resized.

Paul Z

[tmerrill]

If using the Vectric products, don't forgot the Weld Selected Vectors tool.

You can combine all the touching text with one command. Just need to select all the text, then deselect any "islands" such as the inside of an 'o' or 'e', then click on the Weld tool.

I would assume other programs have something similar, but I can only speak to what I know.

Tim

[banderson]

Do they make script fonts that don't require so many data points. My machine seems to take forever. The router bit reminds me of a woodpecker. It seems there should be some script fonts that are more simple and flowing. I am new at this so maybe I am dreaming.

[joe]

I'm one of those guys who purchases fonts on a regular basis. That's because I often start designing with a fonts styles..

Some letter styles automatically assist in a panel design. For example Western, Old English, Art Deco, Wedding Script, Sea Faring, Speed, Casual script, etc. Most businesses carry a emotional feeling and you can promote this with the right kind of letter. So please, don't cut yourself short in the font business.

If you make folders like, "Western Fonts or Cowboy Fonts", you speed up the selection process. Sometimes I'll purchase a font package because of one single letter. Many fonts aren't very interesting except for that one little type style. I've even made logo's this way. Here's an example.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e115/jcrumley1/IMG_2330.jpg

I'm going out on a limb with this but here's what I've experienced. Cheap or free fonts have lots of nodes and flaws. Cheap scripts are a good example. A simple circle can have dozens of nodes or only four. I've never made a font but I've seen some very clean letters with a minimum number of nodes. That's one of the reasons I'm fond of Letterheadfonts.com. I can't afford to be dinking around with free fonts. It's expensive and interrupts the design process.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e115/jcrumley1/R-w-lights-Front-copy2-1.jpg

Joe Crumley
www.normasnsignco.com

[sebago_signworks]

Off topic, that is a gorgeous sign...

[adrianm]

Do they make script fonts that don't require so many data points. My machine seems to take forever. The router bit reminds me of a woodpecker. It seems there should be some script fonts that are more simple and flowing. I am new at this so maybe I am dreaming.
If you're using a Vectric product (including Partworks) you can use the "Fit Curves to Selected Vectors" tool to tidy up the amount of nodes (data points).

[chiloquinruss]

"so many data points" that is usually a sign of the vectors being lots of little straight lines and NOT curves. Depending on the software you are using there may be a convert to curves command.

What happens with a lot of the FREE fonts is that the publisher is not the author of the font. They have simply scanned the original and posted it. The scan is a recreation of a bit map and does not use any kind of mathematical means to recreate the font. So what YOU end up with is a scalable font that that gets worse the bigger you make it. Not a problem doing say a header on a letterhead but making a 4 foot by 12 foot sign - Ouch - problem! :eek: Russ

[joe]

Russ,

I know what you're saying is correct about cheepie fonts. However there are times when Corel will also add a bizillion nodes. I'm sure there are firm technical reasons why this happens. But I'm more concerned about newbees not having proper respect for a creative font bank. Without a good font bank of creative fonts it's a struggle to rise above the competition. It's almost impossible to build a creative portfolio without a bunch of good fonts. The real trick is,not to go out a buy a bunch of fonts. I seldom buy font bundles. Save your pennies a get only the excellent ones. Last week I purchased a font for $150 knowing some clients eyes will roll over when I do a presentation. You just gotta have good fonts.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com

[joewino]

Good words, Mr. Crumley.

Letter styles have different personalities, just like people. The mood or image of a design is determined by the mood of the font... and color, shape, and illustration (if any). They all fit together to form the design, which conveys more than just factual information, but also a subliminal message that is the heart of what we do. Every design we make will have an influence on the viewer - some will be positive and some negative.