Welcome to Gaia! ::

Random advice, warnings, limits, and other info I've passed around about fonts... Specifically the ones I make (based on how I make them). More copy-pasting:

~ ~ ~ What Will This Font Cost Me?
If you just want a basic working font, no frills or serifs or anything fancy, I can probably get one done in a matter of hours with no need for reimbursement/payment. However, if you want something fancier, such as a Hindi or Arabic looking calligraphic-style font (which seems likely)... Well, that may be beyond my current abilities, but I'd love to try. xd If you liked the font and wanted to "donate" some Gaia gold for my quest in return, that'd be acceptable, hehehe~

If your script is freaking insane and is damn near impossible to turn into a font... BUT I still manage to get you a working font with decent results, then yes, I will aggressively politely request some type of compensation.

~ ~ ~ How Many Symbols Can A Font Have?
Before anything is decided for sure, I need to point out the following limitations to the way I make fonts...

I can only map the conscript glyphs to the following keys (see below), assuming you're using an English operating system with a working Shift key. This allows use of 46 * 2 = 92 individual symbols. If you want the digits 1 through 0 included in the font, that leaves 82 slots free. If you need punctuation or accent marks, that also takes away from the total possible count. If you have uppercase and lowercase, this also cuts the number of slots in half (for actual letter symbols).

Of course, I can make a font with hundreds of individual glyphs, but there will only be 92 symbols available straight from the keyboard. To access any extra symbols, you will have to use "insert symbol" options in a word processor or some other text editor. The only other possible problem is something that is inevitable any time you use a foreign font or script from an English (or whatever) keyboard: the keys won't always match up. I always choose a layout that is the most logical or obvious. I either choose the key that is most closely related to the actual glyph (by phoneme, not shape), or I just have them go in order (as I would do for a syllabary font or such).

The keyboard direct keys:



This is usually plenty of space, since a lot of conscripts don't have a lot of punctuation needs like brackets, bars, ampersands, etc.

~ ~ ~ What Is Needed For You To Make A Font?
As for source materials, I'd prefer if it came in some kind of chart form, big and clear so I know whats what, but I can work with just about any stuff. I don't have Photoshop myself (I use a free alternative), so unless I can open photoshop templates in IrfanView or PaintDotNet, they might not be of much use to me.

~ ~ ~ From What (Language) Can You Make A Font?
Well, I can make a font for any language or conlang as long as you submit proper samples for me to work with. Mostly I do "conscripts" for conlangs, but I will gladly do foreign (natlang) writing systems, cipher alphabets and regular English fonts.

All fonts will be mapped as a regular English font, regardless of what language the symbols are in. I currently don't know how to create "foreign" fonts that a computer will actually interpret as being a font for a foreign language, but once I do figure that out (well, IF I do), I'll gladly offer that service as well. If anyone is interested, that is.

If you want, and can get me decent samples, I can even try to make a font based on your own handwriting. It's best if you print naturally but clearly. Just keep in mind that cursive is extremely difficult to make into a font since the letters often change shape when connected to different letters. If you want a cursive handwriting font, I'll need to tweak your letters so that they all line up. Don't expect a font to look EXACTLY like your handwriting, but it will indeed have your personal touch.

~ ~ ~ How Do You Make The Fonts?
As for the actual font-making process, I usually do it by hand with my mouse (or my girlfriend's tablet, but I don't really like it), then I tweak each individual glyph until it looks right at about 14pt size in samples. It takes a LOT of work to get a decent looking font at sizes smaller than 14 as you start having lines only a pixel or so thick... And I currently can't figure out how to do that.

If you submit clean enough samples, I can use Adobe Illustrator to actually copy-paste them, but this distorts the shape of the lines a bit. I can't currently figure out how to get Illustrator to NOT distort the line shapes, but the convenience of copy-pasting rather than redrawing it all by hand not only improves the quality of the font in the end, but also speeds up the process so that all I really have to do is tweak and adjust so that the font looks nice and even (among a few other minor things).

Oh, and I only make TTF fonts, but I think I could make an OTF or whatever else there is with the font program I use.

~ ~ ~ What Symbols Should Be Included?
I just need to know which of the following you want in the font, and their closest English representation so that I know which symbols to map to which keys...

1. Lowercase Letters
2. Uppercase Letters (If Any)
3. Punctuation Marks (Only Those Desired)
4. Numbers (1234567890)
5. Non-Punctuation Symbols (@, #, %, custom symbols, etc.)

If you don't have uppercase/lowercase, then uppercase keys (shift) will be used only if the letters won't fit in the lowercase set and the unused non-shift punctuation mark keys. Like I said, a simple chart or something would be most helpful.

Having no uppercase letters in your script makes everything easier. 3nodding

~ ~ ~ The Number Pad And The Row Of Digits
Number pad typing different numbers from the row at the top? I don't think I can do that. I'm pretty sure the number pad keys share key assignments with the top row... The only reason they're both there is because the top row is easier to hit while typing normally, but the pad is easier to use when doing calculations. I can look around and see if that can be achieved, but I'm pretty sure that won't work (at least, not with TrueType (TTF) fonts).

~ ~ ~ What About The Size Of The Font?
As for smaller letters, I'd like to find that out for myself at least. I know that drawing the glyphs with thicker lines and fewer curves helps a lot, but I'm pretty sure there's a way to make pre-set versions of smaller sizes so that they look correct (and do not have to be scaled down from the normal version since they have their own set). I'm definitely looking into this, but I can't guarantee the font looking good at smaller than 14pt this first time around. Just for reference, the default Gaia post font is 9pt I think. Oh, and one more thing, even though the font might not look good at 14pt or below, it can still go all the way down... It will just look blurry or will look as if some pieces have vanished.

Oh, and one last thing: Since these fonts have to be mapped to a set of English keys, when you change the font to a regular English one, it WILL look like gibberish. Only when the font is set to your conscript's will it look like it's supposed to (this is common sense really, but some people just don't get it). If you plan to use a font on the web, I suggest using screenshots of the sample writing so that you don't need everyone to download and install the font just to see it.

~ ~ ~ Font Installation Procedures
I'm only familiar with Windows computers, so I have no idea how the process works on a Mac or Linux/Unix system. In Windows, you just find where you saved the .TTF file (the font itself) and drag and drop that into the "Fonts" folder inside the "WINDOWS" folder. Should be C:WINDOWSFonts.

~ ~ ~ Complete Fonts!!
Here are all the fonts which have been completed so far, either by me (Xeigrich) or anyone else (if anyone else gets into the fonty stuff). I'll also list whichever font(s) I'm currently working on or just getting to.

arrow Anzer Pex Conscript
For: Xeigrich
Script By: Xeigrich
Font By: Xeigrich
Payment: N/A
Sample Image Link!
Download Link!
Status: Complete, Alpha, Needs Work

arrow Niora Conscript
For: Homurakitsune
Script By: Serali88
Font By: Xeigrich
Payment: 1k Gold, Donated
Sample Image Link!
Download Link!
Status: Complete, Beta

arrow Vajra's Custom Script (For English)
For: Vajra B. Hairava
Script By: Vajra B. Hairava
Font By: Xeigrich
Payment: 5k Gold, Donated
Sample Image Link!
Download Link!
Status: Complete, Beta

arrow Askripandi Conscript (For Aquénandi)
For: Eccentric Iconoclast
Script By: Eccentric Iconoclast
Font By: Xeigrich
Payment: "Spirit Falcon", Est. Value ~8k Gold, Received
Sample Image Link!
Download Link!
Status: Complete, Beta

arrow Kintarasesa Conscript
For: Forgedawn
Script By: Forgedawn
Font By: Xeigrich
Payment: 1.5k & random items, Donated
Sample Image Link! (Top)
Download Link!
Status: Complete, Beta

arrow Kintaran Modern Bonus Font
For: Forgedawn
Script By: Forgedawn, Xeigrich
Font By: Xeigrich
Payment: N/A
Sample Image Link! (Bottom)
Download Link!
Status: Complete, Beta

arrow Kalali Conscript
For: Serali88
Script By: Serali88
Font By: Xeigrich
Payment: Situation Unknown
Status: In Progress

Nice to see you're in business Xeigrich. Hopefully after all the practice you should be getting, you'll get better and be able to make us some of those "freaking insane" fonts you mentioned. I'll have my request in soon. I keep redoing it, since I have such crappy handwriting.

Oh, this is a bit off topic, but does any of you have a Mac? Because if so you can use Mac Conscript to make your glyphs to submit. sweatdrop

I've been doing so and it's working very nicely.

I not use Mac mouse.
I just use Mac computer. It handle three mouse-button fine.

mrgreen

verily it be so.

How much gold would you like? I realize stuff like this must be... well... annoying in Niora's case. xD

M'kay, I've sent it to you. Hope it goes...