Creating fonts

Post questions on how to use or achieve an effect in Inkscape.
inkscape868
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:25 am

Creating fonts

Postby inkscape868 » Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:45 am

Dear all,
I am not professional designer, but I like design.
I am musician and I would like to create musiacl fonts.

I need very simply step-by-step procedure how to make my own fonts (TTF for example).

First I worked in FontForge - i used to import some pictures and make glyphs from them.
But, since I discovered Inkscape I tried to make also glyphs there and I see the result is nicer. I feel a pleasure to work in the program.

I scan some musc and I get TIFF, import to Inkscape and make the shape using :tool_pen: and than I correct it by :tool_node:
When I remove the TIFF picture I get just lines. For instance:
Picture 2.png
Picture 2.png (71.13 KiB) Viewed 10966 times


Since I don't know how to go more with Inkscape I export it as eps file and than import in FontForge (i make there a table of glyphs).
But unfortunately I don't get right result, since every line from Inkscape is transformed to double lines, not just nodes, that makes the font "wrong".

Picture 1.png
Picture 1.png (17.94 KiB) Viewed 10966 times



Any idea how to make font shapes for export to FF or another idea is welcome! Thank you

ivan louette
Posts: 215
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:08 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Creating fonts

Postby ivan louette » Sun Apr 03, 2011 4:41 am

Why do you use eps ? Fonforge does import svg.

ivan

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flamingolady
Posts: 687
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:40 pm

Re: Creating fonts

Postby flamingolady » Sun Apr 03, 2011 6:05 am

Are you using the SVG Font Editor (it's under the text tab) in Inkscape? I've only played with it a little, so not skilled enough to assist you, but it does seem to work.
Here's a tutorial I found on making dingbats in Inkscape, though parts of it were hard for me to follow, it's a good start thoughL
http://cleversomeday.wordpress.com/2010 ... ape-dings/
If anyone knows of a more detailed tut, please post it.
dee

ivan louette
Posts: 215
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:08 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Creating fonts

Postby ivan louette » Sun Apr 03, 2011 6:55 am

You can use Inkscape font editor to create a whole font but you can also export each glyph separately in svg and import it inside Fontforge. If I remember there is a Fontforge glyph template in Inkscape svg examples folder.

I didn't play a lot with Inkscape Font Editor and that was a long time ago. I found it a very interesting idea however. Thanks for the link !

ivan

inkscape868
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:25 am

Can't find .svg import.

Postby inkscape868 » Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:09 pm

Thank you very much for a such fast response.
I have tried to import .svg but I can't find the svg options:
Picture 1.png
Picture 1.png (26.84 KiB) Viewed 10920 times

inkscape868
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:25 am

Re: Creating fonts

Postby inkscape868 » Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:14 pm

I can't even find in the "open" menu the .svg file.
FF can't simply see my svg file on the desktop.
Picture 2.png
Picture 2.png (43.27 KiB) Viewed 10920 times

ivan louette
Posts: 215
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:08 am
Location: Belgium

Re: Creating fonts

Postby ivan louette » Sun Apr 03, 2011 9:35 pm

I don't know why it's lacking. In my Font forge it's just after Type3.

~suv
Posts: 2272
Joined: Sun May 10, 2009 2:07 am

Re: Can't find .svg import.

Postby ~suv » Sun Apr 03, 2011 10:27 pm

inkscape868 wrote:I have tried to import .svg but I can't find the svg options

I don't know where you got your installed version of fontforge from, but the current version installed via MacPorts on Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8 (i386) does have SVG listed, both in the 'Open…' and 'Import…' dialog:
Attachments
MacPorts-leopard-i386-fontforge-1.png
MacPorts-leopard-i386-fontforge-1.png (95.04 KiB) Viewed 10909 times

~suv
Posts: 2272
Joined: Sun May 10, 2009 2:07 am

Re: Creating fonts

Postby ~suv » Sun Apr 03, 2011 10:51 pm

inkscape868 wrote:Since I don't know how to go more with Inkscape I export it as eps file and than import in FontForge (i make there a table of glyphs).
But unfortunately I don't get right result, since every line from Inkscape is transformed to double lines, not just nodes, that makes the font "wrong".

AFAICT it does not depend on the file format used to exchange data between Inkscape and Fontforge: it happens when the path in Inkscape is stroked (with EPS as well as SVG). To get single outlines in fontforge, used filled paths in Inkscape without any stroke set (stroke is 'None'), as seen in this screenshot:
Attachments
inkscape-2-fontforge-EPS_or_SVG-1.png
inkscape-2-fontforge-EPS_or_SVG-1.png (91.74 KiB) Viewed 10908 times

inkscape868
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:25 am

Re: Creating fonts

Postby inkscape868 » Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:56 am

Amazing! That was the right thing. Very very helpful.
I was planing to reinstall FF, but this makes much easier.
SVG would be also good to have.
Thank you very much good people for all your help!


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