Hey guys, I have found a source of single line engraving fonts on the net. They are not free, but if someone is looking, perhaps it might be worth the investment.
http://www.mr-clipart.com/int/anzeigen_ ... &Anzahl=16
This site offers a total of 17 single line engraving fonts, plus a pile of other stuff, I think mostly available in vector format.
You are required to register for a fee of $149 US per year, and once done, you are able to download stuff as you need it. All the fonts could be downloaded in a few minutes, making them likely worth the price of $149 alone.
The only other site that I have ever found was http://www.2linc.com/engraving_software ... _fonts.htm
On this site, they have single line engraving fonts for $50 US each (they only have 6) but the kicker is that you need to also purchase their software to use them, which costs another $299 US.
So perhaps the ones from mr-clipart are worth the price if you need something like this.
There are some free demo files available, but unfortunately no single line fonts for free.....
Pete
Single Line Fonts
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Peter Stenabaugh
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dighsx
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Thanks for the sites Pete. Here's a site I've gone to for a while but held off sharing cuz it seems too good to be true: (EDIT: I removed the link, don't bother going) they've got something like 19000 fonts for free. I've always wonder if it's on the up and up so when the police knock down your door for going here don't say I didn't warn you.
You have to create an account to download stuff. I've had an account for years with them and have never gotten any spam. Granted I used my junk yahoo email account so again use your head.
You have to create an account to download stuff. I've had an account for years with them and have never gotten any spam. Granted I used my junk yahoo email account so again use your head.
Last edited by dighsx on Fri Jan 05, 2007 3:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Take it easy.
Jay (www.cncjay.com)
Jay (www.cncjay.com)
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Peter Stenabaugh
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Jay, I went in and registered and it seems there is nothing there for free. As soon as you try to download something it tells you that you havent paid - so screw them I am not going to bother with that stuff. Thanks for the try anyway. Besides, I dont think they have any single line fonts...... 
Wemme, I downloaded and installed those fonts, but only one really works. The rest of them are missing parts or all of the lines in various letters. So thanks anyway, but they are pretty much useless.
I guess it is true, that some things are worth exactly what you pay for them...........
I think that so far the best avenue is to pay the fee for the mr-clipart and download the fonts and what ever else you need, except I would really like to see a sample of the fonts first to make sure they are truly single lines that we could use for engraving. If they are, then it would be worth the price, once you had a use for it to justify the expenditure.
Pete
Wemme, I downloaded and installed those fonts, but only one really works. The rest of them are missing parts or all of the lines in various letters. So thanks anyway, but they are pretty much useless.
I guess it is true, that some things are worth exactly what you pay for them...........
I think that so far the best avenue is to pay the fee for the mr-clipart and download the fonts and what ever else you need, except I would really like to see a sample of the fonts first to make sure they are truly single lines that we could use for engraving. If they are, then it would be worth the price, once you had a use for it to justify the expenditure.
Pete
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dighsx
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Sorry about that Pete. Like I said the site always seemed a bit fishy to me.
Take it easy.
Jay (www.cncjay.com)
Jay (www.cncjay.com)
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Peter Stenabaugh
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Ya, no prob, at least we know now for future reference. I sent off an email to the mr-clipart guys to see if they would entertain the idea of selling just the single line fonts without the full services, so once I hear back I will post the results. It would be nice if one could purchase the fonts only, although there is a lot of other stuff that others may want to take advantage of. If they dont want to sell, then perhaps later on in a couple of months I may look into paying their yearly fee, then download everything I can within the first year, that would make it worthwhile.
Pete
Pete
Paying for Fonts? I'll have to look again but I could swear there are a few million on line that are free....there must be some one liners mixed in there some where...
can you use the stickman font in DeskEngrave...it's a almost single line
edit:
i see what you mean now....millions of fonts but no freebe one liners....
can you use the stickman font in DeskEngrave...it's a almost single line
edit:
i see what you mean now....millions of fonts but no freebe one liners....
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Peter Stenabaugh
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The problem that we (I) have been having was that I wanted a single line font for engraving, whereby you could use any cutter, Vbit, ball nose or whatever and it would trace only the single line of each letter, the same way you would write with a pen.
Most fonts are all designed with a width to the font, straight curvy, varying width etc. These fonts are fine for Vcarving but when you merely want to engrave a single letter, one pass they dont work.
The closest that I have found so far are the single line fonts used in Autocad such as the Romans font. this font works fine, except the rounded portions of the letters are still defined by very short straight line segments - but as I am finding now - ALL fonts seem to be designed the same way, none of them have arcs that define the curves, at the best the curves are defined by splines, which as you guessed it, are defined by many short straight line segments.
I have spent several hours looking at one time or the other. The closest that I can find are some really narrow fonts, but they are still not defined by a single line, they are still a double line with a very narrow width, and this doesnt work, your cutter will still follow both lines. Even if there was a way to have the cutter follow the centreline of the font, that would work also, but so far there is no such routine to do that. That would even be better actually, then you could use most any font out there.
Maybe it is impossible to define fonts any other way, I dont know I havent tried and I dont have the time for it, but I would like to have some other options for single line fonts, apart from the few in Autocad.
It is true that there are thousands of free ones on the net, but NO free single line 'stroke fonts' that are FREE. I wouldnt mind paying a reasonable fee for some fonts but I dont like the idea of getting butt raped at the same time.
It certainly would be great if the gurus at Vectric could find the time to make us up a few single line stroke fonts - even if they have to have straight line segments - hint - hint!
I have been able to create a single line font, designed around a line of text that I have written in Autocad, but it is a lot of work. What you have to do is to write the line of text with your chosen font, preferably something simple like Arial. Now you use the Express tools to explode the font - dont use the Autocad explode. This turns the font into a whole bunch of polylines where the curves are defined by splines, but they are very short segements, but the letters are not all one complete polyline, they are comprised of 2 to 4 segments, depending upon the letter. You now have to take and 'Trim' away portions of the letters to eliminate the crossover lines (that close off the ends of the various segments) and there are two lines at every location, one for the end of each matching segment. With this all done, you can now use the pedit command to join the letters segments into a continuous polyline. At this point, you can dxf the file into Vcarve and cut out the letters with the pocket function, using your choice of cutter, and that works pretty good, depending upon the size of the font etc. but make sure the letters are all joined up into a single polyline for each one before you bring them into vcarve, or they wont work.
What I do now is to cut the polyline apart so that I only have one side of the letter as a single polyline. You can now offset this polyline, 1/2 the width of the original letter, and you will have a single line font - for that letter only. Now you have to do the rest of the line of text. It works but there is a lot of work to it, and there is a fair amount of cleanup required. But if you need it for a special job, then so be it. You could continue and do the entire alphabet, then you could cut and paste each letter and scale them for future work, but that is too much work and takes too much time. It is just cheaper, faster and easier to buy the fonts..............
This process can also be used where you need to make large fonts and you want to be able to pocket them out for a big sign. What you end up with is just a closed area which happens to be a letter. This area can now be pocketed out, and if it was big, you can also use a random pattern for the bottom of the pocket for special effects, the final product would look pretty good actually.
Pete
Most fonts are all designed with a width to the font, straight curvy, varying width etc. These fonts are fine for Vcarving but when you merely want to engrave a single letter, one pass they dont work.
The closest that I have found so far are the single line fonts used in Autocad such as the Romans font. this font works fine, except the rounded portions of the letters are still defined by very short straight line segments - but as I am finding now - ALL fonts seem to be designed the same way, none of them have arcs that define the curves, at the best the curves are defined by splines, which as you guessed it, are defined by many short straight line segments.
I have spent several hours looking at one time or the other. The closest that I can find are some really narrow fonts, but they are still not defined by a single line, they are still a double line with a very narrow width, and this doesnt work, your cutter will still follow both lines. Even if there was a way to have the cutter follow the centreline of the font, that would work also, but so far there is no such routine to do that. That would even be better actually, then you could use most any font out there.
Maybe it is impossible to define fonts any other way, I dont know I havent tried and I dont have the time for it, but I would like to have some other options for single line fonts, apart from the few in Autocad.
It is true that there are thousands of free ones on the net, but NO free single line 'stroke fonts' that are FREE. I wouldnt mind paying a reasonable fee for some fonts but I dont like the idea of getting butt raped at the same time.
It certainly would be great if the gurus at Vectric could find the time to make us up a few single line stroke fonts - even if they have to have straight line segments - hint - hint!
I have been able to create a single line font, designed around a line of text that I have written in Autocad, but it is a lot of work. What you have to do is to write the line of text with your chosen font, preferably something simple like Arial. Now you use the Express tools to explode the font - dont use the Autocad explode. This turns the font into a whole bunch of polylines where the curves are defined by splines, but they are very short segements, but the letters are not all one complete polyline, they are comprised of 2 to 4 segments, depending upon the letter. You now have to take and 'Trim' away portions of the letters to eliminate the crossover lines (that close off the ends of the various segments) and there are two lines at every location, one for the end of each matching segment. With this all done, you can now use the pedit command to join the letters segments into a continuous polyline. At this point, you can dxf the file into Vcarve and cut out the letters with the pocket function, using your choice of cutter, and that works pretty good, depending upon the size of the font etc. but make sure the letters are all joined up into a single polyline for each one before you bring them into vcarve, or they wont work.
What I do now is to cut the polyline apart so that I only have one side of the letter as a single polyline. You can now offset this polyline, 1/2 the width of the original letter, and you will have a single line font - for that letter only. Now you have to do the rest of the line of text. It works but there is a lot of work to it, and there is a fair amount of cleanup required. But if you need it for a special job, then so be it. You could continue and do the entire alphabet, then you could cut and paste each letter and scale them for future work, but that is too much work and takes too much time. It is just cheaper, faster and easier to buy the fonts..............
This process can also be used where you need to make large fonts and you want to be able to pocket them out for a big sign. What you end up with is just a closed area which happens to be a letter. This area can now be pocketed out, and if it was big, you can also use a random pattern for the bottom of the pocket for special effects, the final product would look pretty good actually.
Pete
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Peter Stenabaugh
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Dan, the fonts that your are talking about are part of the Autocad program, and can only be used by Autocad. You cannot install them as regular Windows fonts....unfortunately. I doubt that there is anyway to convert them to regular windows format.
If you use Autocad fonts in a file, then export the file to dxf in order to bring it into Vcarve, the fonts will be exploded by the dxf process, and they will not appear the same as they originally did in the Autocad file. To see what happens just use the Autocad explode command, and explode the text - it reverts back to the old stick type font which is really ugly.
I think the fonts will be a never ending issue with us engravers, until we spend the money to get some ready made ones..........
Pete
If you use Autocad fonts in a file, then export the file to dxf in order to bring it into Vcarve, the fonts will be exploded by the dxf process, and they will not appear the same as they originally did in the Autocad file. To see what happens just use the Autocad explode command, and explode the text - it reverts back to the old stick type font which is really ugly.
I think the fonts will be a never ending issue with us engravers, until we spend the money to get some ready made ones..........
Pete
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BrianM
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The main problem with single line fonts and windows is that the TrueType font specification does not properley support them. TrueType was designed for printing and it assumes all character must be capable of being 'filled'. We have looked at a lot of 'single line' TTF fonts over the years and almost all actualy consist of two lines laid either exactly over each other or very close indeed. A good test of a 'real' single line TTF font is to look at the letter 'O' in a normal package such as Word or Corel Draw. If it displays as a 'normal' O it is not a real single line font ,as a true single line letter O will render as a filled circle on a normal graphics package as there would only be a single outer boundary. Also curves in TrueType fonts are always described using spline curves rather than arcs which most engravers would like.
We have done some work on single line fonts, and do hope to be offering a selection in the next major release of VCarve Pro. However these have had to be implemented as proprietry fonts for the reason mentioned above and we are still looking at the licencing issues which will govern how many fonts will be offered.
Brian
We have done some work on single line fonts, and do hope to be offering a selection in the next major release of VCarve Pro. However these have had to be implemented as proprietry fonts for the reason mentioned above and we are still looking at the licencing issues which will govern how many fonts will be offered.
Brian
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Dan.H.
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Brian is correct, they are double line fonts...and are TT Fonts..I used to use them on my Xenetech engraver, the lines are so close together as to look like one line, it just looks a little wider..they are ISOCP...macromedia phontogragher.
Also they can be hatch filled when taken up in size...cheers...Dan.H
Also they can be hatch filled when taken up in size...cheers...Dan.H
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Peter Stenabaugh
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Hey guys, I just got an email back from Mr. Clipart. They do sell their 'single line fonts' as a separate package for the price of $79 US.
Here is the link to their web page: http://www.mr-clipart.com/int/produkt-d ... i=31030000
As Brian has already mentioned, these fonts are also not a true single line stroke font, which apparently is partly a windows issue, but
I think they are as close as we can get. The price is not too bad for a selection of 17 fonts.
The only other option would be to go to the 2L people and purchase their fonts, although you also have to purchase their software
to run the fonts. The total cost in doing that is goine to run you aroudn $400 Us or so. The software alone, with one font included I
think is $299 US.
The link for 2L can be found in a previous post of mine in this section I believe.
Pete
Here is the link to their web page: http://www.mr-clipart.com/int/produkt-d ... i=31030000
As Brian has already mentioned, these fonts are also not a true single line stroke font, which apparently is partly a windows issue, but
I think they are as close as we can get. The price is not too bad for a selection of 17 fonts.
The only other option would be to go to the 2L people and purchase their fonts, although you also have to purchase their software
to run the fonts. The total cost in doing that is goine to run you aroudn $400 Us or so. The software alone, with one font included I
think is $299 US.
The link for 2L can be found in a previous post of mine in this section I believe.
Pete
Just noticed that Mr-Clipart has a Free True Type Engraving Font available to download from the web site that might be useful
See > http://www.mr-clipart.com/eu/freestuff.php
The font is at the bottom of the page.
It's not a true Single Stroke / Stick font - the lines are closed so the cutter will run over each line twice - but looks good.
Tony
See > http://www.mr-clipart.com/eu/freestuff.php
The font is at the bottom of the page.
It's not a true Single Stroke / Stick font - the lines are closed so the cutter will run over each line twice - but looks good.
Tony
Last edited by Tony Mac on Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Peter Stenabaugh
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Thanks for that info Tony.
I have a request for a really useful addtion to your software. Would it be possible to create a routine for us that would look at most any TT font and create a centreline for each letter, and therefore create an 'engravable single line font'. Then allow the cutter to follow only that centreline?
I realize that this may not work for all fonts, depending upon their design, but even if we had the ability to create this centreline on some of the more simple type of san serif fonts such as Arial and so on, this would be a great addition to Vcarve.
This centreline would not need to be able to saved off as a separate entity, although that would be nice as well, but what would be sweet is to automatically create the centreline on its own layer, then have the original ttfont placed on its own layer and this layer automatically turned off so it doesnt get engraved.
A function like this would really solve all this issue with 'single line fonts' hopefully forever......
It wouldn't bother me at all to have to pay a reasonable fee to have this feature enabled on my system.
While I am on the podium, another request for Vcarve. For your peck drilling cycle, could you add on an option to have the drill bit withdrawn completely from the material? This is required for most deeply drilled holes, in addition to the peck drilling. Perhaps have the option of withdrawing the tool every second or third peck or something like that....
Thanks,
Pete
I have a request for a really useful addtion to your software. Would it be possible to create a routine for us that would look at most any TT font and create a centreline for each letter, and therefore create an 'engravable single line font'. Then allow the cutter to follow only that centreline?
I realize that this may not work for all fonts, depending upon their design, but even if we had the ability to create this centreline on some of the more simple type of san serif fonts such as Arial and so on, this would be a great addition to Vcarve.
This centreline would not need to be able to saved off as a separate entity, although that would be nice as well, but what would be sweet is to automatically create the centreline on its own layer, then have the original ttfont placed on its own layer and this layer automatically turned off so it doesnt get engraved.
A function like this would really solve all this issue with 'single line fonts' hopefully forever......
It wouldn't bother me at all to have to pay a reasonable fee to have this feature enabled on my system.
While I am on the podium, another request for Vcarve. For your peck drilling cycle, could you add on an option to have the drill bit withdrawn completely from the material? This is required for most deeply drilled holes, in addition to the peck drilling. Perhaps have the option of withdrawing the tool every second or third peck or something like that....
Thanks,
Pete