Create a Single Line Font in Silhouette Studio (Free Download)
28 May 26 (1mo ago)
create-a-single-line-font-silhouette-studio-cameo.jpg
Just learned that you can actually create fonts inside Silhouette Studio.
Normally, I wouldn't bother making my own fonts—there are already a ton out there—but I wanted a single-line font to use for writing with the Cameo 5.
If you just want to test it out, you can check it here:
Now, onto the creation. There are several ways to make a font, but it basically comes down to two steps: 1) creating the font's line paths, and 2) building the actual font file.
Silhouette Studio already handles step #2. For step #1, you can draw the lines either directly inside Silhouette Studio or use any 2D vector app.
The most straightforward way is to just use a pen tablet and draw each letter of the alphabet on your computer. Each stroke you draw is already a path.
A quick tip: aim for the fewest number of strokes possible. For example, with the letter "E," you could use as many as 4 strokes (3 horizontal dashes and 1 vertical line). But you can also just do it in 2 strokes: one for the "L" shape and another for the top two horizontal lines.
The main reason for this is mechanical: for every single stroke, the tool holder has to lift itself up before writing the next one. Too many strokes will take forever. Plus, the machine slightly pauses at the end of every stroke, creating a tiny ink blot—much like what happens when you hold a physical marker down in one spot for too long. Fewer strokes mean fewer of these mechanical marks on your project.
After drawing, even if you used a digital pen, you might still need to clean up and smooth out the paths. It is always better to represent a curve with a smooth Bezier line rather than a bunch of segmented straight lines.
For instance, a letter "C" only needs about 2 to 3 Bezier points to look perfectly smooth. If you try to create that same curve using short, straight lines, you might need 12 to 20 points to make it look decent. At small sizes, you might not notice, but if you sketch the font at a larger scale, those jagged, segmented edges will definitely show up.
Also, it goes without saying that the font paths don't need a fill, closed boundaries, or any stroke weight. When you are sketching with a cutting machine, the actual thickness of the line is entirely determined by the physical pen you put in the tool holder—whether that's a thick marker or a fine ballpoint pen.
Have fun creating!
