Always wanted to make a font based on your own handwriting, but didn't know how? Well, here is a tutorial that explains how to convert your handwriting into a personal font.

Besides a computer running Microsoft Windows you will need the following equipment:

• template character set (click here to download)
• Software (e.g. Adobe Reader) to open and print the template
• marker (dark, preferably black)
• printer
• scanner
• image processing software (Microsoft Paint will do)
• FontCreator (download FontCreator from High-Logic)

We use a template in combination with a printer and a scanner, but there are several other ways to get images of your handwritten character set. For example you could draw characters with a drawing tablet or draw them straight away into your favorite paint software.

The font editor used in this tutorial is FontCreator from High-Logic. FontCreator is the world's most popular font editor and it's fully functional for 30 days. A single user license costs $79.00 for the Home Edition and $149.00 for the Professional Edition. The Home Edition has all the features you need to make your own fonts.

Other font editors that can be used to make your own handwriting font are ScanFont and Fontographer from FontLab. Fontographer has no demo and hasn't been updated for over a decade. However you can still buy it for $349.00. ScanFont costs $99.00 and has a demo, but it will only work if you've also installed either TypeTool ($99.00), FontLab Studio ($649.00) or AsiaFont Studio ($1999.00), and even then the demo produces crippled fonts.

Now go make your own font. It takes at least an hour to complete your first font, but it will be worth it. Start the Tutorial.