How to convert standard font to single line font

[HighTechHillbilly]

Forgive me if this question has been asked a thousand times. There are so many threads, I figured it would be easiest to start, yet another.

We have a Hebrew True Type font.
We need to be able to engrave using single line fonts.

Is it possible to convert standard true type fonts to single line fonts using FontCreator?

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I am not familiar with single-line fonts, but go to Tools, Options, Font, to enable Open Contours. Then go to File, Export Settings, Open Contours, and select the option that you want.

See Help on Single Line Fonts.

[Erwin Denissen]

I have changed the font project into a single line version.

I have adjusted both capital letters L and Q and then exported the font as both single line and double line.

The fonts will most likely look odd when viewed, but both should work fine when used with CNC.

Let us know your results, but only try capital letter L and Q.

[HighTechHillbilly]

Wow thank you for testing that.
It looks like the SL2 file font looks correct. The SL1 file did look weird, and it made it difficult to identify the usable letters.

Can you describe the method you used to modify the lettering for each of the files?

[HighTechHillbilly]

I am not familiar with single-line fonts, but go to Tools, Options, Font, to enable Open Contours. Then go to File, Export Settings, Open Contours, and select the option that you want.

See Help on Single Line Fonts.

Thank you for the recommendation.
However, we followed this process, and it appears to have just created an outline font that is not filled.
I will also look into the documentation you listed.

[Erwin Denissen]

Wow thank you for testing that.
It looks like the SL2 file font looks correct. The SL1 file did look weird, and it made it difficult to identify the usable letters.

Can you describe the method you used to modify the lettering for each of the files?

Here are steps to get you started:

• Tools -> Options -> Font -> Enable open contours
• Open a glyph edit window
• View -> Toolbars -> Background
• Copy from current glyph
• Use Insert Contour feature to manually reconstruct the outlines
• Export with Open Contours set as Double Stroke

[HighTechHillbilly]

Wow thank you for testing that.
It looks like the SL2 file font looks correct. The SL1 file did look weird, and it made it difficult to identify the usable letters.

Can you describe the method you used to modify the lettering for each of the files?

Here are steps to get you started:

• Tools -> Options -> Font -> Enable open contours
• Open a glyph edit window
• View -> Toolbars -> Background
• Copy from current glyph
• Use Insert Contour feature to manually reconstruct the outlines
• Export with Open Contours set as Double Stroke

Thank you,
May I ask how you were able to produce the single line version of the fonts?
We have tried everything from importing single-line vectors, to using the standard UI tools, but have not been able to find how to build the single line fonts. The user manual does not say much about this, and has been less than helpful on this topic in general.

[HighTechHillbilly]

Hello All,
We ended up creating a single line font.
Everything looks correct in the font project.
However, when we export/insta;ll and use the font, the letters do not show up correctly.

Here is a screen share of the issue.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/py61xretk18vf ... 1.mp4?dl=0

[PJMiller]

Fonts with an open contours are meant to be used on CNC engraving machines and when used with such machines they work properly.

If you use a font with open contours in normal applications like word processors or desktop publishing then the rendering program cannot process these glyphs and this results in unspecified behaviour because open contours are not included in the open type specification.

The two most commonly used rendering engines handle open contours by adding an extra line from the last point of the contour to the first point thus making it a closed contour. This is clearly what is happening in your video. The rendering engine is performing as expected.

If this font is used with a CNC engraving machine it should work, if it is used with a normal PC application then the contours will be closed. Everything is working as expected.

[Erwin Denissen]

Hello All,
We ended up creating a single line font.
Everything looks correct in the font project.
However, when we export/insta;ll and use the font, the letters do not show up correctly.

singleline.png (987.69 KiB) Viewed 6099 times

The shin-hebr outline looks more like an export with Open Contours option set to Single Stroke. Double stroke should not have the start and end point reconnected, but should be (almost) invisible if used on your computer. Not sure if you prefer that, but as Paul Miller already explained, the font should work correctly when used with CNC engraving.

In your case I think a previous version of the font is cached somewhere. Do uninstall the font, then reboot, and reinstall the font through FontCreator. Also I do not know in what software your typed the text, but do also try in Word to see how it looks.

Let us know your results.