UPDATE 08/2011: This service is not longer free. It’s $10 to create your font. Still, not bad if you are a font nerd like me.
So, I’m a procrastinator. I’d like to say I’m a recovering procrastinator, but I’m not there yet. The down side to putting all my tasks off until the last minute are the periodic moments of panic scattered throughout a typical week.
No middle ground for me! It’s either a sense of calm and well-being as I ignore the work piling up. Or, it’s the terror that strikes hours before the deadline. In the past, I tried to reform myself. Now, I just blame the problem on genetics and my childhood. It’s easier that way.
The upside to my procrastinating ways is all the cool stuff I find on the internet while I’m distracting myself from my to-do list.
Take this website for example: www.fontcapture.com. It’s a fun and easy tool to convert your own handwriting into a true type font that you can use on your computer like any other font — even in design programs like InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Best part? It’s free. It’s now $10. Still a pretty good deal.
The process involves four easy steps:
- Go to the website and download the template.
- Print the template and fill it in (like I did above) with your handwriting sample.
- Scan the completed template and upload it to the site.
- Name your new font and download it.
Once you have it on your computer’s harddrive, you can install it like any font. Possible uses? Create a new font for a design layout. Print nearly hand-written looking letters to friends and family. Fill out forms. “Sign” documents. Fool the teacher into thinking your mother wrote a doctor’s note.Whatever.