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Is there a software program available that can extend letters and add all those beautiful curlicues that hand painters use? We use CorelDraw 8 for sign design, which is fine for most lettering. But we need better font manipulation capability, and would appreciate your suggestions.
-------------------- Tony and Bridget Albano Naamans Creek Carved Sign Co. Avondale, PA wecarve353@msn.com Posts: 10 | From: Avondale, PA | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Mike Jackson has a CD(s) available with all kinds of fancy ornaments you might like. I think he's an advertiser on the "merchant" page. You can search the web for free fonts. All kinds of funky stuff is available free on the net. Sign DNA has a lot of "handlettered" style fonts. Letterhead Fonts on the web has some cool period styles as well. I don't know how much you want manipulate the fonts you have, but you can do some basic changes by node editing. Cheers
[ April 13, 2002, 02:07 PM: Message edited by: Robert Thomas ]
-------------------- Rob Thomas 3410 Ketcham Ct Beautiful Springs FL 34134 Posts: 965 | From: Bonita Springs, Florida USA | Registered: Feb 2000
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Well...I'll probably start an argument here...but thats alright.
We've been using the Gerber Graphix Advantage system for the last 13 years and the number one reason we bought it was the font and letter manipulation qualities it offered and still offers.
As a matter of fact I just yesterday down loaded some lettering from corel font and manipulated it to my satisfaction.
The best part was when the client asked what font we used so he could tell his print shop what we used.I had to tell him knowing the font wouldn't do any good because I manipulated it and if the printer wanted it he could contact us for a "floppy".
(hehe a little extra income) Who says Gerber is too high in cost? It has always made money for me and generated un forseen profits just like the story I just related to you.
I like you, am curious to hear of other programs that people use to manipulate...I also find the Gerber extremely handy for manipulating and "cleaning up" scanned art and letters.
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
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1st off corel will do anything you want to a font, qickly and easily. also have ARTS & LETTERS EXPRESS 6.0 awesome for playin with fonts. got font monger and fontgrapher....might work if i had time ta learn em.....almost forgot..any relation to LOU ALBANO??????? HEHEHEHE
[ April 14, 2002, 02:40 AM: Message edited by: old paint ]
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thank you for all the responses! You've given us a lot of software to investigate. In Corel, you can kern, node edit, fit text to path - but if I want to make the letter "R" have a long, flowing extension that reaches down and curves around the rest of the word, I don't know how to do it. And I'd like a program that shows examples to help me design signs with these types of letters. I love the signs by Gary Godby that were in an old issue of "Letterheads". We're a small shop, making carved signs, and don't do vinyl graphics. We use SignLab for vinyl lettering. (You can see some of our carved signs on our half-finished website, www.wecarve.com.) Anyway, will flexi do that? I'll check out the Mike Jackson CD, too. Will Arts & Letters 6.0 work? Our software budget is in the hundreds, not thousands, so I think the Gerber GA is too expensive. No, Tony's not related to Lou, but I think he tells people he is. He DOES have an Uncle Lou, which helps the story.
-------------------- Tony and Bridget Albano Naamans Creek Carved Sign Co. Avondale, PA wecarve353@msn.com Posts: 10 | From: Avondale, PA | Registered: Apr 2002
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Step 1 Type text, if it's script you'll have to weld it.
Step 2 Create line you want extention to follow
Step 3 Use artistic media tool (on same flyout as line tool) to create line thickness, adjust in interactive toolbar as necessary. With artistic media group selected (the wide line you just created) go arrange>separate then delete the original (skinny) line. Weld the new object to the text object, with the shape tool delete a few extra nodes around the weld and you are done.
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dont take this the wrong way, but ive said this before " corel has a steep learning curve", and if you were to spend about 5 years playin with one version, then you will have mastered all things corel will do. when i 1st started in corel ver 3.0 1992, it just drove me crazy, wouldnt do what i wanted it to do, when i wanted to do it. well iam still learnin it...but have stuck with version 7(last of the true corels, 8,9,10, 11, all have addins from a program called XARA,) check out www.xara.com corel made deals with the company, took what they wanted from their program and then dropped them. their new program XARA X will do font editing. only thing you dont have is time invested in learning corel, and it is frustrating.....but you will learn it.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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the key thing to learn how to do in ANY vector software (Corel, Illustrator, etc.) is learn how to draw and manipulate the nodes (or points) this is one of the basics that most people overlook. By learning how to move and shape the nodes, you can make ANYTHING!!!
You mentioned that you had Corel8, that is more than enough software to make the swirls and swatches that you need, spend the extra time and money to learn how to use what you've got instead of buying extra software that require even more learning and frustrations.
if you are interested,email me and I will try to guide you through the basics of node editing. Once you learn that, there will be few things out there that you cannot recreate!
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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Please put me on you e-mail list as well. I definetly could use a few lessons!! I've been operating CASmate Pro for a number of years now and have recently purchased Corel Draw 8. I find myself struggling with Corel and have done very little with it. Does anybody have any good books, videos etc... that they would sugest to help learn this program? It is quit clear to me that this is a really powerful program if only I could get beyond the basics!! (sigh)
-------------------- Mark Neurohr "Ernest" Paintin' Place 141 Sunnyside Road Kittanning, PA 16201
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monty...lou albano was a wrestler then he was a promotor....but fun to watch...when his guys was in the ring, you could count on him to get in the ring and help his guy....monty,the color you add to orange to make it brighter i cant remember... did an orange letterin job today got to do another one, these are orange letters, #12 black outline and this on alum that is painted LIME GREEN.....
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Wow, everyone! Thank you! What a surprise to find that the program you need, is the one you have. Mike, your instructions and pictures convinced me. And, Michael, I will dig into the manual to learn more about node editing - or take a class. You're right, Old Paint, about the steep learning curve. I'm self-taught and have only been using Corel for a couple of years. The manual doesn't specifically show how to put flourishes on letters, so I didn't think Corel could do it. Thanks for telling us who Lou Albano is. All I knew was that he was a wild t.v. wrestler, but I've never seen him.
-------------------- Tony and Bridget Albano Naamans Creek Carved Sign Co. Avondale, PA wecarve353@msn.com Posts: 10 | From: Avondale, PA | Registered: Apr 2002
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One of the best books I've seen & learned from, is Rick Altman's 'Mastering Corel Draw'.
I've bought 3 issues over the years ver 4, ver 7, and ver 9, and I've found it to be easy to follow, full of info & tips, and well explained. It's not far from my desk now, great reference book.
-------------------- Mike O'Neill
It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. - Arthur C. Clarke
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